The Right Way To Hang Toilet Paper

But why put so much weight on what hotels do? Good Housekeeping's home design director Sarah Richardson says because "hotels can't be wrong — they replace toilet paper more than anyone. Plus, if you place [the paper] under, you can't do the fancy fold at the end of the paper." 

Michelle Exhume, a Cleaning and Home Products Lab analyst at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute is also Team Over; she doesn't like the idea of having the paper sitting close to the bathroom wall because it risks germ contamination. Exhume says she even changes the roll's direction if someone puts toilet paper in the other way. And her germ fear is justified. Researchers in 2011 identified as many as 19 types of bacteria in public restrooms. The microbial communities were prevalent in three areas: on surfaces associated with toilets, those on the floor of restrooms, and surfaces normally touched with hands. 

These are all great endorsements for Team Over, though it's still likely people will continue to hang toilet paper in the direction they are most accustomed to having it.