Did you know there are people on eBay selling antique toilet paper? Well, maybe not antique, but you can get unopened packages from decades ago. Why would someone buy them? To prove what we have all suspected- that toilet paper has shrunk considerably over time. I have a shelf where I store extra toilet paper rolls, and for years I could only stacked them one roll high. Now I can stack two, because they are narrower. Mark Dent bought a four-pack of Charmin made in 1992 and found there were 170 sheets per roll in 1992, and new "double" rolls have 154. But in the early 1970s, single-ply Charmin had 650 sheets on a roll!
Of course, that's not the only way to measure toilet paper. Further research shows us a four-roll pack weighs about half what it once weighed. And you already know about the prices. Yes, we have high-quality toilet paper these days, but the materials used to make it come with such price volatility that it's just easier for companies to keep prices high than to deal with market fluctuations. Read about the great toilet paper shrinkage, and the reasons behind it at the Hustle. -via Nag on the Lake
(Image credit: Elya)
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When I noticed the change in width I verified it by comparing a current roll to a tube used in a craft project I made when I was a kid.
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