Fun Facts

Tori Spelling has teamed with Cottonelle Toilet Paper to help promote their national survey “How do you roll?”. Tori and her husband Dean went to ABC studios on wednesday to help celebrate the birthday of Thomas Crapper. Glad to see ToiletPaperWorld.com isn’t the only company who honors this great inventor!

Thanks to Zimbio for the picture.

Yesterday was the birthday of Thomas Crapper, who is given credit for inventing the toilet! A plumber in the mid 1800’s, Crapper held the patent to the first “flushing toilet.” In honor of his birthday, we are having a big sale at ToiletPaperWorld.com on the top brands of toilet paper!

For more information on Thomas Crapper, view our recent blog post.

Here at ToiletPaperWorld.com, we are very animal friendly. Often times our employees bring thier dogs to work. So when I saw this great idea for a “no-kill” mousetrap, I just had to repost it! We have had problems with mice before in my house and I have resorted to using the more traditional traps, but this one is safe and easy.

1. Get a toilet paper tube and crease two lines to form a flat sided tunnel.
2. Put a treat on one end of the tube: A cracker and dab of peanut butter works great.
3. Get a tall (at least 20 inches) bucket. A trash can works well.
4. Balance the tube precariously on the edge of a table or counter with the treat hanging directly over the tall sided receptacle.
5. The mouse will scurry to the treat (they like tunnels) and fall into the trap.
6. Then you can release the mouse far from your house!

Thanks to LifeHacker.com for the idea!

This article is from NewsNet5.

“Every few months, NewsChannel5 consumer reporter John Matarese finds himself reporting on shrinking products that give you less for your money. But the latest product to shrink is not doing it the usual way. Instead of getting smaller, he said it’s getting skinnier.

Did the Wall Holder Grow?

Ben Hart was preparing to spend some quality time on the throne recently, when he noticed the new roll of TP didn’t fit the holder quite right. It was too small.

He said his wife spotted it too. Hart said, “We normally buy Quilted Northern, and we noticed the package was pink to benefit breast cancer. But when we got home and put in in the holder, my wife noticed the rolls also seemed smaller.”

Significantly Skinnier

Hart compared the new roll to an older package of Northern. Both say “9 Double Rolls equal 18 Regular Rolls,” so they appear to be the same. But Hart said the roll of new Quilted Northern is significantly skinnier, and now wobbles in the holder. The reason, Hart said, is that “you can see there’s this 1/2 inch difference in width in the product.”

Hart found the new rolls also give you fewer squares per roll too, down from 300 sheets to 286 sheets. He did some basic math, and says “it’s a 51 and a half square foot difference, that’s quite a bit.”

Is Your Backside Getting Skinnier?

Georgia Pacific, which makes Quilted Northern, said in a statement to customers “because of today’s economy, we made the decision to slightly reduce the roll, and not raise our price.” But Hart said he’d be willing a pay a bit more for wider roll.

“I don’t know why they just don’t raise the price.” After all, he said, unlike toilet tissue, most of us are not getting any skinnier in our backsides.

The “Bottom” Line

If your roll seems too skinny for your holder, it may be a good time to try other brands because not all of them are doing this. Matarese said it’s easier switching brands than replacing your toilet paper holder.

Just found this product online and I must say, it is very handy! I like to listen to music in the shower so I usually bring my ipod speakers in with me but this is very innovative. It is even moisture free so you don’t have to worry about getting it wet.

iCarta: Speakers for your Toilet Paper Roll

You can buy this product at AtechFlash.com. Let me know how you like it!

Toilet Tissue vs. Toilet Paper vs. Bathroom Tissue – What’s the difference?

Can you tell the difference between these two?

Simply put – Toilet Tissue is a general phrase which means the exact same thing as toilet paper, bathroom tissue, TP, etc.  Manufacturers often use this phrase on their packaging because the term sounds friendlier, more luxurious, softer, and more upscale than plain old toilet paper (Translation: Costumers are subconsciously more apt to purchase these products because they are soothed by this term.)

Tissue, on the other hand, is a general term indicating a class of papers of characteristic gauzy texture, and in some cases, is fairly transparent.  Tissue papers are made on any type of paper machine, from any type of pulp, including reclaimed paper stock. They may be glazed, unglazed, or creped, and are used for a variety of purposes. Examples are primarily sanitary grades such as toilet, facial, napkin, toweling, wipes, and special sanitary papers. Desirable characteristics of tissue are softness, strength, and freedom from lint. There are also waxing, wrapping, and miscellaneous non-sanitary grades.

So there you have it – toilet paper and toilet tissue are the same thing, while plain tissue it different and serves different purposes.  I hope this helps explain any confusion!  If you have any doubts or unanswered thoughts, please to hesitate to ask ask me here.

A reader of our Toilet Paper Encyclopedia recently posed an interesting question by asking us “How much toilet paper is stolen every year?”.

Since I personally didn’t know the answer to this intriguing question, I went straight to Kenn Fischburg, president of ToiletPaperWorld.com and author of the Toilet Paper Encyclopedia. Here’s what the Toilet Paper King had to say:

While there is no public information available about how much toilet paper is stolen every year in the US or across the globe, manufacturers use the issue of ’stealing’ in their marketing strategies when creating toilet paper dispensers and the inner core which the toilet paper itself is rolled on. The idea is that a person is less likely to steal the toilet paper  if they cannot use it easily at home or if it is difficult to take off of the toilet paper dispenser.

For instance, a jumbo toilet paper roll (the ones most common in public restroom) is too large to put under your sweater or in your briefcase. Plus, jumbo toilet paper cannot be used on a household toilet paper dispenser. Also, the dispensers usually have  a lock or are difficult to open, both which help prevent the stealing of toilet paper.

Stealing toilet paper is a big part of the decision process for commercial enterprises when selecting the kind of dispenser and the type of toilet paper to stock in their restrooms.

Also, storage of the TP itself can sometimes be an issue. To help with this matter, it is generally stored in a locked closet to prevent stealing from a company.

Do some customers or employees steal toilet paper? Yes. How much toilet paper is stolen overall? My most educated guess is less than 2%.

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.