How do you hang your toilet paper when you start a new roll?
Do you hang it with the end going over the top of the roll or with the end under the roll, near the wall?
For something as relatively inconsequential as toilet paper, the debate among people on the two sides can get pretty heated. There are some who strongly believe that the only way to properly hang toilet paper is with the end going over the top, while others are positive the opposite is true.
As it turns out, the over-versus-under debate isn’t simply a matter of personal preference, as I’d always assumed. According to a new study, the “right” way to hang toilet paper is with the end going over the roll — and it’s actually better for your health that way, particularly in public restrooms!
Inc. reports that a study conducted at the University of Colorado found that even apparently spotless public bathroom are filled with germs:
Using a high-tech genetic sequencing tool, researchers identified 19 groups of bacteria on the doors, floors, faucet handles, soap dispensers, and toilets of 12 public restrooms in Colorado — six men’s restrooms and six women’s restrooms. Many of the bacteria strains identified could be transmitted by touching contaminated surfaces.
Well, that’s disgusting!
The study suggests that, because of this, using toilet paper hung over instead of under the roll decreases the likelihood that germ-filled hands will touch the wall, leaving a deposit of bacteria on the wall that could be picked up by others using the bathroom and reaching for toilet paper.
Unrelated to the germs issue, there is also the fact that the person who patented the toilet paper roll actually included multiple illustrations showing the toilet paper hanging over the top.
Are you convinced by this evidence that hanging toilet paper over the roll is actually the way to go?
Check out the video below to learn more, and please SHARE this story with your friends and family on Facebook!
Thumbnail Photos: Wikimedia Commons / Elya // Wikimedia Commons / vagawi
