Okay, people, it’s time to put your honesty hats on! Before we get going here, we just want to remind you that we have no way of seeing how you answer. These poll results are completely anonymous. If they weren’t, well, we probably wouldn’t keep very many of you around! We’re kidding, of course. Sort of.
Now it’s time to be honest! Men, do you ALWAYS wash your hands EVERY time you use the bathroom? Ladies, what about you? Do you (both of you!) sometimes skip washing your hands if you’re in a rush?
We always say, “After you vote feel free to leave a comment,” but we have a feeling you may not want to leave a comment today. We’ll see. Wink.
I am a man and answered no, because I “use the bathroom” for more things than elimination of bodily wastes. Sometimes I go in to glance in the mirror or comb my hair. Other times I use the bathroom to retrieve tweezers, Q-tips, a bandaid, or an OTC medication stored in the medicine cabinet. This poll question is to vague. Do I wash my hands every time I use the sanitary fixtures (toilet or urinal), yes, conditionally. It’s hard to wash one’s hands if hiking in the woods and a tree is your urinal or an unplumbed privy is your toilet.
The columnist Bennet Cerf wrote an article on this decades ago. I will try to summarize his observations as best I can from memory. He was speaking as a man when he urinates but I assume it applies to women as well. He argued that a person showers or bathes and then covers their genitals with layers of clean cloth. They then spend time out in the world touching many things that are not sterile and that been touched by many others. Then when they go into a restroom, they use their very unsterile hands to uncover and touch their clean “parts” which contaminates them. After this society dictates they wash their hands before leaving the restroom. Seems backwards, doesn’t it?
I and Mr. Cerf think along the same line, even before I knew who he was!
My little part time job requires me to refill the soap dispensers in our public restrooms (also used by employees…small retail business). I replace the women’s soap approximately once per month, while I replace the men’s soap once every 3-4 months. Mind you, we have many more male employees than female, and many more male customers than female. This tells me A LOT!!! Especially when considering that men have to get more “up close & personal” when using the facilities than women do, if you catch my drift. Ugh.
I only touch my clothes
I’m pretty much a germaphobe after multiple rounds of chemotherapy, including a stem cell transplant. Because of that my immune system will always be challenged. Even if I am outdoors and have to use a tree, I still carry hand sanitizers. [Bleeped]
Sorry to what you have gone through. Before chemo did you wash. Pretty harsh words you made in closing. Maybe should of closed with something like ‘those that dont please do’.
Dan, I’ve been where you have. In remission three times. Two stem cell transplants. More chemo intake than I can even count or remember. To the brink and back. Five years of this stuff. I just live my life like I did before the leukemia. I don’t get carried away with this ‘cleanliness’ stuff. A little common sense goes a long way, even in today’s crazy world. I agree with Skip about your last sentence. A little too righteous for me.
Hi, Tommy. What an ordeal you’ve been through. You are an inspiration to me and many others, I’m sure. And as to Dan’s last sentence, it got [Bleeped] as soon as I saw it this morning. Have a great day, and a very healthy 2024! 🤗 –Diane
Sanitary practices are important, we all know that. However, do we all wash our hands everytime we pet the dog or touch the picnic table? Scratch our head or tie our dirty shoe laces? Touch money? Car keys? Campground pen at check in? It’s a balance Dan. Judgement calls all day everyday. It’s cash that gives me the heebeegeebees but washing my hands everytime my hand hits my pocket, not practical.
You never know what someone goes thru with Chemo till you go thru it yourself.
I have spent several years teaching sanitation and hygiene in isolated villages in 3rd world countries, it’s a habit, I do it without thinking about it. I don’t like shaking hands because of all the people I observe not washing their hands before leaving the restrooms.
I never touch a door handle going out of a public restroom! This is exactly why I carry a few pieces of paper towels and a small bottle of hand sanitizer in my pockets.
Moi aussi!!
Before and after always have. That’s why i never ate snacks/refreshments at meetings.
I assumed that “use the bathroom” didn’t include going in there for a shower, or things like that.
Depends on how close the lake is to the tree I am using.
When indoors, yes.
I don’t always wash either. Sometimes I carry alcohol wipes into the rest room. Or don’t use the loud forced air hand dryers. I’m losing my hearing & don’t think it’s because of the 3 -4 rock concerts we took our kids to, as we were wearing ear plugs. We’ve been cleaning our hands with sanitizer for decades post gassing up, and cleaning the handles on shopping carts with alcohol for decades also. I guess, as a nurse and the other one a grandson of a doctor, we’ve been really health conscious since the a few years after we got married.
Actually we’re both grandchildren of doctors!!
It’s extremely rare for me to not wash my hands after using the toilet. I always use sanitizing wipes whenever I can’t wash my hands. I use the paper towel on the door knob whenever possible.
It is easier for me to imagine many scenarios that require me wash my hands after every bathroom use at age 66 than it was at age 26. So, yes, I wash my hands every time now. 🙂
Judgment call when dry camping as water is sometimes a luxury. I keep wipes in all of our vehicles. I’m still a pretty good aim and still prefer a tree, a shrub or a fence post, especially when dry camping. Most men do prefer urinating in the great outdoors. A poll on that would be interesting. I would put the O/U at about 90% go outside when it is a viable option.
A marine and an air force man were side by side at the urinals. After completing the task the marine washed his hands and was amazed that the air force man did not. The marine made the statement that in basic they were taught to always wash their hands. The air force man replied that they were taught not to urinate on themselves.
Just a joke!
I’ve been waiting for that old one all morning. Knew it was coming. Thanks.
Being former Air Force I concur. LOL
Not every time, But every time hand washing is available. We keep ‘baby wipes’ in the car, but the car isn’t always at hand either.
When inside yes, outside, who knows 🫣
Always after #2. Always after #1 or #2 in public bathrooms and use soap also. Always wash hands with soap before eating or preparing any food items.
I’m in the majority.
I always use soap and water every time, sometimes before depending what I’ve been doing.
not every time when walking in the woods or out fishing kind of hard to carry soap and water tryed wipes but that didn’t work