70% FOLD toilet paper when on the loo and 15% SCRUNCH, new survey reveals

What’s the proper bathroom etiquette once you’ve had a number two? Is it to scrunch, fold, or roll the toilet paper?

Good news: Thanks to a survey conducted by sustainable toilet paper company Oceans, we have the answer you didn’t even know you needed.

When asked “toilet roll use – fold, scrunch, or roll?”, folding stole the vote with an overwhelming 70.3% of people, with scrunching second place with 15.9%. The rolling squad weren’t too far behind that, making up 13.8% of the answers.

What’s the difference?

Some people have never given thought to how they manoeuvre the toilet paper ahead of wiping, while others start debates that insist their process is the best. Yes, it’s a strange world we live in.

According to experts, the average person needs eight to nine sheets of toilet paper per bathroom visit, but what’s the difference between folding, scrunching, and rolling?

Fold – #TeamFold advocates are known to fold the toilet paper into squares so that it’s flat in their hand, like a soft, cushiony table. The neat sheets.

Scrunch – If you’re a scruncher, it means you scrunch the toilet paper in your hand, clutching the pile at its bottom before it meets your bottom.

Roll – The rolling method is the quirky distant cousin of the folding. It’s similar, but the method involves wrapping the sheets around the hand before doing, well, you know.

This debate has been getting people flushed for years! The folders don’t understand the scrunchers, and the scrunchers don’t understand the folders. The rollers are somewhere in the background, struggling to unlock the bathroom door.

Although most respondents did indeed choose fold, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re right. Let’s play devil’s advocate and explore the advantages of each method.

Pros: Folding

If you get chatting to someone in camp fold, they’ll likely explain that folding is best is because it offers a smooth, highly controlled wipe for added comfort and cleanliness. Plus, it uses fewer sheets (which means less waste) while offering the option to refold should the buttocks require it.

Pros: Scrunching

The scrunch bunch are hard to ignore. Scrunchers often brag about benefits that include a more thorough wipe (for increased cleanliness), speed (scrunching is quicker than folding, to be fair), and further protection for your fingers in the extremely unfortunate event of a tear.

Pros: Rolling

Hey, 13% of people is still 13% of people; there must be some method to their madness! Potential benefits of rolling the toilet paper include more control and precision, greater surface area, and even usage of toilet paper

Is there really a ‘right’ way?

At the end of the day, when all is said and done… your bum is your bum. How you choose to operate the toilet roll is your business and nobody else’s.

Jordan Kelly, brand marketing manager at Oceans, said: “This is a fun (and admittedly, odd) debate that’s captured people’s interests for years now! We can see the advantages of each method, so it’s difficult to say that one is right over the other.

“As long as you feel comfortable, clean, and confident – and as long as you’re using environmentally friendly, plastic-free toilet paper! – you’re doing the best thing for yourself.”

Fold, scrunch, or roll to your heart’s content. As long as it gets the job done, who cares? There’s no ‘right’ way.

(But we all agree it is folding, right?)