# Toilet paper - scrunch or fold? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 17, 2002, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496 "2002-06-17T10:44:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Badboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Badboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badboy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/1 "2002-06-17T10:44:25Z")
I need all you people to help validate my thesis that women tend to fold, whereas men tend to scrunch… So, what’s the deal? I’m a guy, and I scrunch. ---
**Author:** ![Kantalooppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/2 "2002-06-17T11:21:59Z")
I’m a guy, and I fold. I mean, scrunching? What’s the big idea there? Also, if the toilet paper roll looks like it only has few pieces left, folding gives you possibility of re-folding. You just have to be rather careful to not get sticky fingers. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/3 "2002-06-17T11:33:15Z")
There was a thread on this a while back (or lavatory habits in general IIRC). It was the first time I had _ever_ heard of the “scrunching” phenomenon. And IIRC - memory hazy though - it seemed that more women scrunched than men. Anyone find that thread? ---
**Author:** ![Kantalooppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/4 "2002-06-17T11:40:27Z")
It occurs to me that people don’t know much about each other’s arse-wiping habits, for understandable reasons. We just assume everyone does it like we do. I mean, I know some people stand instead of sitting, I know some people scrunch their toilet paper (although I can’t understand why), but I’m still not completely believing all those people saying that they reach between their legs instead of just reaching from the behing. Especially guys. Google found [this survey](http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~davidson/bathroom/) claiming that men are 12% more likely than women to be folders. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/5 "2002-06-17T12:35:36Z")
Well as I’m allergic to most toilet paper I use sani wipes and the liike so i dont get rashes … So neither really ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/6 "2002-06-17T13:27:24Z")
I fold. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/7 "2002-06-17T14:37:42Z")
I run a length between my legs and floss. What’s this scrunch of which you speak? ---
**Author:** ![TelcontarStorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@TelcontarStorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TelcontarStorm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/8 "2002-06-17T15:23:34Z")
Hey…I do neither. I must be a woman. I roll mine around my hand and then swipe from behind. I then slide it off and drop. If any remains I will then fold it over, (so maybe I AM a folder?) and then drop it in. {related Hyjack} How many of you put the paper on the roller so the pull flap is on top. As opposed to reaching under the roll for the pull flap? Are the the folders also the unders like myself?{End related Hyjack} ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/9 "2002-06-17T16:54:51Z")
I had an intreguing conversation on this very subject whith a friend of mine some months ago. We’re both guys, so we talk about weird shit. [ahem] As it turned out, we are both folders who perform a minimum of three wipes. Also, I like to have the end of the roll on the outside, because when it’s on the inside, it is harder to get at around the roll-holders and sometimes rests too close to the wall to just grab. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/10 "2002-06-17T18:23:10Z")
Man here, I wad. ---
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Crude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Crude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Crude)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/11 "2002-06-17T18:33:10Z")
You people are sick! I flush it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/12 "2002-06-17T22:07:53Z")
Male. A few years ago, after a lifetime of wadding, I switched to folding because I moved into an old house with unpredictable pipes. I realized that with the wadding method, I would usually need three pulls off the roll to get clean, but that with folding, I could re-use a pull at least once and thus cut my paper consumption in half, not to mention drastically reducing the possibility of a clog. Oh, and I reach around my ass to wipe, not up between my legs. That’s just weird. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2002, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/13 "2002-06-17T23:21:56Z")
Female. I scrunch. And reach behind. And pull-flap on top. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/14 "2002-06-18T00:00:46Z")
Female. Fold. Why? **[sub]TMI alert![/sub]** because when I was five or six years old, the scrunching method led to a bit of a dilemma: it’s more easily torn, a bit more unpredictable, and small pieces got stuck in the various environs of my butt. This never happens with folding. The paper stays as one piece. ---
**Author:** ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2002, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/15 "2002-06-18T06:12:52Z")
And this is moved to Great Debates because…? ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2002, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/16 "2002-06-18T12:24:31Z")
Moved _from_. We’re in IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Go\_alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_alien)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2002, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/17 "2002-06-18T13:12:56Z")
I fold, one wipe per (what _is_ the SI unit of measure for a wipe of your arse?) Does anybody use a bidet instead? ---
**Author:** ![sandalfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@sandalfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandalfeet)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2002, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toilet-paper-scrunch-or-fold/114496/18 "2002-06-19T01:06:42Z")
female here, i wrap then fold