'Over or under'? The age-old debate over the 'right' way to hang toilet paper roll is finally solved

As you flush the toilet, your hand instinctively reaches for the toilet paper. The orientation of the roll might seem trivial, but the “great toilet paper debate” — whether the roll should go “over or under” — has raged for decades. Now, it seems the debate is settled, according to Insider.

Should the end of the toilet paper roll hang over the top of the spool, or should it dangle underneath? The debate was already solved, thanks to the 1891 patent by New York businessman Seth Wheeler. According to Google Patents, some illustrations filed by Wheeler in 1891 show rolls of toilet paper hanging “over,” not under. This could be due to hygiene reasons or aesthetic preferences. Tech writer Owen Williams also shared a picture of the original patent owned by Wheeler on X.

Speaking to Insider, Melissa Maker, cleaning expert extraordinaire and author of "Clean My Space," deconstructs the science behind choosing the “over” option instead of the “under” option. Melissa told Insider that there's a reason toilet paper should be hung over rather than under. "For one, it's more convenient and easier to get access to the toilet paper instead of having to dig underneath," she said.

Apart from accessibility, another reason she gave for choosing the “over” option relates to hygiene. "From a cleaning standpoint, your hand is doing what it does when you're in the bathroom and the fact that the toilet paper is hung over means that you are touching and affecting less of the surrounding area with said hand," explained Maker. "Whereas, if the toilet paper were hung backward and it fell underneath and you had to rip from the bottom, you'd be doing a lot of digging around and you'd probably end up touching the walls or part of the actual toilet paper holder itself.”

Yet another reason for opting to hang the toilet paper roll over, not under, is to prevent it from coming into contact with germ-infested walls. According to a 2011 study conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Colorado, 19 groups of bacteria were found on surfaces like door handles, faucets, soap dispensers, toilet seats, bathroom floors, and other areas of the restrooms tested. So, if the toilet paper comes in contact with these surfaces, and then the hand comes in contact with the toilet paper, it is quite vulnerable to getting infected by germs, no matter how clean the bathroom is. There is always some bacteria prowling in these spaces. "By hanging the toilet paper over, you are actually preventing, in some way, the transfer of bacteria," said Maker.

In 2016, another survey called “The Toilet Paper Personality Test” was conducted with more than 2,000 men and women. It suggested that the way people hang toilet paper rolls determines their personality type, per Oprah Daily. The survey claimed that those with a “dominant” personality happened to hang their toilet paper “over,” while people with a “submissive” personality hung it “under.” According to Cottonelle, 70% of the population already naturally prefers the “over” orientation. Even the queen of daytime, Oprah Winfrey once commented on this age-old debate saying "I prefer it over, because it tears so readily."