# Do you wash your hands before dining at restaurants? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 29, 2020, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186 "2020-01-29T20:25:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/41 "2020-01-30T14:50:21Z")
I wash my hands right after I order and before the food comes the majority of the time. I might skip washing if I’m in a real rush and I have a fast food meal or if I just washed my hands a few minutes ago and haven’t really touched very much since. Sometimes, I’ll use Purell but I’m not obsessive about carrying it. I might improvise a cleaning method like using a disposable napkin and my drinking water. If I can smell anything on my hands other than soap, I don’t really enjoy eating with them. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/42 "2020-01-30T15:06:11Z")
I think some of you are in denial about being germaphobes. And my handwashing practices would appall many of you. Full honesty, at the risk of getting ostracized – - I never wash my hands at home unless they’re visibly dirty or I’m about to cook. This includes before meals, after meals, after using the restroom, including #2, unless I notice something got on them. - In public I’ll wash my hands in the restroom after using it, but I only tend to use soap for #2s – I tend to do the “wet your fingers to put on a little show then wipe them on your pants” move. Obviously I’m not anti-hand washing, it’s been a boon to public health and all that, but I tend to think that’s mostly in the realm of people who handle fecal matter (e.g., babies and toddlers) and people who handle raw food, especially meats. My understanding of the science is that doorknobs and other things we touch in public aren’t really the great disease carriers people think they are. As far as the poll goes, it would never occur to me to get up and go wash my hands, even if I plan on ordering a burger and fries or something. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/43 "2020-01-30T15:28:45Z")
My first thought was “of course” but that isn’t totally true. If I’ve gone directly from home to the restaurant, I might not (unless I have a pre-meal cocktail which will inevitably make me have to pee / wash my hands). If I’ve been out and about and then stop for something to eat, absolutely. To me it’s not a fear of germs, per se; I’m not worried about catching anything. It’s more a psychological, gross out thing. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/44 "2020-01-30T15:32:03Z")
I don’t wash my hands for fast food, but I do if there’s a menu involved. Think of all the grubby hands that have pawed that menu, and where those hands have been. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/45 "2020-01-30T15:50:49Z")
Admittedly, no. Just not something I’m ever terribly concerned about. Neither does anyone I typically dine with. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/46 "2020-01-30T15:51:25Z")
**Do you wash your hands before dining at restaurants?** Not once in my lifetime. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/47 "2020-01-30T15:55:14Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > I think some of you are in denial about being germaphobes. And my handwashing practices would appall many of you. Full honesty, at the risk of getting ostracized – > > - I never wash my hands at home unless they’re visibly dirty or I’m about to cook. This includes before meals, after meals, after using the restroom, including #2, unless I notice something got on them. > - In public I’ll wash my hands in the restroom after using it, but I only tend to use soap for #2s – I tend to do the “wet your fingers to put on a little show then wipe them on your pants” move. > > Obviously I’m not anti-hand washing, it’s been a boon to public health and all that, but I tend to think that’s mostly in the realm of people who handle fecal matter (e.g., babies and toddlers) and people who handle raw food, especially meats. My understanding of the science is that doorknobs and other things we touch in public aren’t really the great disease carriers people think they are. > > As far as the poll goes, it would never occur to me to get up and go wash my hands, even if I plan on ordering a burger and fries or something. Hey, can I join you in being ostracized? I do \*typically \*wash my hands in public restrooms, but every single time I do my hands dry out and I have to apply lotion, which gets irritating when I’m on the go and don’t have lotion on me. Just in case I state my former job elsewhere and people get the wrong idea, I did used to work food service at a hospital, and I DID wash my hands very frequently while working there. Obviously food service is a different beast, especially when at a hospital. I virtually never wash my hands at home though, unless they are visibly dirty. FTR, I’m also generally a very physically healthy person. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/48 "2020-01-30T16:23:35Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > My understanding of the science is that doorknobs and other things we touch in public aren’t really the great disease carriers people think they are. That depends on the particular contagion involved: > **[404](https://www.michigan.gov/som/404)** > [@Michigan Department of Community Health](#): > > **How is norovirus spread?** > Noroviruses are very contagious and spread easily from person to person. The virus is found in the stool and vomit of infected people. People can become infected in several ways, including eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated by infected food handlers, touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus and then touching their mouth before hand washing, or having direct contact with another person who is infected and then touching their mouth before hand washing. [https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html](https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html) > [@CDC](#): > > Viruses that cause colds can spread from infected people to others through the air and close personal contact. You can also get infected through contact with stool (poop) or respiratory secretions from an infected person. This can happen when you shake hands with someone who has a cold, or touch a surface, like a doorknob, that has respiratory viruses on it, then touch your eyes, mouth, or nose. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/49 "2020-01-30T16:36:31Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > That depends on the particular contagion involved: > > [SOM - 404 - Page Not Found](https://www.michigan.gov/documents/emergingdiseases/General_Noro_Fact_Sheet_173589_7.pdf) > [https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html](https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html) I will stipulate that it’s _possible_ for contagions to be transmitted by doorknobs and other objects that we touch in public, but that doesn’t really address the _likelihood_. That is, if we have two populations, one that militantly avoids doorknobs and one that prefers to live in blissful ignorance, is there a statistically significant increase in infections in the latter population? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/50 "2020-01-30T17:15:06Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > I will stipulate that it’s _possible_ for contagions to be transmitted by doorknobs and other objects that we touch in public, but that doesn’t really address the _likelihood_. That is, if we have two populations, one that militantly avoids doorknobs and one that prefers to live in blissful ignorance, is there a statistically significant increase in infections in the latter population? Given that they bother mentioning it - and that the CDC (on that same page I just linked to) bothers recommending to cold sufferers that they “disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects, such as toys and doorknobs”, it seems likely that such objects are meaningful disease vectors. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/51 "2020-01-30T20:27:58Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > No. But if I want to wash my hands in a restaurant for some reason, I’ll take ice out of the water glass and rub my hands with that. Whatever’s left of the melting cube gets dumped on the bread plate or coffee saucer. I do that; always thought it was just me. Mainly I’ll do it if I’m eating something like wings but I find ice better at cutting oils than most things. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/52 "2020-01-30T21:56:54Z")
I wash my hands before I touch a patient, after I touch them, after using the bathroom, and whenever I think they need it. This does not mean I automatically wash them before eating, however. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/53 "2020-01-30T22:16:31Z")
I wash my hands after using the bathroom or engaging in any activity that dirties them. I don’t consider that merely touching a door handle taints me. So I have no reason to wash my hands before eating, in the unlikely event that I handle the food directly at all. (I eat fries with a fork, for example.) If I do end up touching food with my hands I usually end up washing them afterwards, because most foods are greasy or slimy or otherwise leave the feeling of having touched them on my hands. Because seriously, I really am a compulsive hand-washer - except for when my hands aren’t dirty. > [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > No. But if I want to wash my hands in a restaurant for some reason, I’ll take ice out of the water glass and rub my hands with that. Whatever’s left of the melting cube gets dumped on the bread plate or coffee saucer. I always get a straw, and will use it as a pipette to lift and drop some water on my palm. This is sometimes enough to get crumbs and such off my hands and return them to a satisfactory state - but as often as not I end up getting up and heading to the bathroom with my hands held palm up like a surgeon. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/54 "2020-01-30T22:21:34Z")
No, but I’m very conscious of it. I’m usually eating somewhere where touching my food directly isn’t necessary. I will sometimes expertly pull out my chair with my foot before sitting if I know I can get away with it without it being obvious. I eat out a lot in NYC and doing so isn’t an option in many smaller places. Restrooms are only required in restaurants that opened after 1977 and have seating for 20 or more. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2020, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/55 "2020-01-31T11:39:11Z")
I met my gf at Mad Mex last night for beer, guacamole, and fish tacos. I did not wash my hands and neither did my gf, prior to eating. . I observed tables near us and the only diners I saw go to the restroom were people who had completed their meals. I told my gf about this thread and she was kind of shocked/surprised. The menus were pretty grungy. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2020, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/56 "2020-01-31T12:44:36Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I met my gf at Mad Mex last night for beer, guacamole, and fish tacos. I did not wash my hands and neither did my gf, prior to eating. . I observed tables near us and the only diners I saw go to the restroom were people who had completed their meals. > > I told my gf about this thread and she was kind of shocked/surprised. The menus were pretty grungy. What was it about this thread that surprised her? That some people wash their hands before eating at restaurants? I’m trying to reconcile your lack of handwashing with your note that the menus were pretty grungy. Did you not notice the condition of the menus until thinking about it this morning? Or did you notice it while handling the menu and just think “eh, whatever”? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/57 "2020-01-31T13:03:24Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > What was it about this thread that surprised her? That some people wash their hands before eating at restaurants? Speaking for myself, I’m a little surprised at the poll results. Because the results don’t track with my experiences. I’ve never done it, nor has anybody I’ve ever dined with has done it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2020, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/58 "2020-01-31T13:19:38Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > What was it about this thread that surprised her? That some people wash their hands before eating at restaurants? > > I’m trying to reconcile your lack of handwashing with your note that the menus were pretty grungy. Did you not notice the condition of the menus until thinking about it this morning? Or did you notice it while handling the menu and just think “eh, whatever”? She was surprised that hand washing before eating at a restaurant was a thing. She’d never thought about it, nor had I prior to this thread. Others in this thread mentioned menus, and so I noticed how grungy they were, with dried salsa and such. Still, I did not feel the need to was my hands, even though much of the meal was handheld food (nachos, tacos). ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/59 "2020-01-31T13:47:40Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Speaking for myself, I’m a little surprised at the poll results. Because the results don’t track with my experiences. I’ve never done it, nor has anybody I’ve ever dined with has done it. FWIW, I agree with you. It’s only in the past 5-10 years that I’ve gotten in the habit of washing my hands at restaurants; for most of my life I haven’t done so, and like you I hardly ever see anyone else doing it. It points to the unreliability of internet polls, in that respondents tend to be people who are interested (as opposed to random people who are put on the spot by a pollster and feel more compelled to answer). Still, they spur discussion and so may have some value, even if their quantitative results are suspicious. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2020, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186/60 "2020-01-31T14:22:12Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > …- I never wash my hands at home unless they’re visibly dirty or I’m about to cook. This includes before meals, after meals, after using the restroom, including #2, unless I notice something got on them. > > - In public I’ll wash my hands in the restroom after using it, but I only tend to use soap for #2s – I tend to do the “wet your fingers to put on a little show then wipe them on your pants” move… You do realize that you are washing your hands for other people, not for you, right? I think the risk of catching something from yourself is completely negligible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wash-your-hands-before-dining-at-restaurants/847186.md?page=4)