Toilet Paper Origami

 I kid you not, that is a real thing!

We are all familiar with the folded point on a toilet roll in hotel bathrooms. I assumed that was done to convince you that the place had been cleaned. I never really saw the point because the first person to use the paper certainly doesn't replace the point before leaving the bathroom. I know I don't have time to waste on such a pointless exercise.

I consider it a waste of time, but never really felt very strongly about it until now. We gave up telling our cleaners that it was an unnecessary task and we didn't expect it. They still did it anyway and it didn't cost us extra, nor did it inconvenience us.

This week I was astounded when I saw what the cleaners had done. Bear in mind that we have three full bathrooms and one half bath, so four toilet rolls in operation, or at least at the ready at all times. We also have three paper towel dispensers in the kitchen. No, it isn't a huge kitchen; in fact it is relatively small, but we are kind of obsessed with paper towel. I believe I mentioned before that I am a bit of a germaphobe. Paper towel instead of cloth wipes in the kitchen strikes me as being a lot cleaner. Okay, I know it is not very environmentally friendly, but I compensate for that by being overly friendly in other areas.

As I was saying, what the cleaners did this last week was beyond comprehension. One of the bathrooms was spared the worst, it just had the usual folded point. The other three had this incredibly pretty, but totally unnecessary creation.

If you look closely, you can see the center of the flower is what holds the entire thing together. The cleaners had just left when we got home, so I was able to see that this center was wet. Not just the flower, but the wet patch went at least an inch into the toilet roll, plus that wet patch was subjected to considerable pressure, this meshes the wet paper into a tight wad. Once dried, the paper becomes much harder than it was—so unnecessary!

One of the things that worried me was the that I didn't know where the water, and the pressure, came from. I couldn't be certain it was clean. I mean, what if they dipped the end of the mop handle into the bucket of water they had just washed the floors with? Applying toilet paper treated in this way, to the more private and sensitive parts of the body didn't seem like a good idea to me. And, as I said, this water, and pressure wad, went at least one inch into the roll. 

They didn't just do this to the toilet paper, they also did it to the paper towels, all three had a wet, deep, indentation—no flower, but the same degree of damage.

I might add, the paper napkins on the dining room table were not ignored, they were decorated with a bow, thankfully no water was applied there. Three boxes of tissues in various parts of the house also received a bow, again no water.

Consider how surprised I was, though I should not have been, when I googled 'toilet paper art'. I immediately found a book available on Amazon, Toilet Paper Origami. Searching further I found dozens of YouTube videos carefully detailing how to do this to your (or your client's) toilet paper. 

Fortunately, the YouTube video I watched (yes, I admit I watched it), did show how the water and pressure was applied. This made me feel a little better about the cleanliness, just a little.

I intend to request that the cleaners cease and desist from practicing their arts and crafts on my toilet paper. For some reason I find it extremely unsettling. The waste of time is not what bothers me most. I mean, it shouldn't because we don't pay by the hour, so it is not my dime, but it is my toilet paper. The amount of paper wasted on the flowers and the bows is not the issue, it is minimal. It is water and deep impression forcing the wet paper together that I do object to.

So, if you have an interest in wasting time and toilet paper, here are a couple of YouTube videos, and the book I mentioned is referenced above.

And here is just a little of what a Google search turns up: