Do you wear gloves when dumping your RV’s holding tanks? Or do you fear no germs and just barehand the chore? Please take a few seconds to respond, and feel free to leave a comment.
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I grew up on a farm and have handled far worse than anything in our holding tanks. I am still not convinced that what is in our tanks, including the black tank is harmful. Everything in that black tank went through me or my wife. Icky maybe if you have a weak stomach or soft backbone. Dangerous, no.
I do wipe my hands with bleach wipes at the end of sewer hose pickup/layout. And yes, I do wash my hands after reentering our motorhome. But I do that after handling most things outside.
I think most of the sewer hose thing is overkill, but to each his/her own. So far, even at my extended age no ill effects.
Grumpy
No, but I do have an Alcohol based Sanitizer dispenser mounter in the wet bay and use it immediately after dumping.
I agree with Grumpy, with caveats. To me, emptying the black is no worse than using the bathroom myself when i filled it, and follows the same rules – I don’t lick the toilet, and wash my hands afterwards. MY contamination is a known and limited quantity, so expecting to wash dirty hands contains it.
That said, i no longer use campground dumpsites because OTHERS’ contamination is MUCH WORSE… Not only others’ diseases, but I constantly see “glovewearers” touching EVERYTHING with their dirty gloves, including the caps/controls/valves and (campsites’ fault for tempting co-location!) “potable” water. Wearing gloves is not a magic license to abandon basic “dont wipe off your dripping gloves on every nearby surface” rules. Not to mention, i wash my DRY hands – you shouldn’t BE covered in your own “goo” when you dump if you’re doing it right!
Grump, we’ve been conditioned to be afraid of our own shadows. Everything is out to kill you, or at least make you sick.
I have to note I wear gloves to handle the hose but take them off to open/close the valves and to run the pump. Thus if at a spot where I leave the hose hooked up no need to wear the gloves to dump.
Always. Also have harbor freight booties to cover my shoes. Dump spots are absolutely filthy even when they appear clean.
Great idea about the booties! I’m shopping for my RV, but I just put booties on my packing list beside the gloves!
We use gloves and disinfectant when handling the black tank hose during disconnection. We keep our hose in a storage container. We spray both ends and the inside of the container with disinfectant before storing. E-coli contamination is no fun!
Retired RN
Never use gloves but keep bottle of liquid hand soap near the valve. Always wash hands after dumping then dry my hands on my pants (so as not to be super cityfied)
40 years, retired school custodian. He’ll yes! In all that time I never took a day off for illness only for a hernia repair. If you think your safe because you only make deposits ask yourself if you scrub the outside of a cantaloupe or any other produce before you eat it. And that’s just an example of where filth can come from. I was always being educated at work on how to deal with new super bugs. They spread like wildfire. You never know. I wash my hands with regular liquid soap after taking my gloves off properly.
I use gloves to hook up and unhook the sewer hose, but when just dumping (pulling the valve handle) I don’t bother.
Always have, always will!
I use food handler gloves from Costco. At a penny a glove, I made it a habit. Probably don’t need to just to pull a handle but after a few surprises, I figured it would be a good habit. Good idea about disinfectant wipes and sprays. Always learning from others.
I use those blue disposable gloves and always carry a bleach/water mix to rinse out my sewer hose.
Do you mean the thin, clear gloves? I’d be afraid they aren’t strong enough for the job. Do they tear easily or come apart at the seams?
Yah, and I wear gloves when I wipe my butt too.
I do wash my hands after completing ANY project before I go on to the next.
TMI (too much information), Roy. 😮 —Diane at RVtravel.com
I was being facetious.
I figured that, Roy, but still TMI. 😉 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Or “fecestious”.
😀 Good one, “TP”. Have a great day! —Diane at RVtravel.com
Not much to fear with a macerator — hose and end unit stay pretty clean. Still I use sanitizer before re-entering MH.
I not only always wear gloves they are disposable so, like a health professional, when the job is done they come off inside out and go into the garbage.
There have been some studies showing purell (alcohol) type hand cleaners are less effective with E. coli type bacteria. I like hand cleaners for germs but they are not completely effective on Clostridium type bacteria.
Typo above:
Hand cleaners for viruses (rather than using the term germs)
As a health care professional, I can’t bring myself to dispense with gloves when dumping black water. I also wash my hands well afterwards (sing the ABC’s). I do this even if I’m just pulling the handles. E-coli can be serious in the wrong places.
We wear gloves and rubber boots. When finished we spray both with bleach water before removing and placing in the basement. Now we are ready to give ourselves a liberal squirt of hand sanitizer
An ounce of prevention goes a long way. Not concerned with what I am dumping as what those before me dumped and shared.
DH does wear gloves when he moves, hooks up or unhooks sewer hose or when using a public dump. When just turning the handle to dump the black tank and we are already hooked up, No.
I change them 2-3 times when handling septic hoses & attachments. I was an RN so very familiar with glove removal techniques .
Yes I wear protective gloves AND I use protective eyewear.
Nope, don’t use gloves. I have been either full time or 5-10 months a year in the RV for the last 14 years. For the 25 year prior to that we used a porti-potty which I dumped. I do keep a pump container of hand sanitizer near by to put on my hands, and then go wash them.
I am not convinced that there is that big of a problem for people with a normal immune system.
I am surprised folks don’t wear air filtration masks. What do you do when a tiny bit gets splashed on your face or lips?
I enjoyed each and every comment! I personally always wear gloves. Better safe than sorry!!!