Latest news with #toiletpaper
The Sun
5 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
The five cheap ways to HIDE cluttered toilet paper in your bathroom – and you won't need any extra storage
NOTHING ruins a chic bathroom like an old roll of toilet paper. But it turns out there are numerous ways to make the room feel luxurious and like a spa, while still keeping supplies stocked up. 3 Professional organisers have shared their best ideas for storing loo roll so it still looks fancy. Here are the top five…. 1. Lidded baskets Why not tuck away your toilet rolls in a stylish basket, which is a bathroom feature in itself? There are numerous options which could do the job, such as wicker ones with a lid. Petya Holevich, house cleaning expert and supervisor at Fantastic Services, suggested to Home and Gardens: 'Place a lidded basket or decorative storage box near the toilet, either on the floor or on a shelf. Choose a container that complements the bathroom's decor to keep it discreet. 'Opt for a box with a hinged lid for easy one-handed access.' 2. Add floating shelves Instead of putting your rolls in full view, why not add shelving to the walls which can help keep them hidden. Petya advised: 'Installing a floating shelf with a slide-out or lift-up compartment. A custom floating shelf above or beside the toilet can include a hidden compartment that opens with a push or lift mechanism. 'These are excellent for storing a few extra rolls while keeping them completely out of view. Make sure the mechanism is easy to operate even with one hand.' 3. Rolling carts Another option is to use a rolling cart, or a slide-out unit, which discreetly stores extra toilet roll supplies. 3 You can pick up a narrow option on Wayfair, which could be narrow enough to be housed between your toilet and sink. Choose a rolling cart with a solid back, like this one, so you could also turn it against the wall to hide the shelves from sight. 4. Base or upper cabinets 3 One of the main ways to hide toilet rolls is in a bathroom cabinet, which could be placed under or above a sink or by a toilet. Tammy Cailliau, bathroom supplier and owner of Tampa Bay Granite, added that if you are doing this, you should add something to protect the rolls from water. She said: 'We often recommend people use a plastic Rubbermaid storage tote or just an extra cover, to help elevate the bottom rolls off the base when storing in a base cabinet because a water leak from a P-trap under the sink can damage the rolls.' 5. Keep them out of the bathroom If you really don't have the space, you could remove spare toilet rolls from the bathroom altogether. In fact, some home organisers prefer to do this for their longevity as well as for aesthetic reasons. Some of the popular locations outside the bathroom include airing cupboards or a hallway cupboard. Sarah Day, storage expert at Pay Less for Storage, explained why this is beneficial. She said: 'Toilet rolls are by their very nature hugely absorbent. This means they soak up ambient moisture in the air, especially in condensation-filled bathrooms after a hot shower or a bath.' She said over time, damp and soggy toilet rolls can even harbour mould spores.
News.com.au
18-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Over' versus ‘under' toilet paper debate finally settled
The position of a toilet paper roll may seem innocuous, but TP trustees have long been embroiled in a heated debate over the proper angle of the next square. There are two types of people in the world: The 'over' devotees who hang the roll so the on-deck wipe is facing the user, and the 'under' fans who position it so it's closer to the wall. Thankfully, a professional has finally closed the book on the matter — a whopping 250 years since the hygiene tool's invention. Primrose Freestone, professor of clinical microbiology at the UK's University of Leicester, says the somewhat counterintuitive 'under' position is more hygienic and effective — despite the original 1800s patent showing the roll in the more natural-seeming 'over' orientation, the Daily Mail reported. 'For the under position, there is less likely to be whole roll contamination,' Freestone argued. That's because 'handling of the toilet roll from the over position' requires the user to employ two hands to extract a square after doing one's business, per the microbiologist. One hand is used to hold the roll in place so it doesn't keep spinning forward and depositing too much paper, while the other takes the next segment. On the other hand, the 'under' method allows bathroom users to 'pin the sheets against the toilet wall' and tear them off with the same mitt without 'having to touch the exterior of the roll,' Freestone said. By only using one hand to harvest a square, the odds of transferring hand bacteria to the toilet tissue and perhaps vice versa are reduced. Meanwhile, using two hands increases the chances of spreading germs from one hand to the other. 'If someone who has wiped, say, once and the faecal matter has soaked through the layers of toilet paper and makes hand contact, the presumably right hand that did the wiping will likely be contaminated,' explained Freestone. 'Then that right hand may contaminate anything it touches as the toilet user reaches for more toilet paper, which they then fold for wipe two, possibly touching the left hand as it does so.' This is especially important given that both hands have, by the time we've sat down on the toilet, likely touched multiple microbe-laden surfaces from the doorknob to the toilet seat and lid. Even seemingly harmless items like bath mats are dirtier than toilet seats, research suggests. Freestone said public rest rooms are of particular concern due to excrement potentially contaminating the toilet door, stall, seat and other areas. Women, meanwhile, are the most at risk of getting infected via accidentally transferring microbes from the groin to the genitalia. On average, they also use more paper for both peeing and pooping. Interestingly, Freestone's theory is not shared by everyone. Dr Christian Moro, an associate professor of health sciences and medicine at Bond University in Australia, claimed that the 'under' method is the 'hanging' offence as it ups the likelihood that the toilet user will 'touch the wall behind when fishing for paper, leaving germs behind on that surface which can be spread to the next user.' Coincidentally, studies show that 70 per cent of people still prefer it compared to 30 per cent in favour of the 'under.'
Daily Telegraph
17-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Telegraph
‘Over' versus ‘under' toilet paper debate finally settled
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. The position of a toilet paper roll may seem innocuous, but TP trustees have long been embroiled in a heated debate over the proper angle of the next square. There are two types of people in the world: The 'over' devotees who hang the roll so the on-deck wipe is facing the user, and the 'under' fans who position it so it's closer to the wall. Thankfully, a professional has finally closed the book on the matter — a whopping 250 years since the hygiene tool's invention. Are you 'over' or 'under'? Picture: iStock Primrose Freestone, professor of clinical microbiology at the UK's University of Leicester, says the somewhat counterintuitive 'under' position is more hygienic and effective — despite the original 1800s patent showing the roll in the more natural-seeming 'over' orientation, the Daily Mail reported. 'For the under position, there is less likely to be whole roll contamination,' Freestone argued. That's because 'handling of the toilet roll from the over position' requires the user to employ two hands to extract a square after doing one's business, per the microbiologist. One hand is used to hold the roll in place so it doesn't keep spinning forward and depositing too much paper, while the other takes the next segment. On the other hand, the 'under' method allows bathroom users to 'pin the sheets against the toilet wall' and tear them off with the same mitt without 'having to touch the exterior of the roll,' Freestone said. 'For the under position, there is less likely to be whole roll contamination,' Freestone said. Picture: iStock The position of a toilet paper roll has been debated for years. Picture: iStock By only using one hand to harvest a square, the odds of transferring hand bacteria to the toilet tissue and perhaps vice versa are reduced. Meanwhile, using two hands increases the chances of spreading germs from one hand to the other. 'If someone who has wiped, say, once and the faecal matter has soaked through the layers of toilet paper and makes hand contact, the presumably right hand that did the wiping will likely be contaminated,' explained Freestone. 'Then that right hand may contaminate anything it touches as the toilet user reaches for more toilet paper, which they then fold for wipe two, possibly touching the left hand as it does so.' This is especially important given that both hands have, by the time we've sat down on the toilet, likely touched multiple microbe-laden surfaces from the doorknob to the toilet seat and lid. Even seemingly harmless items like bath mats are dirtier than toilet seats, research suggests. Women are most at risk of getting infected. Picture: iStock Freestone said public rest rooms are of particular concern due to excrement potentially contaminating the toilet door, stall, seat and other areas. Women, meanwhile, are the most at risk of getting infected via accidentally transferring microbes from the groin to the genitalia. On average, they also use more paper for both peeing and pooping. Interestingly, Freestone's theory is not shared by everyone. Dr Christian Moro, an associate professor of health sciences and medicine at Bond University in Australia, claimed that the 'under' method is the 'hanging' offence as it ups the likelihood that the toilet user will 'touch the wall behind when fishing for paper, leaving germs behind on that surface which can be spread to the next user.' Coincidentally, studies show that 70 per cent of people still prefer it compared to 30 per cent in favour of the 'under.' This article originally appeared in New York Post and was reproduced with permission Originally published as 'Over' versus 'under' toilet paper debate finally settled
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Toilet paper over or under? Scientist FINALLY settles the debate - so, do you agree with their method?
It's a cause of arguments in households around the world. And over 150 years since the toilet roll was invented, the question of how exactly it should be oriented still triggers furious debate. In the 'over' position, the next square of toilet paper is facing the user, while in the 'under' position, the next square of toilet paper is facing the wall. Now, a scientist has settled the debate once and for all. Dr Primrose Freestone, professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Leicester, says the 'under' orientation is actually safer and more effective, despite the image in the original toilet paper patent. The researcher points out that the 'over' method requires a second hand to touch the toilet roll. This increases the risk of the paper being contaminated before it reaches our nether-regions – which in turn means greater risk of infection. 'There is more handling of the toilet roll from the over position,' Professor Freestone told MailOnline. Imagine you are on the toilet doing your business, and the toilet roll is in the 'over' position (with the next square facing you). In this scenario, you need to use one hand to hold the toilet roll to stop it from rotating forward, and the other hand to actually tear off the next bit of paper. In contrast, in the 'under' position, you can pin the next sheet against the wall with one hand as you simultaneously tear it off, according to the academic. So you don't have to use the second hand in the process at all – and the overall risk of transferring hand bacteria to the paper is reduced. Especially for women, accidental transfer of bacteria from the hand to the genital area can increase the risk of infection. And women generally tend to use more paper for men – for number ones and number twos. 'For the under position, there is less likely to be whole roll contamination,' Professor Freestone told MailOnline. 'You can pin the sheets against the toilet wall without having to touch the exterior of the roll.' Why is the 'under' position better for toilet roll? Unlike the 'over' position, the 'under' position (with the next square of toilet paper facing the wall) requires only one hand, not two. When you enter the bathroom, both hands are immediately exposed to high-touch surfaces potentially teeming with harmful bacteria - such as the doorknob and the toilet seat. So using just one hand instead of two, you are at best halving the risk of bacterial transfer from the hand to the toilet paper that you're about to use. Especially for women, accidental transfer of bacteria from the hand to the nether-regions can risk getting an infection. When people enter the bathroom, both hands are immediately exposed to high-touch surfaces likely teeming with harmful bacteria – including the doorknob and the toilet seat. So by touching the paper with just one hand instead of two, we are potentially halving the risk of bacterial transfer from the hand to the unused toilet paper. Of course, both hands have the potential to transfer bacteria onto toilet paper during a bathroom break – but by only using one hand throughout the whole process, we can reduce the risk of this transfer. Also, using two hands risks the spread of bacteria from the wiping hand to the other hand – because they are brought into close proximity to each other. 'If someone who has wiped say once and the faecal matter has soaked through the layers of toilet paper and makes hand contact, the presumably right hand that did the wiping will likely be contaminated,' Professor Freestone said. 'Then that right hand may contaminate anything it touches as the toilet user reaches for more toilet paper which they then fold for wipe two, possibly touching the left hand as it does so.' According to Professor Freestone, her advice is even more pertinent in public toilets, where there may be multiple sites of heavy faecal contamination all over the toilet door, stall and seat. 'This is why it is so important to wash your hands after going to the toilet, and not to eat, drink or use a phone in the toilet, either,' she told MailOnline. Dated 1891, a drawing for US Patent No. 465588A (left) features a toilet roll clearly positioned unmistakably in the over orientation Interestingly, the original patent for toilet paper more than 150 years ago shows a toilet roll in the over, not under, position. The patent from September 15, 1891 was filed by the inventor of perforated toilet paper sheets, New York business man Seth Wheeler. According to various surveys, around 70 per cent of people prefer the over position and 30 per cent the under position. There's also the argument that the under position reduces the chances of a cat or small child from pulling at the toilet paper. But the over position does have alleged advantages, such as giving you more transparency over how many square you are tearing off. When was toilet paper invented? In the 14th century, perfumed paper sheets were 'manufactured' for the Hongwu dynasty, but only the royal family and the imperial court had access to them. Around the same time in Europe, people used rags to clean up after a trip to the loo. Rich Europeans used wool, hemp or even lace. But commoners used whatever cloth they had including their sleeves. The first mention of toilet paper appeared in Europe in the 16th century in a text by French writer Rabelais. In North America, throughout the 1700s, people were still wiping with whatever they had on hand - even seashells. But by the 1800s, paper was becoming more widely available, and finally in 1857, a New Yorker named Joseph Gayetty introduced and first patented toilet paper. He called it 'Medicated Paper for the Water-Closet' and Gayetty's name was printed on every sheet. His medicated paper contained aloe and was sold in packages of 500 sheets for 50 cents. Seth Wheeler of Albany, New York, obtained the earliest US patents for toilet paper rolls and dispensers, dated 1881. Included in the patent, are Seth's declarations on his new product: 'Be it known that I, SETH WHEELER, of the city and county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toilet-Paper Rolls.'
RNZ News
03-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Department of Conservation's unsung hero
DOC ranger is an unsung hero whose job is to clean public toilets at Canterbury's DOC sites and provide toilet paper. And replacing the loo paper is a mammoth job nationwide, with DOC revealing around 15-and-a-half kilometres of paper was ordered over the last year - that's long enough to stretch the length of the country nearly ten times. Ranger Daryl Sweeney answers other people's calls of nature, but he thinks it's about time people answered their own. Photo: Department of Conservation
