Triangle hotel toilet paper fold

June 25, 2007 9:15 AM

How do you fold toilet paper into a little triangle like they do in hotels?
posted by Astro Zombie to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (11 answers total)

fold it like the nose of a paper airplane. Fold one side down to to get the 45 degree angle, and then do the opposite on the other side.
posted by cosmicbandito at 9:17 AM on June 25, 2007

In my experience, they fold each corner of the last sheet under, to the middle, so they meet. Nothing special about it in my experience, unless your hotels are much classier than the ones I've stayed in and have a special technique.
posted by pocams at 9:18 AM on June 25, 2007

Sometimes they also fold the tip of the triangle under, too, for a total of three folds and a blunt nose triangle.
posted by anaelith at 9:44 AM on June 25, 2007

Note that this works better with the cheapy hotel TP because it holds a crease well. If you buy the good fluffy stuff you're going to have a difficult time creasing it well enough for it to hold.
posted by Ookseer at 10:13 AM on June 25, 2007

Actually, the method I've seen is to fold one corner diagonally not to the middle, but until it touches the opposite corner of the strip, so you have the first square of the paper folded in half. Then you fold the resulting point under to the opposite corner of the same square. This will hold better than the "paper airplane" style, and is the technique I've seen used in the hotels I've worked and stayed in, from classy to fleabag.
posted by contraption at 10:36 AM on June 25, 2007

You could use this?
posted by slowfasthazel at 11:16 AM on June 25, 2007

I think the key is making sure the end of the roll is positioned such that the folded bits can't fall undone, i.e., it sits just off the top, towards the front.

Some places I've been, they've had toilet roll holders with a flap that hangs in front, resting on the roll, which will hold any triangle in place.
posted by Helga-woo at 11:21 AM on June 25, 2007

When I had to do it, I was told to fold the bottom centimetre or so underneath first, before folding the sides to the middle (the 'paper aeroplane' bit). That apparently helps it hold in place better. Then all you've got to do is make sure the roll is positioned right so that the weight of the paper hold the triangle in place; if it hangs down too far, it's going to come undone.

Since then I've worked in classier places that don't require that kind of thing.
posted by Lebannen at 11:42 AM on June 25, 2007

Lebannen has it right.

And this is filed under "sports, hobbies, and recreation" because... ?
posted by LadyBonita at 12:16 PM on June 25, 2007

Hint: if you fold the corners up, you'll have a better pooper-scooper.
posted by rob511 at 4:05 PM on June 25, 2007

Response by poster: Paper folding is no longer a hobby?
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:57 PM on June 25, 2007