# Are you an over-roller or an under-roller
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 13, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069 "2003-11-13T18:35:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@prisoner6655321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prisoner6655321)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/1 "2003-11-13T18:35:19Z")
How do you install your toilet paper?[list=a]
[li]The end comes out over the top of the roll.[/li][li]The end comes out under the bottom of the roll.[/li][/list=a]And why.
I’ll start.
b. I’m an underroller because usually when I try to tear off a few sheets from an over-rolled roll it inevidably ends up unrolling about 5 feet of TP. For some reason, if I install it the other way around, I can tear off sheets without unrolling any more than I want.
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### Author:  [@hybrid\_dogfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hybrid_dogfish)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/2 "2003-11-13T18:36:55Z")
a.
I don’t know why, it just seems to look better.
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### Author:  [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/3 "2003-11-13T18:41:01Z")
Also an A. I agree that it looks better.
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### Author:  [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/4 "2003-11-13T18:54:41Z")
A. It looks better and it’s easier to unroll.
The only reason I can think of for rolling under is if you have cats. They like to claw at the roll, and if it’s rolled over the top they can make quite a mess. Rolled under, they can swipe at it all day and never get past the top sheets.
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### Author:  [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/5 "2003-11-13T19:10:09Z")
!!
I was considering starting a thread on this very topic, this morning. Something along the lines of “very minor annoying things your SO does that aren’t irritating enough to actually argue about” heh.
He _invariably_ hangs the toilet paper and paper towels so that the starting edge is on the back of the roll, towards the wall. To him I say _faugh!_ How can I grasp the next sheet for tearing, when I have to reach back behind the roll to find it? If the leading edge is sitting right there on the front, or hanging slightly down, it’s ever so much easier to access. I’ve asked him to amend his hanging style, and now I think he just does it to irritate me. He did it this morning. I think I could hear him snickering in the other room as I removed the roll of toilet paper and put it back on the **right** way.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/6 "2003-11-13T19:15:51Z")
a. People who do it the other way are clearly psychopathic. Same for paper towels.
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### Author:  [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/7 "2003-11-13T19:24:11Z")
Over the top. Down the wall is just wrong. So very, very wrong.
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### Author:  [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/8 "2003-11-13T19:37:24Z")
Definitely (a). The other way, you have the roll blocking access to itself. It just doesn’t make sense.
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### Author:  [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/9 "2003-11-13T19:47:13Z")
I am a (A.) guy, I even go as far as to “fix” it for other folks who have not yet seen the light (those poor bastards).
unclviny
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### Author:  [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/10 "2003-11-13T19:58:19Z")
A.
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### Author:  [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/11 "2003-11-13T20:06:55Z")
A is better if the roll is very close to the toilet, so that it is hard to reach under the roll.
Otherwise, I do B, becase it seems like the paper tears off more reliably with a firm yank than with A.
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### Author:  [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/12 "2003-11-13T20:21:19Z")
B. makes the baby Charmin cry.
A. all the way, although I really prefer not having it on a spool at all. Two fingers in the end tube, a little swirling action, and tear off what you need.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/13 "2003-11-13T21:05:05Z")
a
Because it’s easier to access. Necessary reach is shortened by the diameter of the roll.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/14 "2003-11-13T21:13:44Z")
b.
I must be some kind of sick freak. I just think it looks neater.
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### Author:  [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/15 "2003-11-13T21:29:55Z")
B here as well. It makes tearing easier as I can use my thumb to hold the roll and tear with my fingers if I’m feeling lazy.
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### Author:  [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/16 "2003-11-13T22:06:25Z")
B
Do it any other way and it’s like an addictive video game for my cats.
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### Author:  [@Photog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Photog)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/17 "2003-11-13T22:18:40Z")
Wasn’t there a Simpsons epsisode where Marge and Homer lose the kids for several reason cited by a couple of social workers who happened by while Grandpa Simpson was babysitting? One of the reasons they rattled off was something like “Hanging the toilet paper in the unacceptable ‘overhand’ fashion”?
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### Author:  [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/18 "2003-11-13T22:27:30Z")
I was always a (b) person until about 10 years ago.
Then I changed, for no apparent reason. Now I’m a confirmed (a) person.
Luckily, so is my S.O.
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### Author:  [@Sparrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparrow)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/19 "2003-11-13T22:38:58Z")
B. I think it looks tidier and the hanging end is kept out of the way.
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### Author:  [@Improvisor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improvisor)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-an-over-roller-or-an-under-roller/213069/20 "2003-11-13T22:47:17Z")
Myself = B
My Wife = A
All the toilet paper dispensers in our house = A
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