The RIGHT way to hang toilet paper, according to an etiquette expert

It’s a subject that generates fierce debate despite its trivial nature: how to properly hang toilet paper.

The argument over whether or not toilet paper should be hung with the loose end touching or away from the wall has plagued homes for decades.

This week, Jaci Stephen reignited the debate when she revealed that one of her friends committed the latest domestic crime by changing the location of her toilet paper, which she insists should always be placed with the ‘flap’ hanging to the rear.

It’s a heated conversation that the etiquette expert Jackie Vernon Thompson she is too familiar with herself. And she has now settled the debate once and for all.

“Research after research reveals that the proper and most hygienic way to hang toilet paper is above, not below,” he told DailyMail.com.

The alternative is to hang toilet paper in the bottom position, where the loose end touches the wall (stock image)

‘May I add that that also applies to paper towels, if they hang on the wall? Not only is it hygienic, but it lends itself to maintaining proper hygiene, which is proper etiquette.

One of these investigations that Jackie, founder of Etiquette school inside outcitation is the 1981 patent for the toilet paper roll where inventor Seth Wheeler reveals that the correct way to hang toilet paper on the holder is over.

In a diagram in the patent, the toilet paper roll is clearly shown in the holder in the upper position.

The inventor of perforated toilet paper sheets writes: ‘Know that I, SETH WHEELER, have invented some new and useful improvements in toilet paper rolls.

‘I hereby declare that the following is a complete, clear and accurate description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.’

Jackie adds that hanging toilet paper in the top position is not just a matter of aesthetics, but also of hygiene.

‘If you run out of paper, when you reach for the paper, your fingers will touch only the piece you plan to use and throw away. However, when it is under it, you will most likely be forced to feel around it and touch other parts of the roll and even the wall, which is likely to spread bacteria and germs,” he said.

“Anyone can have a specimen on their finger and can place it on the wall where they were feeling the paper that is rolled up underneath.”

In 2017, a terrifying study revealed that most bathrooms weren’t as clean as we thought, with 3.2 million bacteria per square inch lurking in the gut of the toilet and at least 200,000 more on your toothbrush.

‘Consider going to a bathroom in a public place… if the scroll is hanging below, [the person before you] I would have had to search for the beginning of the article as you will. They would have spread their germs and bacteria while looking for the end,” Jackie said.

Etiquette expert Jackie Vernon-Thompson revealed how she resolved the debate at home

“So, in essence, when you go after them, because the paper is underneath, you’re going to be in contact with their bacteria and germs.”

As for how to resolve the debate within their home, Jackie recalls how she and her husband had this same disagreement earlier in their marriage.

“He was used to the loose end digging into the wall because of how he was taught to do it in the army, and I was used to it rolling away from the wall,” she said.

“I got upset and every time I noticed that I would put it rolling under it, I would change it because it is one of my favorite hobbies. She realized that she would change it and she got upset too.

‘It was obvious that neither of us was willing to change on this matter. So, we agreed that her path would be made in the downstairs bathroom and mine in the main bathroom. Problem solved.’