Fun Facts

Happy 20th Anniversary to Provon Soap!

Not many products get us more excited than toilet paper, but given the current flu epidemic; Provon Soap has officially curbed our enthusiasm.  Provon Soap, manufactured by GOJO Industries (also the makers off Purell), was launched in 1989 and is marketed as a “cost-effective skin care product”.

Since its commencement twenty years ago, the brand has experienced much success and has racked up a die-hard customer base. In an industry where price points play a major role, this accomplishment is no small feat for a soap company.

Provon Soap offers a variety of products including soap dispensers and soap refills with formulas ranging from antimicrobial to sensitive skin, antibacterial to moisturizing, and even a foaming hair & body wash. According to Dave, a customer in Pennsylvania, “I’ve been using Provon for 15 years. It keeps my employees’ hands clean, sanitized, and healthy; and that little difference goes a long way in the office. Especially for that price, I wouldn’t ever consider switching.”

GOJO recommends pairing its Provon Soap products with its Purell Hand Sanitizing line to make a complete hand care solution.

Congratulations to Provon for its first successful twenty years – we wish you twenty more and thank you for making the world a cleaner, safer, and healthier place!

We can thank the Scott Paper Company for inventing "Towels You Don't Have to Wash"

While it may seem like a rudimentary question, the answer is quite interesting.  Paper towels were invented thanks to a incorrect shipment, a school teacher’s unique approach to fighting her students’ colds, and a man full of innovative ideas.

It all started when a delivery to the Scott Paper Company was incorrect – the paper shipment (a whole railroad car full of it!) was too thick to use for toilet paper. Arthur Scott, in charge of the company at the time, was faced with a serious dilemna – send the paper back or find an alternative use for it.

Meanwhile, a teacher in the Philadelphia School District knew her students were exchanging unnecessary germs every time they went to get toilet paper to blow their nose. To help eliminate this problem, she started giving them soft paper so they wouldn’t have to keep touching the roller towel in the toilets.

Scott had learned about this situation prior to the deliver of the too-thick paper and saw the defect paper as a chance to market a product similar to the teacher’s solution. He sold the paper as small, perforated towel-sized like sheets, calling them disposable paper towels. The product was such a success, Scott was soon selling his invention (renamed as the “Sani-Towel”, short for the Sanitary Towel) to restaurants, hotels, and railroad stations for their public bathrooms.

Later, in 1931, Scott saw an expanded use for his Sani-Towel in the kitchen, so he officially introduced the world’s first “paper towels” – a sheet a perforated, soft paper, on a roll in sheets of 13” x 8”.

And while we can’t imagine our life today without this essential household product, it surprisingly took a while before the generation popular took a liking to paper towels. People had a hard time grasping the concept of “Towels you don’t have to wash”.

So there you have it – a railroad car, a school teacher, and a true innovator led to the invention of paper towels in 1931.

Who invented one of the most useful devices known to mankind?

While Thomas Crapper is commonly given credit for inventing the first flushing toilet in the late 1800s, the first version can actually be traced back to 1596.  At this time, a British nobleman, Sir John Harrington, first engineered and invented a valve that could release water from the water closet (WC) when pulled.  Sir Harrington, who was also the godson of Queen Elizabeth I, recommended pulling the valve (“flushing” the toilet) once a day for sanitary purposes.

So if Thomas Crapper didn’t invent the toilet, why is he given credit?
Three centuries after Sir Harrington’s invention, Crapper had a successful career in the plumbing industry and did earn nine patents for plumbing products in England.  Unfortunately, none of those nine patents granted between 1861-1904 were for the flushing toilet.

While he did not invent the toilet, Crapper still has a close connection to the first patent for the toilet.  Albert Gilblin, an employee of Crapper, holds the 1819 British Patent for a “Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer”.  This device was a system which allowed a toilet to flush effectively.  Crapper later purchased the rights for this patent from his employee and marketed the device.

So even though he didn’t invent the crapper himself, we still owe a big thank you to Crapper for helping bring the product to the masses and also to the Chinese for inventing toilet paper in 50 B.C.

A Bathroom Stall at Toilet Paper World Headquarters - What? Doesn't everyone have 3 toilet paper dispensers?

Great question! I’m glad you asked!

Here, at Toilet Paper World Headquarters, we generally stock Kleenex Cottonelle or Marcal Sunrise Recycled Toilet Paper in our dispensers.

However, we’re constantly testing different lines and brands so we can continue to bring you the best advice. Right now each stall has 3 different dispensers in it so we know which ones work well and which ones well… don’t. If we get frustrated using them, we would hate for our customers to experience the same frustration.

Have a toilet paper or another product you’d like to see reviewed?  Never hesitate to email me here .

Is it me or is my toilet paper getting smaller?

You’re not going crazy and you’re hands aren’t getting any bigger.  One of closest companions is actually getting smaller.

Toilet paper was originally manufactured 4.5” wide by 4.5” long, which is relative to the average man’s hand size. The square makes it convenient to fold over a few times and still be acceptable for size/ sanitary coverage. Basically, the size was established because it worked – kind of like the 90-foot pitcher’s mound and the 10-foot basketball rim.

However, the size of toilet tissue has been reduced in the last decade as manufacturers try to trim costs by trimming sheet size.

Currently, most TP rolls are still 4.5” wide (or close too it at least), but have may contain much shorter sheets.  Typical sizes of popular brands include:
-    Kleenex Cottonelle; Standard :  4.5 x 4.0
-    Angel Soft; Standard: 4.5 x 4.0
-    Charmin Basic: 4.4 x 4.3
-    Quilted Northern: 4.5 x 4.05

If you’re missing your old friend, have no fear.  Two manufactures still produce 4.5x.4.5″ rolls of toilet paper:
-    Boardwalk Toilet Paper; 2-ply
-    Windsoft Recycled Toilet Paper ; 2-ply

**Product Update: As of November 1, 2009, Private Label brands Boardwalk and Windsoft Toilet Paper no longer produce sheets in 4.5″ x 4.5″ sizes. Both brands have reduced their sheet size to 4.5″ x 4.25″. Thank you to Phil for bringing this to our attention.**

Who Am I? 1-ply or 2-ply?

When you look at a toilet paper holder, its pretty easy to tell at first glance whether you’ll be enjoying the comforting benefits of 2 ply toilet paper or whether you’ll be roughing it with 2-ply’s distant cousin, 1 ply. Most people prefer 2-ply, but what gives it that softer feel?

1 Layer vs. 2 Layers
Simply put, 1 ply toilet paper is made of a single layer of paper, while 2 ply has two layers.   In the past, 2-ply toilet tissue was always thicker and usually assumed to be better. However, thanks to today’s technological innovations and product advances, now TP can be made of only 1 layer of paper, yet may still be thicker and stronger than 2 layers.

Price & Usage
Cost wise, 1-ply generally tends to run cheaper than 2-ply (less paper layers = less costs).  In terms of usage, people use relatively the same amount of sheets regardless of which version of toilet tissue they are using.  Since they are then actually using less paper when it’s 1 ply, it’s cheaper to use.

Which one do you prefer?

Whether you prefer 1 ply or 2 ply toilet paper, remember to visit ToiletPaperWorld.com for the all of your TP needs.  Become a Preferred Member (for free!!) and save take 5% off of every order, every time.

When did we start calling this the toilet?

The other day my friend said to me, “Excuse me for a second while I go toilet to brush my teeth.” I thought to myself, “Gee, I hope you’re not actually brushing your teeth in the toilet water!”  This statement got me thinking – when did the nouns “toilet” and “bathroom” become interchangeable? Besides the obvious reason that the toilet is located in the bathroom, there are still plenty of cases where one says ,”I’m going to the toilet” when all he is doing is shaving, fixing his hair, or brushing his teeth.  So why in the world would one then reference or define this room by its most unpleasant feature?

Your guess is as good as mine, but this got me thinking.  What other names do people refer to that sacred room by?  According to bathroom historian Frank Muir, the toilet and/or the outhouse have at one time or another been called:
•    “House of Honor” – the ancient Israelite
•    “House of the Morning” – the ancient Egyptians
•    The “garderobe” – literally “cloakroom”
•    The necessarium/the necessary house
•    The reredorter – literally “the room at the back of the dormitory”
•    The privy/ the private place
•    The jake/ the john
•    The loo – mostly Europe/U.K.
•    The W.C. (for water closet) – mostly Europe/UK
•    Room 100 – mostly Europe
•    The lavatory
•     The closet of ease
•    The Throne
•    Countless other nouns

Who would’ve thought?  The reredorter?  The House of Morning?  I guess the “toilet” makes more sense afterall…

Whether you’re looking for toilet paper for your “toilet” or “bathroom” , remember to shop ToiletPaperWorld.com for low prices, next day shipping, and unbeatable customer service.  Not a Preferred Member?  Sign up today (for free!!) and receive 5% off of every order, every time.

RIP Pink Toilet Paper, Cherished Friend, Companion, and Always There When You Needed It Most; 1950-?

Think about it for a second – When was the last time you reached for some TP and saw anything but the standard white roll?  Probably around the same time tie dyed t-shirts and Birkenstocks were still in style, right?

30 years ago colored toilet paper wasn’t the rarity it is today.  Introduced in the 50’s and popular throughout the 70’s, many manufacturers produced a variety of colors including pink, blue, yellow, lilac, tan, and black.  Homeowners loved matching the color of their toilet paper to the color of their bathrooms (it was the 70’s after all!).  So besides the obvious reason that what was hip in the 70’s isn’t anymore, where did all the colored TP go?

According to the King of Toilet Paper, two major events occurred which  hurt sales and thus led to the downfall of the colored toilet paper reign:
-    Doctors started warning colored toilet paper could lead to skin irritation.  As pretty as we once thought it looked, no one wants to deal with that!
-    Ecologists also began warning the dye in the colored toilet paper rolls was harmful to the environment.

With an increased cost of production (it costs more to produce colored than white toilet paper) and a decrease in sales, manufacturers began to produce less and less.  Up until 5 years ago, Scott was one of the last remaining manufactures to still produce our old friend in beige, blue, and pink.  However, they have since cut production all together.

RIP Colored Toilet Paper – From the bottoms of our bottoms, we thank you for the service you have provided us over the years.  We’ll miss you.

I’ve read some interesting posts recently about whether or not toilet paper has an expiration date (who would have thought?!). Most sites say no, of course toilet paper does not expire. However, there are also plenty of arguments for the opposing side which claim, yes, toilet paper can in fact expire at some point (they claim it loses its softness/effectiveness overtime, etc.) I also read on a product review site that only select, 1-ply toilet papers can expire, which is why they are cheaper and used in high traffic areas.

Now I know much of this sounds absurd, but there some surprising products that actually do have expiration dates – such as bottled water (it loses its nutrients over time), beer (More of a marketing ploy – Sam Adams first introduced a ‘Freshness’ date & others brewers soon followed suit), and makeup (due to bacteria growth).

To get to the bottom of this debate, I went to the King of Toilet Paper himself, Kenn Fischburg, author of the Toilet Paper Encyclopedia and President of our company,ToiletPaperWorld.com. Here’s what the King had to say: “Paper can last generations and will only lose effectiveness if it gets wet or moist. There is no set expiration date.”

There you have it, straight from The King – Toilet paper does NOT carry an expiration date. We are safe to continue buying toilet paper in bulk!

Did you ever think that next to your copiers and printers you’d find a toilet paper machine? Thanks to Japanese ingenuity, a new machine is letting offices turn their paper waste into toilet paper as a better way to utilize resources and recycle paper.

Tokyo-based Nakabayashi offers everything from bookbinding services, child car seats and office products, but its newest venture into toilet paper has audiences around the world excited for this eco-friendly and resourceful TP maker.

So how does it work? Well, the toilet paper machine is able to produce two rolls per hour from around 1,800 sheets (or 7.2kg) of used A4-sized paper, which would have usually been just thrown away. Right now there are few details, but all we know is that it’s set to be released in August in Japan with a price tag of about $95,000.

So what do you think? Would you be willing to recycle those extra copies to fill your bathroom needs?

Until then, remember you can get all of your office’s toilet paper needs from ToiletPaperWorld.com.