Toilet paper

Toilet paper, lavatory paper or toilet tissue is a tissue paper product designed for the cleaning of the anus after defecation or the genitals after urination.

Modern toilet paper

The advantages of toilet paper are that it is easy and intuitive to use, fairly absorbent, can be conveniently made available near toilets and it can be flushed in most countries where toilet paper is common. In areas where septic tanks are not common, and in most developing countries, used toilet paper is normally placed in a tin or dustbin next to the toilet as the plumbing or septic system cannot cope with toilet paper. Misplacing the soiled paper can lead to a serious faux pas, regardless of culture.

Related Topics:
Dustbin - Faux pas

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Toilet paper is available in several types of paper, a variety of colors, decorations, and textures, to appeal to individual preference. Toilet paper is typically made from recycled paper. Environmentally friendly toilet paper may also be unbleached, which reduces pollution of waterways and some people consider to be safer, as fewer chemicals are used.

Related Topics:
Recycle - Environmentally - Unbleached

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Two-ply toilet paper is the standard in many countries, although one-ply is often available and marketed as a budget option, it may also be more appropriate for use in toilets on boats and in camper-vans. Toilet paper, especially if it is marketed as "luxury", may be quilted or rippled (embossed), perfumed, colored or patterned, medicated (with anti bacterial chemicals), treated with aloe, etc. Many novelty designs are also available on toilet paper, from cute cartoon animals via pictures of disfavored political celebrities to pictures of dollar bills. Women who are prone to vaginal Candidiasis yeast infections are advised by some medical experts to use white, unperfumed toilet paper.

Related Topics:
Aloe - Dollar - Vagina - Candidiasis

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Moist toilet paper was first introduced by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation in the United Kingdom by Andrex in the 1990s, and in the United States in 2001, two countries in which bidets are rare. It is designed to clean better than dry toilet paper after defecation, and may be useful for women during menstruation.

Related Topics:
Kimberly-Clark Corporation - United Kingdom - 1990s - United States - 2001 - Menstruation

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The manufacture of toilet paper is a large industry. According to U.S. company Charmin, an American uses an average of 57 sheets of toilet paper a day (20,805 a year). The toilet paper market is worth about US$2.4 billion a year in America alone.

Related Topics:
Charmin - US$

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The term toilet paper has been used throughout this article but it is often known by other (mostly slang) names such as shit tickets, TP, toilet tissue, toilet roll, striking paper, loo roll, bumf, bumfodder, bog roll, date roll, and ass wipe. "TP" is often used as a verb (we TPed the school principal's house) where it means throwing rolls of toilet paper over large objects (trees, cars, houses) to leave long streams of toilet paper fluttering in the breeze. The 1990s animated series Beavis and Butt-Head frequently referred to toilet paper as "TP" ("I need TP for my bunghole"), and the terminology subsequently caught on among the general public. Toilet paper is also often used, due to its availability and absorbent properties, by school children to form wet missiles to throw at people, windows, walls or the ceiling (where it sticks, dries and sets, to the dismay of the janitors). Some practitioners refer to these missiles as "spidey tracers," in a nod to the webs slung by the comic book character Spider-Man (who ironically formulates his webbing to dissolve in an hour, so as to not leave a mess everywhere). In the late 1960s and 1970s, British football supporters would frequently respond to moments of excitement or frustration by hurling large numbers of toilet rolls from the stands on to the pitch. The resulting streamers often required clearing away to the sidelines before the game could proceed.

Related Topics:
TPed - Beavis and Butt-Head - Janitor - Spider-Man - Football

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