Where To Install A Toilet Paper 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.