Dirty Hands

[tecumseh]

Speaking of keeping your hands clean anyone ever try those high tech Japanese toilets. They are starting to become more popular in this country. At first it seems a bit strange but I do think it is more sanitary and am thinking about buying one.

[aimo]

Wow, this is WAY more info than I ever needed from you folks!

But seriously, I have become a borderline germophobe. I am fortunate in that my current office's bathroom has automatic faucets, which eliminates the first major issue in the original post. And I ALWAYS grab an extra paper towel to use while opening the door. I then use the towel for the rest of the doors leading back to my office and toss it in my trashcan. UNfortunately, in a few months I am being moved downtown to a much older building which does NOT have auto-faucets, which sucks. Just means I'll use more paper towels to shut off the faucet. I keep hand sanitizer on my desk. I can't offer too much info for guys, as I am inexperienced in your methods, however, I would assume the paper-towel on the faucet and flush-with-your-foot tricks should work for anyone.

By the way, I haven't had a cold in over six years.

[Turk]

Wow, this is WAY more info than I ever needed from you folks!

But seriously, I have become a borderline germophobe. I am fortunate in that my current office's bathroom has automatic faucets, which eliminates the first major issue in the original post. And I ALWAYS grab an extra paper towel to use while opening the door. I then use the towel for the rest of the doors leading back to my office and toss it in my trashcan. UNfortunately, in a few months I am being moved downtown to a much older building which does NOT have auto-faucets, which sucks. Just means I'll use more paper towels to shut off the faucet. I keep hand sanitizer on my desk. I can't offer too much info for guys, as I am inexperienced in your methods, however, I would assume the paper-towel on the faucet and flush-with-your-foot tricks should work for anyone.

By the way, I haven't had a cold in over six years.

This actually offers a plausible hypothesis for a strange thing I've been noticing. I've been on-site and worked in many different corporate locations. Often, there will be a crumpled up paper towel somewhere behind the restroom door. At first, I wrote it off as a poor attempt by a disgruntled employee to stick it to The Man, a stupid adolescent bit of defiance that only makes more work for the cleaning crew, whose life is hard enough with (maybe) documentation and English-as-second-language struggles. However, as time passed, I noticed this in more and more different places and then concluded (Eureka! stop the presses!) that men are, after all, pigs. (oink!) However, that was an unsatifactory explanation, since men have been pigs for much longer (centuries, nay, eons) than I have observed used paper towels next to the bathroom door.

So aimo's post suggests that perhaps an increasing number of gentlemen are skeeved out by handling the door with a bare hand, using a paper towel to open the door, and then throwing it on the floor before the door shuts. After all, the trash can is usually way the heck over there next to the sinks, and who wants to walk through the office with a crumpled paper towel in hand?

And here's another bit of bathroom advice:

If you ever happen to be in an office restroom and see a newspaper in the stalls, I recommend shorting that company's stock, investing in its competitors, and/or getting one's resume in order. #1 - who reads the paper in the stall anymore? How obsolete is that? and #2 - if people would rather sit on the pot than sit at their desks (presumably with internet connection), it's obvious that something is seriously wrong with that organization, either in its environment or hiring acumen (or both).

[weezie]

if people would rather sit on the pot than sit at their desks (presumably with internet connection), it's obvious that something is seriously wrong with that organization, either in its environment or hiring acumen (or both).

Yee gods Turkster. Your point is noted but not without a certain measure of nausea. Ugh!!!

[rthomas]

The best thing that anyone can do is use the anti-bacterial squirt after the bathroom, after shaking hands with anyone, washing your hands, and not scratching your eyes.

And whatever anyone does, do not request antibiotics just because you feel bad.

[davekay1971]

One's immune system, like many other things in life, gets better with use. Not saying anyone should go stick their finger underneath the rim of the public toilet bowl and then rub their eye with same finger moments later...but c'mon! I have several billion (trillion?) bacteria crawling on my body from head to toe as I type this on a public use keyboard at work, and they're propogating like rabbits on viagra. And you do, too, as you read this. Also, your kid just let the dog lick his hand and shoved his hand in his own mouth, and my 3-year old daughter just wiped the snot from under her nose with a finger that is now exploring every level surface in my home, despite our constant reminders to her to use a kleenex. Some guy within a few feet of you picked his nose, flicked the booger somewhere and opened the door of the restaurant you'll be leaving shortly. The waitress, meanwhile, scratched her itchy eye just before serving you your food. And I don't even want to mention what the guy with the mullet was touching before grabbing the gas pump you'll be using to fill up the tank on the way home.

Humanity experiences our 15 minutes of fame during the eternal world domination of the microorganism, and, as aware as we are about infectious disease, the reality is that the rate of morbidity and mortality from infectious disease is extraordinarily low in this country right now compared to any other time in human history. The State of Fear newsmedia, however, knows a good creepy-crawly teaser when they see one, so expect a story coming shortly about the near death experience we all face during holiday travel, or the toxic hazard that is Aunt Millie's leftover fruitcake.

I'm now going to brazenly leave work, grab at least 3 door handles IN A HOSPITAL on my way to my car, drive to a lovely Mexican restaurant, grasp the germy door handle with my bare hands, walk to the bar, put my hands on the public bar, get my food, grab the door handle AGAIN, and go home and eat my food.

If you don't hear from me again, then evidently I was wrong to be so cavalier about germs!

[Indoor66]

One's immune system, like many other things in life, gets better with use. Not saying anyone should go stick there finger underneath the rim of the public toilet bowl and then rub their eye with same finger moments later...but c'mon! I have several billion (trillion?) bacteria crawling on my body from head to toe as I type this on a public use keyboard at work, and they're propogating like rabbits on viagra. And you do, too, as you read this. Also, your kid just let the dog lick his hand and shoved his hand in his own mouth, and my daughter just wiped the snot from under her nose with a finger that is now exploring every level surface in my home. Some guy within a few feet of you picked his nose, flicked the booger somewhere and opened the door of the restaurant you'll be leaving shortly. The waitress, meanwhile, scratched her itchy eye just before serving you your food.

Humanity experience our 15 minutes of fame during the eternal world domination of the microorganism, and, as aware as we are about infectious disease, the reality is that the rate of morbidity and mortality from infectious disease is extraordinarily low in this country right now compared to any other time in human history. The State of Fear newsmedia, however, knows a good creepy-crawly teaser when they see one, so expect a story coming shortly about the near death experience we all face during holiday travel, or the potential death-trap that is Aunt Millie's leftover fruitcake.

I'm now going to brazenly leave work, grab at least 3 door handles IN A HOSPITAL on my way to my car, drive to a lovely Mexican restaurant, grasp the germy door handle with my bare hands, walk to the bar, put my hands on the public bar, get my food, grab the door handle AGAIN, and go home and eat my food.

If you don't hear from me again, then evidently I was wrong to be so cavalier about germs!

Thanks for a sensible statement of life with germs. The older that I get, the less I want to live forever. I will take my chances, being active, enjoying life, trying new experiences and letting the chips fall as they may. The more aches I develop and pains I suffer, the less inclined I am to seek an over-extended life.

[Jarhead]

Thanks for a sensible statement of life with germs. The older that I get, the less I want to live forever. I will take my chances, being active, enjoying life, trying new experiences and letting the chips fall as they may. The more aches I develop and pains I suffer, the less inclined I am to seek an over-extended life.

Every time I go into the kitchen Mrs. Jarhead sees to it that I wash my hands. I'm counting on that and my daily 3 miles at the local fitness center to lubricate my arthritic hips, and to extend my life way out there. I'm living the good life, and collecting Marine Corps retainer pay, and I'm looking at collecting it for a long time. Ooo-Rah.

[tecumseh]

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/214231.../#.TueaGTBTeDc

The notion about one's immune system has some truth to it BUT if you believe in evolution there are a lot of problems with that argument. Our immune system developed in large part so we could eat pretty dodgy food and less so for human to human contact. The number of direct human to human and indirect human to human contact the average person has in a day versus our prehistoric fore bearers is logarithmically different. Our immune systems are just not designed for it. Also as this link demonstrates it's that fecal to hand contamination which is in bathrooms that can be avoided by skipping the sinks and kicking the door open.

[hughgs]

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/214231.../#.TueaGTBTeDc

The notion about one's immune system has some truth to it BUT if you believe in evolution there are a lot of problems with that argument. Our immune system developed in large part so we could eat pretty dodgy food and less so for human to human contact. The number of direct human to human and indirect human to human contact the average person has in a day versus our prehistoric fore bearers is logarithmically different. Our immune systems are just not designed for it. Also as this link demonstrates it's that fecal to hand contamination which is in bathrooms that can be avoided by skipping the sinks and kicking the door open.

I've been following this thread a little bit, and it seems that everyone is worried about the exposure after "the session". However, don't you think that one's exposure to fecal matter would be greater while you're pooping or wiping? If you're worried about fecal matter at the sink, then don't you need to be concerned about the fecal matter on the toilet paper/holder and the stall door? So, if you're not bringing your own toilet paper into the stall then you're exposing yourself to fecal matter where the source is greatest.

[weezie]

LOL, here we go again.