Bathroom Hand-Washing Behavior

[HawaiianShirts]

Today was a study in opposites. Two guys washed their hands with completely different attitudes toward it.

I went into the restroom and witnessed a surprisingly complex hand-washing ritual. I made me think of obsessive-compulsive disorder, though I don't think this person actually has the condition (or maybe a very, very mild form of it).

To flush, he kicked the toilet handle.
He went up to one paper towel dispenser and cranked out about two feet worth.
He did the same with the other paper towel dispenser.
He turned on the water with his elbow.
He washed his hands with plenty of hot water and soap.
He tore off one length of paper towel, dried his hands, and used it to turn off the water.
He tore off the other length of paper towel, carefully folded it over, and used it to protect his hand while opening the door, then held the door open with his foot while tossing the paper towel into the trash.

Moments later, another guy came in. He did his thing, didn't bother to flush, splashed cold water onto one hand for about 1.5 seconds, shook it off, and walked out.

I don't mean to criticize either one, though I thought both were definitely on distantly opposite ends of the hand-washing style chart. It just struck me as interesting to watch both in succession like that.

(By the way, I work in an office. No food service or medical care concerns here.)

[chikenlady]

And then the first guy touched doors, phones and numerous other objects that people like the second guy have touched.

[EricKei]

I can actually understand turning off the water/opening the with a paper towel (tho not THAT much, just one); I admit to doing that, too -- as I've mentioned in similar threads in the past, your own hands may be clean after washing up, but those handles, by definition, were touched by plenty of people just *before* washing their hands. And what were they touching right before that...? o_O;>

[Ophbalance]

I truly hate the "kick the plunger to flush" types. I had one of those in my last office, and he was a fairly bright guy. So how can they not see that there's a dearth of bacteria on their feet that they then spread to everyone else that's normal and uses their hands on these things??

[Skittles88]

I commend the first guy, even if he is a bit anal. It's definitely a better method than the second guy. I think they say that 90% of germs and sickeness is passed by improper hand-washing? That number could be high but the point of the matter is in this day and age you can't really be too safe.

[MoonCat]

Somebody did an analysis of an office bathroom once. They found more bacteria on the counters, sinks, fixtures and door handles than they did on the toilet seats.

[cashierbex]

The first guy sounds like the high school biology teacher I had. Typically before he eats, not at the bathroom.

[crazylegs]

Guy number two is why I like bathrooms that have elbow operated taps & access with no doors. My love for taps that can be shut off with an elbow is so great I have them in my own bathroom...

[Moirae]

lol. I do the same thing in public places and at work. And even at home, I rarely touch a door handle with my bare hands (we live with family and one of my in laws will do things like touch the garbage can lids and things then touch door handles and drawer pulls without washing. Its gross).

People are really gross. And right now would be the reason why I do these things. I have a nasty cough right now. It can't be bronchitis because I've had that and could barely stay awake for more than 5 minutes, I don't feel like that now. Heck, I was even off work for two days this week because of it.

I live in abject terror of getting sick. Health insurance is wayyyyyy beyond our means (obamacare is no help at all), and getting sick inevitably means I lose my voice and can't work. I've lost almost $200 this week by taking those two days off. The problem is that it's hard to avoid since I work in customer service.

[Pagan]

I truly hate the "kick the plunger to flush" types. I had one of those in my last office, and he was a fairly bright guy. So how can they not see that there's a dearth of bacteria on their feet that they then spread to everyone else that's normal and uses their hands on these things??

And that is exactly why I use my foot to flush a public toilet. Because of what other people have on their hands when they flush since they just got done doing whatever in the toilet.

Not to mention the number of toilets that spit when flushed.

[crazylegs]

And that is exactly why I use my foot to flush a public toilet. Because of what other people have on their hands when they flush since they just got done doing whatever in the toilet.

But if you wash your hands properly (healthcare style) then it wont matter what's on your hands as it'll come off with soap, water and proper washing.

[HawaiianShirts]

I'm not terribly concerned about germs. I worked in a microbiology lab for a while (doing office stuff, not testing), but the owner was a guy who liked to run his own tests just for curiosity's sake. We tested our own bathroom door handles. They're stainless steel. The handle in the lab section bathroom was almost germ-free, which probably attests to how well the lab techs washed their hands. The handle in the office section bathroom had a fair amount of dead microbes, and the few that were viable enough to produce colonies weren't dangerous.

Maybe that's not a truly representative sample, but I can live with it. So I scrub with soap, rinse with hot water, and don't worry about the rest.

Not to mention the number of toilets that spit when flushed.

This! I don't kick them. I just wash up afterward. But there is one at my office that I really have to stand back from.

And at home, the toothbrushes are kept far away from the toilet.


Speaking of public safety, though, our office has small face masks available at reception. The idea is for people who come to work sick (cold, cough, etc.) to wear those so that they don't share their illness with the rest of us. I've only seen two people wear those--one because she doesn't want to get sick when her cube neighbor has a cold (which seems to be once a month!) and one because several people in her cube neighborhood think they're above the fragrance-free work environment policies.

[sms001]

And at home, the toothbrushes are kept far away from the toilet.

There's a hilarious running gag in an episode of Bones about this.

Personally, most of the time I'm a flush, prep towel, wash, use towel to get out type. Most of the time. There are often places where I plain and simple don't want to touch anything. I was chastised about this once - some jerk showing off/setting an example for his kid. Looked around on my way out and tossed a "Buddy, my %@#$ is the cleanest thing in this place."

Which brings me to a joke on the topic.

Two guys are using the urinals at a collegiate function. Guy One finishes up and heads for the exit. Guy Two looks around and says disdainfully, with a thick Boston accent, "Aht Havaaahd, we're taught to wash after micturating." Guy One looks back from the door and says "Huh! At Mizzou, they teach us not to piss on our hands."