Where is the best place to put a toilet roll holder?

There are no rules and regulations that dictate where to install a toilet paper holder in your home. Deciding where to mount a toilet paper holder depends on your bathroom design and the specific needs of the people who use that bathroom most often. Children, older adults and people with injuries or disabilities shouldn't be expected to reach uncomfortable distances in order to reach the toilet paper roll.

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To keep a toilet paper roll within arm's reach, it's ideal to mount it to the left or right side of the toilet. Mounting it to the front is possible in some bathroom designs, but mounting it behind the toilet is strongly discouraged.

Consider User Convenience

All users should be able to reach the toilet paper roll while seated on the toilet. Finding the best location to install a toilet paper holder isn't just a matter of convenience but also about safety and sanitation.

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Straining to access the toilet paper roll could result in a pulled muscle, completely unseat an older adult who has difficulty balancing or cause a small child to leave behind a mess as they stand up to reach the toilet paper. According to Home Rises, installing a toilet paper holder 8 to 12 inches from the edge of the toilet seat and 26 inches off the floor is usually sufficient.

It's often too much of a reach to to get to a toilet paper holder installed on the wall opposite the toilet. Instead, consider mounting the toilet paper holder to the side of the toilet. A sink with a cabinet-style base represents an excellent choice for keeping a toilet paper holder close by. In a cramped bathroom, however, the toilet paper might protrude too far over the toilet and make it tricky to sit down and get up without bumping into it.

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Due to the range of motion required to reach toilet paper mounted behind the toilet or hanging from the tank itself, this setup isn't recommended. As soon as you pull a muscle in your shoulder, back or neck, you'll see how inconvenient such a placement truly is.

Are Toilet Paper Holders Necessary?

If you're having trouble figuring out where to install a toilet paper holder in your bathroom, you might be wondering if such a contraption is even necessary. Can't you just rest a roll of toilet paper on the edge of the tub, on the sink counter or even on the floor? Technically, you can, but it's not the most sanitary option for a bathroom shared by multiple people.

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That's because you'll need to hold the toilet paper roll with one hand while unwinding it with the other. You can never guarantee how clean your hands (or your children's) will remain during this process, and as ​Time ​magazine points out, bacteria have a way of spreading around all bathroom surfaces. The beauty of a toilet paper holder is that it allows you to only touch the toilet paper that you're going to use, leaving the rest of the roll clean for the next person using the bathroom.

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An Ideal Solution

You can't figure out where to install the toilet paper holder, but you know it's ideal to have one. Now what? Fortunately, you can remedy the situation by purchasing a freestanding toilet paper holder. Some styles also allow you to store extra rolls of toilet paper underneath the dispenser bar, and they even serve as a type of bathroom decor.

Simply place this toilet paper holder to the side of the toilet where it can easily be accessed by reaching forward, not by twisting around.

The Toilet Roll Holder. OK, it’s probably not an issue that you devote much time to. But it has been something that has appeared high in my list of interesting things, recently. Where is the best toilet roll holder placement?  In a sense it happened because of the apartment I now live in.  The toilet roll holder is attached to the wall to the right of the toilet seat, but far enough back that I have to twist my body 90 degrees to reach it!

The standard position is shown below.  It should be in front of the toilet bowl, at the right height.

Research on Toilets and Toilet Paper Holders

Crazy place for toilet roll holder!  (Designed by men??)

I’m working with a group designing unit homes for seniors.  Strangely, the toilet paper problem is often cited.  And it’s not just women who have challenges with it.  I had to laugh as a fellow living in the same block as me also finds it a problem.  And men usually only have to sit on the toilet once a day usually, while women have to do so every time they “go”.

Maybe this is a bidet?

The two images above have come from a document in the weekend newspaper, promoting a range of products from a plumbing supply company and their bathroom masterclasses.  The first photo has the toilet roll on the back wall – almost impossible for women to access.  The second photo has no toilet roll/holder and no space for one on the right as there is no wall, and there isn’t one on the left wall.  While I recognise that this is only a publicity brochure, it does send a strange message.

What about a Bidet?

Australia has not warmed to the value of bidets.  Perhaps it is because they are more expensive and cost a little more to run.  But maybe that would be helpful in toilets.  I’ve not used one, so have no experience.

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