Folding toilet paper in hotels, sometimes called toilegami in reference to origami, is the act of folding the last sheet or sheets of the toilet paper roll placed in the toilet dispenser in the rooms of certain hotels . In addition to the aesthetic effect, it is one of the ways found by the hotel establishment to show that the cleaning service has visited the bathroom. Folding toilet paper requires orientation from the top of the roll.

A maid warns

A housekeeper revealed to German magazine FOCUS Online how she and her colleagues usually go about cleaning the room and advises all guests not to use the folded sheet. Indeed, it is customary to first clean the entire room, including the bathroom, and to fold the small corner in the toilet paper at the very end. But since staff rarely wash their hands after cleaning, this little triangle is particularly unhygienic and full of bacteria and germs.

Throw away the first leaves

The maid therefore advises all guests to unroll the first two or three sheets of toilet paper and throw them away. And then wash your hands before using the rest of the toilet paper.

Of course, this is not the case in all hotels. Staff often wear gloves when cleaning and disinfect their hands regularly. The COVID pandemic has also led to increased hygiene standards in many places. However, it doesn’t hurt to play it safe and remove the first few leaves.