Why don't guys wash their hands after going to the bathroom?

[gravenewworld]

Alright, 95% of you guys on here probably do wash your hands after going to the bathroom since most of you on here are smarter than the average Joe. But any guy can attest to the fact that there are tons of men who simply don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom (simply washing with water doesn't count). Why is this? Nothing is worse than seeing some dude who takes a number 2 at a restaurant bathroom, walks right out not washing his hands, and then sits back down at his table to eat his sandwich.

 

[OAQfirst]

I've actually observed a fairly equal ratio among women. Oprah Winfrey even did a segment on it. *throws confetti*

 

[WarPhalange]

It pisses me off the most when they don't wash their hands and then open the door with them. Then I hate to use a paper towel to open the door. People don't want to wash their hands? Chop them off.

 

[chasely]

I always wash my hands after numero dos, but often only fully wash my hands with soap after urinating when in public places.

Fact is, when us guys touch our penises with our hands, we're getting the penis dirty, not the hands. There are germs/bacteria on the penis, but not as much as on the hands, since we don't go around touching everything with our penises.

 

[gravenewworld]

I always wash my hands after numero dos, but often only fully wash my hands with soap after urinating when in public places.

Fact is, when us guys touch our penises with our hands, we're getting the penis dirty, not the hands. There are germs/bacteria on the penis, but not as much as on the hands, since we don't go around touching everything with our penises.

Yeah but what about that bathroom entrance or stall door? What about the handle on the urinal? If you only wash with water, what about that faucet handle? Those are all breeding grounds for disease.

 

[Cyrus]

Whats great are the eruo bars/clubs around here that have a common mens/womens room. So half the stalls are men half are women. When you close the door its 100% private. I don't like the idea becasue then your washing your hands at the sink with both men and women and its not private to one sex only.

 

[chasely]

Yeah but what about that bathroom entrance or stall door? What about the handle on the urinal? If you only wash with water, what about that faucet handle? Those are all breeding grounds for disease.

That's true, but that stuff gets everywhere. I believe I saw on Mythbusters (not the most credible source I know) that fecal coliforms grow on pretty much every surface, including toothbrushes, but not in levels high enough to be problematic.

I'm more concerned about my job. I work at a computer lab on campus, and I make sure to use hand sanitizers a couple times per shift to keep the bugs away.

 

[rootX]

Yeah but what about that bathroom entrance or stall door? What about the handle on the urinal? If you only wash with water, what about that faucet handle? Those are all breeding grounds for disease.

I use hand cleaning paper. I don't care much when at home but feel sick going to public.


http://alotaboutnothing.com/category/education

According to a study sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology and The Soap and Detergent Association, 88 per cent of women washed their hands in public restrooms, compared to just 66 per cent of the guys. Can you believe that? 1 out of every 3 men you shake hands with don’t wash their hands after using the washroom! That is exactly one of the reasons I always keep some instant hand sanitizer at my desk.

The study also outed some liars: 92% of people say they wash their hands in public restrooms, but only 77% were actually observed doing so. That’s just nasty.

 

[chayced]

An Air force Airman and a Navy Seaman are both using the urinals. The Airman finishes and begins to wash his hands. The Seaman finishes and heads directly out the door. "In the Air Force they teach us to wash our hands after using the restroom." The airman calls out. The Seaman responds, "In the Navy they teach us not to piss on ourselves."

Seriously though, health urine is sterile. I do wash my hands after using the restroom, but I don't worry too much about the door handle.

P.S. Kitchens are breeding grounds for diseases, so are hospitals and supermarkets, and daycares. It's really not worth worrying about.

 

[DaveC426913]

Seriously though, health urine is sterile.

Sure, for about 10 seconds. Then it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, which you then wipe all over everything...

(Eww eww. My post is right next to chayced's. )


[EDIT] Agh! I'm surrounded! I'm the meat in a bacteria sandwich![/EDIT]

 

[chasely]

Urine is also a good fertilizer (due to urea), so start saving it for your plants!

 

[LowlyPion]

Gee, can't people learn to keep their hands dry when using their own equipment?

 

[Perspectives]

People, I'm a guy so I know!

Either they truly don't get it, I mean germs, or it is a protest, or they are in a hurry.

Now I suppose there could be some very deep psychological problem. But there you have it!

Guys are human, oh wait! they could be a slob.

However, Who really knows in the universe of possibility.

Sorry, I wax and wane in wine while pondering this age old question, Why do men not wash their hands after using the bathroom?

They just don't get it!

 

[LowlyPion]

They just don't get it!

Probably the same sociopaths that leave the toilet seats up?

 

[chasely]

What don't guys get about germs?

 

[mgb_phys]

What don't guys get about germs?

That there are more germs on the wet sinks, soap dispensers and towels than there are on your clean penis or the cold dry metal door handles.

ps. How do you tell an organic chemist? They wash their hands before going to the toilet! As do cooks in curry restaurants.

 

[WarPhalange]

Yeah, well the cooks have a damn good reason.

 

[Cyrus]

That there are more germs on the wet sinks, soap dispensers and towels than there are on your clean penis or the cold dry metal door handles.

ps. How do you tell an organic chemist? They wash their hands before going to the toilet! As do cooks in curry restaurants.

After I use the bathroom, I go to the sink and turn on the water with the tip of my finger. Then I use soap (most soap dispensers are IR) and wash my hands. BUT, I unroll the towells before I wash my hands. That way when I'm done washing my hands I don't have to pull the lever down that other people have touched with my clean hands. Then I dry my hands and use that towel to open the door if its a pull not push door. If there isn't a trash can near the door when I leave too bad, I hold the door open with food and shoot the balled up paper towel at the trash can like a basketball. If I make it cool, if not - not my problem.

 

[JasonRox]

It doesn't freak me out that bad. Although, I do open the door with my pinky finger to avoid touching a dirty door handle.

I wouldn't freak out about it though.

 

[JasonRox]

If I make it cool, if not - not my problem.

So you're the idiot throwing paper all over the floor!

 

[WarPhalange]

I use my elbow on the towel dispenser. The door is the trickiest part. Strong pinkies are a good thing to have.

 

[Cyrus]

So you're the idiot throwing paper all over the floor!

AHAHAHAh, guilty as charged!

Hey hey hey...I usually make it in!.....usually...

 

[JasonRox]

AHAHAHAh, guilty as charged!

Hey hey hey...I usually make it in!.....usually...

Definitely not if it's one those garbages built into the wall.

 

[Mk]

I really don't care. What's your problem? If people do not wash their hands, may he have them cut off? What if all they touched was the door handle? Be sensible and rational, not obsessive and compulsive.

 

[gravenewworld]

After I use the bathroom, I go to the sink and turn on the water with the tip of my finger. Then I use soap (most soap dispensers are IR) and wash my hands. BUT, I unroll the towells before I wash my hands. That way when I'm done washing my hands I don't have to pull the lever down that other people have touched with my clean hands. Then I dry my hands and use that towel to open the door if its a pull not push door. If there isn't a trash can near the door when I leave too bad, I hold the door open with food and shoot the balled up paper towel at the trash can like a basketball. If I make it cool, if not - not my problem.

Ha. I do the same exact thing. Take all the paper towels that you will need out before you start washing your hands. Wash hands. Turn off sink with clean paper towel. Dry off hands. Use paper towel to open door. Throw away if trash can is near. If no trash can close, shoot for it.

 

[Cyrus]

Definitely not if it's one those garbages built into the wall.

Ah, but the one bathroom like that on campus is a PUSH door. So I can kick it open with my foot! So I don't have to shoot the J.

 

[tribdog]

You all are cowards. I push the door open with the hand holding the sandwich. Set the sandwich on the back of the toilet while I pee and if a pickle falls on the floor I'll pick it up and throw it away, unless no one else is looking.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Germs are absolutely everywhere. There are probably far more germs in common areas outside the restroom (and outside your pants... I hope) than you can imagine. At my current job I use communal areas and restrooms all the time and only maybe will I get sick once a year, probably mainly due to stress and lack of sleep. Back when I worked in retail establishments, especially ones handling money, I would get sick maybe twice a year.

 

[redargon]

It's called building up your immune system. The more small amounts of germs you let be introduced to your system, the stronger your immune system becomes as it fights off the baddies. You're probably putting yourself at more risk of disease by keeping everything super clean. I'm with tribdog on this one

10 second rule:
If a piece of food falls on the floor, it is still edible for the next ten seconds
5 second rule:
The same as before, but applies for outside and personal bathroom floors
1 second rule:
The same as before, but applies for public area floors

I get sick for a couple of days about once a year.

 

[DaveC426913]

Ah, but the one bathroom like that on campus is a PUSH door.

This occurred to me too. If all bathrooms had doors that opened outward, we wouldn't have to run the gauntlet of the door handle.

You're probably putting yourself at more risk of disease by keeping everything super clean.

Certainly. Super clean is just as bad. There was a wave of antibacterial soap products. I avoid them.

 

[D H]

I'm not an organic chemist, but I wash my hands before going to the bathroom.

10 second rule:
If a piece of food falls on the floor, it is still edible for the next ten seconds

I have two large dogs that shed like crazy. If I drop a piece of food on the floor it is almost certain to the one dog hair dust bunny I did not sweep up. Dog hair doesn't bother the dogs; they apply their ten millisecond rule whether or not the food lands in a dust bunny. The dog ten millisecond rule: if I don't say stop within ten milliseconds after dropping some piece of food, it's theirs.

 

[NeoDevin]

This occurred to me too. If all bathrooms had doors that opened outward, we wouldn't have to run the gauntlet of the door handle.

I don't know why all public bathrooms aren't designed to be touchless. IR toilets, soap dispensers, and faucets, the paper towel dispensers that you just pull down on the towel (I hate the IR paper towel dispensers, they never give enough), and a doorless entry (where you go around a corner so no one can see in).

The only thing you need to touch in a washroom like this is the stall door, and there must be some way to fix that too, I just can't think of it.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Is this the right place to complain about people who pound the paper feed 5, 6 times and more to make sure that they waste the proper amount of paper after washing. All the while stressing the equipment in order to shorten its lifetime. Or should I start a new thread?

 

[Holocene]

I don't like the idea becasue then your washing your hands at the sink with both men and women and its not private to one sex only.

You need privacy to wash your hands?

 

[Cyrus]

You need privacy to wash your hands?

My skin is very sensitive. It need the proper lighting, moisture content in the air, water hardness, and soap chemistry.

...No, its the fact that the guys and girls are using the bathroom (proximity) that I don't like. If a guy farts loud in the bathroom its like, whatever. If you know its a girl in there that just did it and you thought she was good looking at the table over from you...that's kinda gross.

 

[Holocene]

...No, its the fact that the guys and girls are using the bathroom (proximity) that I don't like. If a guy farts loud in the bathroom its like, whatever. If you know its a girl in there that just did it and you thought she was good looking at the table over from you...that's kinda gross.

Hahahaha...

 

[ekrim]

I always wash my hands after numero dos, but often only fully wash my hands with soap after urinating when in public places.

Fact is, when us guys touch our penises with our hands, we're getting the penis dirty, not the hands. There are germs/bacteria on the penis, but not as much as on the hands, since we don't go around touching everything with our penises.

speak for yourself

 

[Math Is Hard]

speak for yourself

 

[bassplayer142]

humans have been around thousands of years before soap was invented. Maybe it is just tradition and not societies view on the subject.

 

[JasonRox]

My skin is very sensitive. It need the proper lighting, moisture content in the air, water hardness, and soap chemistry.

That blows.

I shave with a dull blade and just water.

My skin is very nice too. No weird elbow skin, no rashes, no red marks anywhere.

 

[tribdog]

That blows.

I shave with a dull blade and just water.

My skin is very nice too. No weird elbow skin, no rashes, no red marks anywhere.

This'll all change once you hit puberty.

 

[Cyrus]

That blows.

I shave with a dull blade and just water.

My skin is very nice too. No weird elbow skin, no rashes, no red marks anywhere.

...that was a joke, Jason. <smacks forehead>

 

[tribdog]

Seems like everyone kicks the doors open to these bathrooms. wouldn't that mean it is safer to use the handle?

 

[bassplayer142]

I don't remember what state it was but in one of them it is illegal to have a bathroom that opens to the inside. This obviously eliminated the need for grabbing anything when exiting. This is how every bathroom should be.

 

[mgb_phys]

It's generally a rule that all fire doors must open in the direction of the fire exit.
In california it's quite strict - you even have to have gates on stairwells to stop you going toward the basement.
It took a long time to get all our lab doors correct - but it doesn't seem to apply to toilets or office doors.

 

[LowlyPion]

... but it doesn't seem to apply to toilets or office doors.

Presumably there aren't crowds of people vying to exit from a bathroom stall ... unless maybe a US senator is about reaching for a dropped piece of paper.

 

[chroot]

Yeah but what about that bathroom entrance or stall door? What about the handle on the urinal? If you only wash with water, what about that faucet handle? Those are all breeding grounds for disease.

Breeding grounds for disease? Dirty, nasty penises? This is ridiculous. Have you ever met anyone -- ANYONE -- who has caught any serious disease from a faucet? Even one person? No, you haven't. Sure, common colds get spread by touch, but they get spread just as easily on handrails, doorknobs, computer keyboards, and other surfaces that people touch all the time without washing their hands.

The truth is, the reason we wash our hands after peeing is not because our penises are filthy and we're protecting other people against disease... far from it. The reason we wash our hands is because we westerners live in a society essentially founded on church laws, and churches have taught people to be ashamed of their bodies for thousands of years, particularly those naughty bits down below.

My advice? Find something more important to worry about, and stop wasting mental energy and outrage on things that do not measurably affect your health. The chap who pees and rinses his hands off without soap is certainly no more likely to give you an infection than the kid behind the counter at your local sandwich shop, or your friend's toddler who sits on your lap.

- Warren

 

[Moonbear]

BUT, I unroll the towells before I wash my hands. That way when I'm done washing my hands I don't have to pull the lever down that other people have touched with my clean hands.

Grrr...that's my pet peeve, people who pull the lever with DIRTY hands, leaving it dirty for the next person who uses it after cleaning their hands. If everyone just used it AFTER washing their hands, it would stay clean.

 

[Moonbear]

Breeding grounds for disease? Dirty, nasty penises? This is ridiculous. Have you ever met anyone -- ANYONE -- who has caught any serious disease from a faucet? Even one person? No, you haven't. Sure, common colds get spread by touch, but they get spread just as easily on handrails, doorknobs, computer keyboards, and other surfaces that people touch all the time without washing their hands.

The truth is, the reason we wash our hands after peeing is not because our penises are filthy and we're protecting other people against disease... far from it. The reason we wash our hands is because we westerners live in a society essentially founded on church laws, and churches have taught people to be ashamed of their bodies for thousands of years, particularly those naughty bits down below.

My advice? Find something more important to worry about, and stop wasting mental energy and outrage on things that do not measurably affect your health. The chap who pees and rinses his hands off without soap is certainly no more likely to give you an infection than the kid behind the counter at your local sandwich shop, or your friend's toddler who sits on your lap.

- Warren

I think I will opt not to shake your hand if I meet you...sounds like you might be trying to defend not washing hands.

Hand washing after using the restroom is intended to prevent diarrheal diseases. The defense, "have you ever known anyone to get a disease from a faucet," is ridiculous. How would you know that was the source unless you were testing it? I'll put a different question to you...have you ever known someone who had a bout of illness with diarrhea without knowing who they got it from (i.e., nobody else in the house or among their friends had it first)? Where do you think that comes from?

It takes all of 20 seconds to properly wash one's hands properly.

And, yep, men have less compliance than women, but neither sex washes their hands adequately...at least not in NZ. I suspect the results would be similar in the US.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...ez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

 

[Cyrus]

Grrr...that's my pet peeve, people who pull the lever with DIRTY hands, leaving it dirty for the next person who uses it after cleaning their hands. If everyone just used it AFTER washing their hands, it would stay clean.

NO! But then the lever is all wet from the guy who just washed his hands. I don't like that nasty water all over the lever ahhhhhh! <head explodes>