Toilet roll holder

{{unsourced section|date=December 2021}}

File:Vertical Toilet Roll Holder.jpg

A horizontal axle design is found in most homes, and also in many schools. It is easy to use due to its low friction and ease of refilling. This is the type of holder most commonly assumed about when toilet paper orientation is mentioned.

Whereas some have the roll mounted at a fixed distance from the surface on which it is mounted, others have an axle on a hinge or groove that allows it to move and maintain contact even as the roll shrinks from use. These designs provide additional friction to make it easier to tear off a piece of tissue. More sophisticated designs include a curved horizontal plate that covers the roll, thus removing the necessity of touching the roll, and a protruding horizontal bump that creates resistance to facilitate single-handedly pulling off slices of paper. These roll holders can be used in both under and over roll orientation, but may be difficult to use in the under orientation.

Originally intended to hold a stock of replacement rolls, the vertical pole has become the only paper holder in some households. It is particularly useful in homes where the family has mixed handedness. Its drawbacks include that there is a lot more friction than in other types of toilet roll holders, and thus not as easy to use.

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File:Kimberly-Clark automatic toilet paper dispenser.JPG, January 2008]]

An automatic toilet paper dispenser can be either button or sensor-activated to fold and cut the toilet paper automatically. Automatic toilet paper dispensers can help aid disabled users, especially in large facilities.{{cite web|url=http://www.cleanlink.com/cp/article/Touchless-Toilet-Paper-Dispensers-Aid-Disabled-Users--15729|title=Touchless Toilet Paper Dispensers Aid Disabled Users}} Examples are the Camitool by the Japanese company Shikoku, which uses motion sensors to dispense the toilet paper;{{cite web|url=http://www.idigitaltimes.com/750-hands-free-toilet-paper-dispenser-saves-resources-prevents-infection-video-335570|title=$750 Hands-Free Toilet Paper Dispenser Saves Resources, Prevents Infection [VIDEO]|date=23 July 2012}} the SCOTT by Kimberly-Clark, released in 2007, which is also motion activated, though also has a manual knob;{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/companies/2007-07-11-kimberlyclark-toiletpaper_N.htm|title=Final frontier of toilet tissue unveiled - USATODAY.com|date=11 July 2007}} and the OriFuji, introduced in 2015, which automatically cuts the toilet paper and folds it into a neat triangle shape.{{cite web|url=https://laughingsquid.com/the-orifuji-toilet-paper-dispenser-automatically-folds-the-end-of-the-paper-into-a-triangle-with-each-pull/|title=The OriFuji Toilet Paper Dispenser Automatically Folds the End of the Paper Into a Triangle With Each Pull|date=30 October 2015}}

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{{more sources needed section|date=December 2021}}

The holders in many public toilets are designed to make it difficult for patrons to steal the toilet rolls. Various contraptions have been devised to lock the spare rolls away, and release them only when the active roll is used up.

An increasing number of public toilets are furnished with holders that hold very large rolls of toilet paper. Others hold two large rolls with an access door that allows the user to switch between roll one and roll two when one roll is empty. These are designed to save money by reducing the frequency of janitorial services to restock the paper.

In many toilets, especially in elementary schools, a dispenser releases only a small square of toilet paper to prevent a user from intentionally clogging the toilet with large amounts of paper.

Coin-operated dispensers have also been developed.{{cite patent |country= US |number= 456788A |pubdate= 1891-07-28 |inventor= B. B. Babbitt |title= Coin operated machine for furnishing toilet paper }}

{{main|Toilet paper orientation}}

File:Toilet roll positions.jpg

File:Toilet paper direction pictogram.jpg with over orientation, paper holder with under orientation]]

Some toilet roll holders or dispensers allow the toilet paper to hang in front of (over) or behind (under) the roll when it is placed parallel to the wall. This divides opinions about which orientation is better. Arguments range from aesthetics, hospitality, and cleanliness to paper conservation, ease of detaching sheets, and compatibility with pets. The US advice column Ask Ann Landers reported that the subject was the most controversial issue in the column's history and, at 15,000 letters in 1986, provoked the highest number of responses.{{sfn|Toronto Star|1986}} Some writers have proposed that preference for one orientation over the other may have connections to age, sex, or political philosophy, and survey evidence has shown a correlation with socioeconomic status.

The main reasons given by people to explain why they hang their toilet paper a given way are ease of grabbing and habit.{{Cite web|url=https://progressivegrocer.com/cottonelle-roll-consumers |title=Cottonelle on a Roll With Consumers |date=31 January 2010|work=Progressive Grocer}} Some particular advantages cited for each orientation include: hanging over reduces the risk of accidentally brushing the wall or cabinet with one's knuckles, potentially transferring grime and germs;{{harvnb|Ode|2010}}: "The Kimberly-Clark company cites three advantages for rolling over: perforation control, viewing advantage and wall avoidance."; {{harvnb|Garton|2005}}; {{harvnb|Jarski|Jarski|2007}}. makes it easier to visually locate and to grasp the loose end;{{harvnb|Ode|2010}}; {{harvnb|Elliott|2006}} gives the option to fold over the last sheet to show that the room has been cleaned;{{harvnb|Lind|1992}}; "The Grand Princess cruise ship replaces its toilet paper with the leading edge over the front, so that it can be folded as is done in five-star hotels. (Yes, someone really did ask this question.)" {{harv|Carpenter|1999}}; {{harvnb|Rosencrans|1998}}; {{harvnb|Garton|2005}}. and is generally the intended direction of viewing for the manufacturer's branding, so patterned toilet paper looks better this way.{{harvnb|Grant|1991b}}; {{harvnb|Garton|2005}}; {{harvnb|Mitchell|Sugar|2005a}}; {{harvnb|Jarski|Jarski|2007}}.

The under position provides a tidier appearance, in that the loose end can be more hidden from view;{{harvnb|Jarski|Jarski|2007}}{{cite web |title=Toilet Paper Orientation Re: Brandweek 2009| url=http://plumbersshrewsbury.co.uk/toilet-paper-orientation-brandweek-2009/ |access-date=2015-01-21 }} reduces the risk of a toddler or a house pet such as a cat unrolling the toilet paper when batting at the roll;{{harvnb|Darbo|2007}}; {{harvnb|Garton|2005}}; {{harvnb|O'Connor|2005|p=63}}. and in a recreational vehicle may reduce unrolling during driving.{{sfn|Nerbas|2009}} Partisans have claimed that each method makes it easier to tear the toilet paper on a perforated sheet boundary.{{harvnb|Ode|2010}}; {{harvnb|Weingarten|2008}}; {{harvnb|Keeran|1993}}.

In various surveys, around 70% of people prefer the over position.{{cite web|url=https://www.rd.com/article/hanging-toilet-paper-wrong/|publisher=Reader's Digest|title=Confirmed: This Is How You Should Hang Your Toilet Paper|author=Brandon Specktor|date=12 Oct 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.maxim.com/news/toilet-paper-direction-2016-4 |title=What the Direction Your Toilet Paper Hangs Says About You According to Science: Under or over? |first1=Zeynep |last1=Yenisey |date=5 April 2016 |work=Maxim |access-date=2 April 2020}}{{sfn|Rubin|1989}}{{sfn|Kanner|1995|pp=56, 120}}{{sfn|PR Newswire|1993}}{{harvnb|Ebenkamp|2004}}; {{harvnb|Pierson|2004}}{{sfn|American Standard Press|2008}}{{sfn|Henry|1999}} In a survey of 1,000 Americans, Cottonelle found that "overs" are more likely than "unders" to notice a roll's direction (74 percent), to be annoyed when the direction is incorrect (24 percent), and to have flipped the direction at a friend's home (27 percent).{{sfn|PR Newswire|2010}} According to W. C. Privy's Original Bathroom Companion, Number 2, "By more than 4 to 1, older folks prefer to have their toilet paper dispense over the front."{{sfn|Barrett|Mingo|2003|p=400}} The same claim is made by James Buckley's The Bathroom Companion for people older than 50.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=106}} Toilet paper orientation is sometimes mentioned as a hurdle for married couples.{{harvnb|Wolf|1999|pp=74–75}}; {{harvnb|Hogan|Hogan|2000|p=200}}. The issue may also arise in businesses and public places.{{harvnb|Lui|2009}}; {{harvnb|Grant|1991a}}. At the Amundsen–Scott Research Station at the South Pole, complaints have been raised over which way to install toilet paper.{{sfn|Daily Express|1999|p=39}} It is unclear if one orientation is more economical than the other. The Centralian Advocate attributes a claim to Planet Green that over saves on paper usage.{{sfn|McNatt|2010}}

Various toilet paper dispensers are available which avoid the question of over or under orientation; for example, single sheet dispensers, jumbo roll dispensers in which the toilet roll is perpendicular to the wall, and twin roll dispensers.{{cite web|url=https://www.hygienesuppliesdirect.com/toilet-roll-dispenser-buyers-guide|title=Toilet Roll Dispenser Buyers Guide|publisher=hygienesuppliesdirect}} Swivelling toilet paper dispensers have been developed which allow the paper to be unrolled in either direction.{{sfn|Floyd|1999}}{{sfn|Zayas|2009}}

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{{Refend}}

{{commonscat|Toilet paper holders}}

• [http://www.probabilityof.com/toilet.shtml The Toilet Paper Roll Poll and pictures of case 2]

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