Should the toilet paper be placed so that the paper rolls over the top, or is pulled from under the roll? It’s a question that friends and lovers have been fighting over for ages. Now the answer is in, and it comes from the man who invented what we know as toilet paper.
New York businessman Seth Wheeler, who patented his invention for the toilet paper roll in 1891. His idea was to create a roll of paper with perforations that would allow people to easily pull off squares for their use. The patent shows the paper rolling over the top of the roll, settling the on-going question about which way you should load the toilet paper holder. We’re including the picture so that you can share it with those folks who insist on the under the roll approach.
Of course, it’s possible that this was just the easiest way for the inventor to draw the picture to get the message across and thus, maybe the under the roll people still have a point. To that end, we’re sharing this infographic courtesy of engineers and FastCompany. It starts with a brief history of toilet paper, and the debate, and concludes with the advantages that each side of the debate claims for their chosen method. Be sure to look at the personality traits associated with the two different styles. Then, if this doesn’t solve the problem at your house, consider the 1996 invention that allows users to flip the roll to their preferred direction quickly and easily.
