The Toilet Paper Test!

Upon rst glance, when someone hears the phrase, ‘ e Toilet Paper Test,’ it would not be uncommon for the undeveloped far reaches of one’s brain to automatically default to imagining imagery that would fall in-line with thoughts parallelling the great ‘90s thought leaders Beavis & Butthead. As facetious as this may seem on the surface, it is probably not far o .

e toilet paper test, however, is one that can be critically important to the functionality of the air ow in one’s bathroom, while not necessarily having anything to do with the toilet itself.

One of more common items that we get called upon for advice about is how well one’s bathroom fan is working.

A bathroom fan is a fan, o en coupled with a light xture and attached to the ceiling, whose purpose is to suck air out of the bathroom and guide it to the outside of the home.

e purpose of the bathroom fan is multifaceted, as its aim is to guide as much moisture, humidity, and yes, odors, as possible, from the bathroom to the outside of the home.

Ideally, there is a hose attached to the backside of the bathroom fan that brings the air which is being drawn out from the bathroom to the home’s exterior, preferably out through the roof (as the higher the exit point, the better), though many times through an area of the home’s so t (the ‘overhang’ area of the home).

As surprising as it may seem, I can’t tell you how many times we nd the bathroom fan is simply venting out into the attic itself, with zero attempt visible as to making an e ort to vent it outside.

is is problematic on a number of levels.

In these types of cases, in particular, with regard to moisture and humidity, having a bathroom fan that is vented into the attic can be the catalyst of a breeding ground for mold. While it may take a period of time for this to occur, it is almost a sure thing that mold will begin to form somewhere in the attic in the vicinity of the backside of the fan, creating potential health challenges for those unsuspecting residents in the oors below.

You may be wondering what any of this has to do with a ‘toilet paper test.’

Whether a bathroom fan is correctly vented or not, sometimes people are just wondering, in general, if their bathroom fan is truly working or not because in all honesty, it can be hard to tell.

Enter toilet paper.

To test if your bathroom fan is even close to viably working, turn the bathroom fan on.

Next, take a piece of toilet paper and position it directly under the bathroom fan.

If the toilet paper sticks to the fan, the fan is most likely drawing in air, as it should be.

If the toilet paper does not stick and instead falls to the ground, the fan is not working properly and should probably be replaced.

Super scienti c, I know.

Ensuring one’s bathroom fan is operating properly and vented to where it should be vented to, is a small exercise which every homeowner should check up on at least once or twice each year.

To me, it is fun that something known as a ‘toilet paper test’ can be super helpful in helping to determine whether one’s bathroom may have proper air ow, or if a conversation should be had as to what has to be done to improve things.

About Tom Lopatosky

Tom Lopatosky has run his own RI-based painting and repair business since 1995; LOPCO Contracting – the “Personable, Particular Professionals” – specializes in exterior & interior painting and carpentry. Recently LOPCO Contracting was named ‘RI’s Finest Painting Contracting Company’ by ShopInRI Magazine. In 2013, Tom was named “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) and a “40 Under 40” award winner by Providence Business News. He is a member of both PCA (Painting Contractors Association) and RIBA (Rhode Island Builders Association). Tom has often had weekly ‘Home Improvement Tips’ that have aired on the radio on 630 WPRO AM and on television on WPRI 12. You can catch Tom LIVE on the radio EVERY Saturday, 2pm-3pm, on 630 WPRO AM (99.7 FM) during his weekly ProTalk Home Improvement Radio Show!