Sunday, June 12, 2011

Are you and your mate TP compatible?

[Alternate title: How's it hanging?]

Forget about money, sex, the toilet seat, and toothpaste caps. You want to know the real source of marital or relationship discord or success? Toilet paper. More specifically toilet paper rolls -- and which way to hang them.

Joke all you want, but I have seen and heard couples nearly come to blows over whether the end of the toilet paper roll should hang over or under the bar (and why certain people seem unable to replace an empty roll). And it's not just couples. Ask your friends -- or really anyone -- about the "right" way to hang a roll of toilet paper and you are guaranteed to wind up in an argument eventually.

Indeed, people have very specific opinions about how to hang toilet paper (like this guy). Hence the 3,770,000 results for the Google search term "how to hang toilet paper." One guy even goes so far as to scientifically demonstrate that there is a right way and a wrong way to hang toilet paper.

Sadly, I am apparently doing it the wrong way -- the "under" way. And per the Angry Aussie will be going to Hell.

Fortunately, the spouse will be going there with me. For he, too, prefers his toilet paper to hang under the bar. I think it's an aesthetic thing, for both of us, though I swear we use less toilet paper when the end hangs under the bar (as opposed to over). In any case, it is one less thing for us to argue about (though we hardly ever argue).

But let me put it to you, dear readers. Which side do you fall on on the great over/under debate? Does your mate agree with you?

Do me a favor and take a few seconds to do the (totally anonymous) poll below, which closes on Saturday, June 18, at 12 noon ET.

How's your toilet paper hanging?

Thank you.

UPDATED: Blog reader Anonymous asked the following question in the Comments, which I felt compelled to reprint here: "Do you fold or crumple your TP?" You can let me know via the Comments. (Too lazy to put up another poll.)

13 comments:

Charlene said...

I have a pigeon hole cabinet on the wall above the basket with reading material, to the left of the toilet. I put clean wash cloths, my glasses, a roll of toilet paper and a back up roll in these square openings in the cabinet, so my roll does not hang, it lies. SMILE

Anonymous said...

I cast my vote for "over"
A friend of mine has another interesting one -- do you fold or crumple your TP (I am a folder; what about you?)

J. said...

@Charlene, I have seen the cabinet and basket approaches -- as well as people who leave a roll on top of the toilet. Not sure if I am a fan.

@Anonymous, congratulations, your question has been added to the blog post (though I did not do it as a poll question). To answer it, I believe I'm a folder. (Hadn't give it much thought until now.)

Emily and Laura said...

When we moved into this house last fall, there were no toilet paper hangers in any of the 2.5 bathrooms. The other half keeps saying he'll put some up, but since he never changed a TP roll in his life in any case, we do far better just placing the rolls on a surface near the toilet.

But when we've had hangers, we've been firmly in the OVER category. If you do it under, you're doing it wrong! :) But hey, as a rule I live by goes: Better to be consistently wrong than inconsistent!

Kendor said...

Folding/crumpling is a matter of deep personal preference and doesn't belong in the under/over conversation. The point being that whether one folds or crumples has no impact on others who might use your thrown; whereas how one presents TP is a public pronouncement.

BTW, I'm a crumpler!

Anonymous said...

I prefer under, but have adapted to those I lived with. Sometimes people go INSANE!!!

BTW-I crumple.

Ange said...

Thanks for the reminder! I need to buy some loo roll today!

(I roll under and I'm a folder - and I'm the only person in this household physically capable of changing the roll)

J. said...

@Laura, NO TP hangers/holders? How odd. But you seem to have solved (or avoided) the over/under question. ;-)

@Kendor, :-)

@Ange, three more things we have in common (in addition to being members of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee). :-) Btw, if or when the spouse and I make it to New Zealand, we must hook up.

Dave S. said...

Re the voting, I would like to hear from the person who does "not know" the hanging direction of their TP. Does this person interchange over/under, or what?

Actually I wonder if there is any correlation between over/under and crumpler/folder. Let us plunge into this swirling controversy!

Anonymous said...

I am most definately an "over" person and a "folder" too and have been that way forever!! I think that there are a whole lot of things one can read into the latter and I am sure it correlates into many other pecadillos! We need more polls!

Ange said...

Absolutely J! We have spare rooms! :-)

Anonymous said...

I am a over person and a folder. Can't imagine having it any other way!

Powaqqatsi said...

I voted over; but I am posting to aire a pet peeve:

I can't stand cheap places that stock flimsy single ply TP that tears if you so much as look at it (nevermind touch it). Make it 2 ply, make it soft, make it able to withstand a pull without insta-shredding.