Kids can ask the most innocent inquiries that can show us facts about our reality that make us feel bad. My five-year-old grandson asked me something that shocked me the other day as we were having a nice afternoon at home.
“Why does it always have to be white?”
I thought it was funny at first. But then I remembered that I didn’t know what to say.
Like a lot of you, I’ve always used white toilet paper without giving it much thought. But I wanted to know more because my grandson was so happy. What I found was a lot more interesting than I anticipated it would be.
A Simple Question from a Child
Kids notice things that adults don’t. My child perceives things in color. There are blue blankets, red fire trucks, green fruits, and great books. But in the bathroom? People generally use white toilet paper. He didn’t like that.
“Why not blue or yellow?” he said. with large eyes. “Everything else is colored.”
I understood what he was saying at that point.
So I went outside to see what the answer was. While I was looking, I found out about the history, science, and psychology of toilet paper. A lot of people don’t think about these things.
In the past, toilet paper came in a variety of colors.
It’s hard to believe that toilet paper used to come in a lot of different colors.
In the early 1900s, toilet paper was bright colors like pink, blue, and even light green. A lot of businesses developed patterns that looked nice in bathrooms in the 1950s and 1960s, when color-coordinated bathrooms were all the rage. You might even remember how Grandma put those soft-colored rolls on the shelf in her bathroom.
But with time, the bright colors started to vanish off the shelves of stores. There are a lot of good reasons why the world is white right now.
How the color of toilet paper changes as it’s being made
To understand why most toilet paper is white, we need to know how it is created.
They make toilet paper out of wood pulp, which is a mix of natural fibers. They bleach this pulp during the production process to get rid of contaminants and make it softer. Bleaching makes the paper look brighter and softer, which makes it work better and feel better.
Companies learned that making white toilet paper made customers happier more often. People liked it because it looked cleaner, softer, and healthier.
Psychology of Color
We don’t know how much white color affects us, even when it comes to cleaning supplies.
In psychology, white is often linked to cleanliness, purity, and sterility. The same is true for hospitals that utilize white sheets and lab coats. We think that white is clean.
Because white toilet paper is associated to personal hygiene, it seems clean and safe. It doesn’t seem like it, but it is quite deep.
In a variety of various kinds of bathrooms, from traditional tile to modern marble, white toilet paper looks fantastic. It is comfortable, doesn’t get old, and is neutral.
The Color: Why You Should Pick It for the Environment and the Price
People want white toilet paper because it is useful and saves them money.
It’s easier and cheaper to make only one hue. Adding colors or patterns needs more tools, chemicals, and a higher risk of skin irritation, especially for toddlers and older adults.
Bleaching also lets manufacturers employ fibers that have already been used, which helps the environment. A lot of people think that white toilet paper is bad for the environment, but it’s actually good because it can be recycled. It does use some resources to bleach things, though.
Where did the colored and patterned toilet paper go?
People really miss the pink and blue rolls that used to be sold.
You can still find colored toilet paper in some parts of the world, but not as much in the U.S. anymore. Some of this is because people are scared of how dyes can harm delicate areas. But many individuals also thought that white was a color they could trust.
There are a few small stores that sell toilet paper that smells or has patterns on it, but not many people want it. People appreciate things that are easy to use, and white is still the best color.
A Lesson in How to Be Interested and Learn
I wasn’t ready for my grandson’s question, but it was a good chance for both of us to learn something new.
We sat at the kitchen table and looked at old advertising for toilet paper, watched brief videos on paper mills, and even spoke about how different colors make us feel. His eyes lit up with every new bit of information he learned, and I was just as interested.
This made me think of something important:
If you look closely, you’ll find that there are a lot of cool things in the world.
And sometimes, the smallest inquiries can give you the largest answers.
You can’t see everything that happens in life.
A lot of people use white toilet paper. But behind that small roll is a mix of history, science, psychology, and how people decide what they need, want, and even what they find interesting.
So, the next time you reach for a roll, you can smile because you know that not all white is boring. You might also remember that the questions kids ask can affect how adults see things
