Toilet Paper: Over or Under?

“Stop screwing up the toilet paper like that! It’s like you’re doing this on purpose to piss me off, or something. You have to put the fold towards the cabinet, not on the outside. Why can’t you just listen to me? If you do this again, we’re done.” Justin was raging as he ripped the toilet paper roll from the holder, flipping it as aggressively as he could without absolutely destroying the tissues. He had the firm belief that toilet paper should be on the roll with it’s loose sheet closest to the thing holding it up. When anyone would replace the toilet paper with the sheet on the outside, blind fury would take over and he would become irrationally angry.

To some people, placement of objects, even toilet paper, is extremely important. With this particular instance, Justin was expressing his feelings about the orientation of the toilet paper in an overly aggressive manner. He has something called OCD, or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Thankfully, the majority of the world doesn’t have this disorder. When trying to describe what it did to Justin physically, he stated that, when something is out of place, he feels the need to peel his face off.

I reached out to him via Skype, as we are still very good friends, and asked him for a quick interview in order to get information from someone who has experienced OCD first hand. As soon as his video feed started up, I could see that his room as in perfect order, almost as if it were a room no one lived in. It looked like one of those Ikea pictures you’d see on a furniture box, displaying a home that wasn’t lived in, but up for show. My first question was, “How long have you known that you had OCD?” He’d said that he was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder when he was only twelve-years-old. He had started therapy and began to get the help he needed early on. The time that he had lashed out at me, he wasn’t going to the therapy appointments due to scheduling conflicts. This put him under a lot of stress and caused his behavior to shift in an unfriendly manner.

I had asked him about his daily routine and he let me in on some fine details. Justin makes sure everything in each room is where it needs to be before leaving. He has difficulty going from room to room in his home if he sees that something is not in its place. He’s said that the feeling it gives him when something is out of place, that he can’t fix, is similar to the need to rip off one’s own limbs. He feels like something is crawling on his skin and he can’t breathe. The only way to fix this is to fix the out of place object. In our case, it was the toilet paper. I had no idea at the time how I was making him feel, even though he told me. I had thought that he was exaggerating his feelings on the situation, and I should have listened. I’m thankful for his insight and the chat we shared.

I also interviewed my dad, who happens to have a clean bill of health, to see where he stands on the “Over” verses “Under” debate. We sat at the kitchen table and I pulled out a roll of toilet paper, which earned a quizzical look and a strange smile from my papa. “What’s going on?” He asked. “I have a few questions for you about toilet paper. It’s for an essay.” That got him to nod and, naturally, he leaned in and said,” Okay, shoot.” I asked, “If you were to go to the restroom to refill the toilet paper roll, which way would you place the new roll? Flap over, or under?” I handed the roll to him, hoping to get a straight answer. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Which ever way feels easiest. I don’t really have a preference on which way the roll faces, as long as I can wipe.” I then asked, “So, if a roll was just sitting on the counter, would you put it on the roll?” He shook his head, “Nah, I’m just going to use it and set the rest of the roll down where I got it.” My dad has no preference on how the roll should be placed in the bathroom. He’s usually the most logical out of the family when it comes down to it. As long as something is present to use, why should a silly detail like over or under really matter?

The orientation of your toilet paper roll is a matter of preference. There is no wrong way to place your toilet paper, unless your housemate has OCD. If they aren’t being treated for their OCD, they may have an outburst like Justin did, or worse. “When left untreated, OCD and anxiety are associated with ongoing impairments in social, academic, and family functioning (Clinical Psychology).” Some ideas have come about to alleviate the stress of deciding how to put your TP on the roll. Curtis Batts invented the “tilt-a-roll,” which helped by allowing the user to simply flip the roll and choose over or under with the flick of a wrist (Wikipedia).

If you take a look at google, typing in “Toilet Paper Orientation”, you’ll find several articles on the subject. In all of the articles that I read, the surveys came back showing that people preferred the toilet paper fold to be placed over rather than under. In the text “Over or under? The science of toilet paper orientation” studies showed a majority of 70% wanting their toilet paper to dispense over instead of under.

Pros and cons were listed in the aforementioned text for both sides. Those that wanted the toilet paper folded over said the following: It’s easier to grab, your knuckles don’t hit the wall, it looks better, I’m used to it, you can tear it off easier. On the flip-side, those that wanted the paper to be folded under weighed in with these reasons: The roll is less likely to unravel during an earthquake and RV drives, animals and small children have a harder time finding the loose sheet to pull out all of the tissues, it looks better to them.

Both sides have their merits, though I’ll be sticking with the “over” rather than the “under” side, because that’s how I roll. As long as the roll isn’t unraveling all over the bathroom, it shouldn’t matter, but to some people, it does. When you get a new roommate, or live with a partner, it’s always nice to check with them on their preferences. Make sure you know who you’re living with and if they have any reasonable accommodations that need to be met. For instance, I refuse to use single ply toilet paper, as it feels like sandpaper most of the time and makes for a grumpy human.

Please be considerate of others, get to know your people, and for the love of all who use toilets, please make sure to replace the toilet paper if you use the last square. If you follow this advice, you’re sure to avoid at least a few rough spots with loved ones.

Works Cited

Eric Mack, “Over or under? The science of toilet paper orientation”, Cnet.com, May 9, 2011

Floyd, Jacquielynn (29 June 1999), "Inventor rolls out solution to toilet paper war", The Dallas ksdfklskdjdflMorning News, p. 15A, Factiva dal0000020010829dv6t005qf

Kagan, Elana R., et al. "Accommodation in Youth with OCD and Anxiety." Clinical Psychology: klasdfljasldk Science & Practice, vol. 24, no. 1, Mar. 2017, pp. 78-98. EBSCOhost, asdkfajsdljafjdoi:10.1111/cpsp.12186