# Toilet Paper -- Over or Under? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 25, 2000, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596 "2000-02-25T20:10:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/1 "2000-02-25T20:10:00Z")
OK, how do you folks install that new roll of toilet paper: so that it feeds over the top, or so that it unwinds from underneath? I am an over-the-top kinda guy myself. Weirdly enough, people seem to have very strong feelings on this subject. So strong that sometimes, after a guest has used my restroom, I find that they have switched the roll around. (Maybe I just have weird friends.) Anybody have a strong preference for one way or the other? Any logic behind your choice? Is there a “proper” way? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/2 "2000-02-25T20:14:00Z")
Why not let peac… oh, nevermind. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/3 "2000-02-25T20:14:00Z")
There is no proper way, IMHO. Nevertheless, over is the ONLY WAY!!! My brother had a good point about under, though. If a baby gets loose and starts spinning the roll, it doesn’t unwind if it is mounted under. Tinker ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/4 "2000-02-25T20:18:00Z")
Over. I do my business early in the morning, while my first cup of coffee is brewing, and find it easier to slap down on the roll to get it started. But I promise not to change your’s. 🙂 Peace, mangeorge * * * I only know two things; I know what I need to know And I know what I want to know Mangeorge, 2000 ---
**Author:** ![Nen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Nen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nen)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/5 "2000-02-25T21:03:00Z")
Over, of course! And spoke-, your fiendish friends are not only weird but have no scruples if they mess with you toilet paper (no pun intended). ---
**Author:** ![StrTrkr777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@StrTrkr777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrTrkr777)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/6 "2000-02-25T21:06:00Z")
What you guys actually put the roll on the dispenser? Just Kidding. I am an over the top kind of guy myself (yes in more ways than just the direction of my TP). Jeffery ---
**Author:** ![PeeQueue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8797f3/32.png) [@PeeQueue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeeQueue)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/7 "2000-02-25T21:22:00Z")
Hahaha. I’ve actually been meaning to talk to my fiancee about this. She keeps mounting the toilet paper “under”, but I prefer it “over”. I don’t think she actually prefers it that way, she probably just never thought about it. To me, it is just a pain in the ass (hey! figuratively…) having it “under” as it it much harder to grab. Besides the kid thing (good point), I can’t see any reason why someone would prefer it “under”. PeeQueue ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/8 "2000-02-25T21:41:00Z")
Interesting. So far, everyone who has posted prefers “over the top”. Surely there must be some “unders” out there among the teeming millions! Come on you mutants! Justify yourselves, if you can! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![StrTrkr777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@StrTrkr777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrTrkr777)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/9 "2000-02-25T21:47:00Z")
Well actually spoke there are not likely many unders around these parts. I heard of a study (no I have no cite) a few years ago that said that people who place their toilet paper in the over position were in general smarter and more educated and more successful than those that were of the under variety. Therefore not likely many unders around here. Jeffery ---
**Author:** ![bantmof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@bantmof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bantmof)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2000, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/10 "2000-02-25T22:05:00Z")
I much prefer over, but if you have cats, sometimes under is necessary so the little beasts don’t unroll the whole thing onto the floor and proceed to play gleefully in the resulting mess. – peas on earth ---
**Author:** ![SuperNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SuperNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNerd)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/11 "2000-02-26T00:17:00Z")
Maybe I’m the exception but this won’t be the first time so here goes: I prefer the under orientation. And, I have a reason - you can rip off a controlled number of sheets with one hand. I’ll admit that I don’t know how useful this is in the grand scheme of things but there you go. Unroll the desired number of sheets, block the roll with your forearm and rip them off with a quick flip of the wrist. This is probably possible but much more difficult when it’s ‘over’. And, bantmof: I’ve had cats unroll the whole thing from either orientation. Them cats are smarter than they look. Until you force feed them toilet paper, they tend to leave it alone after that … ---
**Author:** ![WillGolfForFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@WillGolfForFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillGolfForFood)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/12 "2000-02-26T00:35:00Z")
Didn’t Ann Landers cover this topic aways back? Hmmph. Whatever she decided, Ann Landers said it, I believe it, and that settles it. ---
**Author:** ![mipsman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mipsman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipsman)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/13 "2000-02-26T02:06:00Z")
Over, for God’s sake. This is the 21st century. What are you barbarians or something? ---
**Author:** ![siva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7c8e57/32.png) [@siva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/siva)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/14 "2000-02-26T02:17:00Z")
I prefer it over but I have to put it under. Tinker said: My brother had a good point about under, though. If a baby gets loose and starts spinning the roll, it doesn’t unwind if it is mounted under. It’s not the baby i’m worried about. My cat often times mistakens the toilet paper for a scratching post ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/15 "2000-02-26T05:35:00Z")
Under. I don’t have a pet or a kid, so my reason is that it just keeps the end out of the way. However, I once lived in a place with a bathroom that was oddly laid out. It was narrow, and the roll was on the opposite wall, facing you as you’re on the throne. It was a bit of a reach. So while I lived there I always used the “over” method because it put the end a couple of inches nearer and made the reach easier. * * * But where were the Spiders? ---
**Author:** ![UppityWoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ee7513/32.png) [@UppityWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UppityWoman)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/16 "2000-02-26T06:19:00Z")
Over. No question. If someone does it differently at my house, I change it. That goes for paper towels, too. You can pull off a paper towel easily when it’s rolled over, but if it’s rolled under, the whole roll tends to come off. If I had to put the roll back up every time I need a paper towel, I’d have no time to post on such grave matters here, would I? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2000, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/17 "2000-02-26T08:10:00Z")
Having a toddler, two cats and a dog, the paper goes under. It actually is a big deal that critters and kids can’t spin the roll and unwind all the toilet paper. The cats in particulr like doing it, and so did our Daughter about a year ago. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/18 "2000-02-27T04:01:00Z")
What is this “toilet paper” of which you speak? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/19 "2000-02-27T04:48:00Z")
I like the way the Daiei Department Store in Ebisu, Tokyo handles this. The restroom stalls are equipped with two rolls of toilet paper; one with the over orientation & the other with the under orientation. Of course, being an “over” type myself, I feel that’s just pandering to the wrong sort of crowd. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy\_Greg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Cowboy\_Greg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy_Greg)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2000, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596/20 "2000-02-27T06:07:00Z")
Personally, I couldn’t care less if it’s over or under… it unrolls either way, right? However, I seem to be the minority in this (as in so many other things). My partner absolutely **insists** in having TP, paper towels, et al. over, and will go and re-orient the paper products if it’s mounted the “wrong” way. * * * Shared pain is lessened; shared joy is increased. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-over-or-under/17596.md?page=2)