<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (November 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Toilet paper is a tissue paper product people primarily use to clean the anus and surrounding area of fecal material after defecation and to clean the perineal area of urine after urination and other bodily fluid releases . It also acts as a layer of protection for the hands during these processes . It is sold as a long strip of perforated paper wrapped around a paperboard core for storage in a dispenser near a toilet . Most modern toilet paper in the developed world is designed to decompose in septic tanks, whereas some other bathroom and facial tissues are not . Toilet paper comes in various numbers of plies (layers of thickness), from one - ply all the way up to six - ply, with more back - to - back plies granting greater strength and absorbency . </P> <P> The use of paper for hygiene has been recorded in China in the 6th century AD, with specifically manufactured toilet paper being mass - produced in the 14th century . Modern commercial toilet paper originated in the 19th century, with a patent for roll - based dispensers being made in 1883 . </P> <P> Although paper had been known as a wrapping and padding material in China since the 2nd century BC, the first documented use of toilet paper in human history dates back to the 6th century AD, in early medieval China . In 589 AD the scholar - official Yan Zhitui (531--591) wrote about the use of toilet paper: </P>

When was the first roll of toilet paper invented