My mother was a big believer in exercising her immune system. She grew up without the hand washing habit and has always been healthier than a horse. I’ve tried to dissuade her of this notion over the years, only accomplishing my goal when I presented it to her as a way of helping other people (like the elderly or those predisposed to illness). Worked like a charm, but only took fifty years.
[quote=“RTFirefly, post:39, topic:618063”]
It boggles my mind, too, but I’d say don’t just think of the refill you just did as a one-off: keep refills around, check up on it however often it takes to make sure the soap doesn’t run out, and refill it yourself when it gets low.]
Not to scare anyone, but I read an article about how “topping off” soap before it’s empty can encourage bacterial growth in your soap (who knew??)…but I guess compared to the alternative of having no soap for a while, topping it off would be better?
Just build up your immune system by licking the toilet seat after he’s done, and you won’t have to worry about poopy-hand germs anymore. You’ll be immunologically acclimatized.
(I made that term up, and I’m rather proud of myself)
Also, how long are we going to be re-resurrecting this particular zombie?
He doesn’t wash his hands, even after going number 2??? What the hell??? Was he raised by wolves? What a dumbass!
Totally agree. No matter how you bring it up, politely, “wash your hands, you jerk,” or passive-aggressively, the likely outcome is that it’ll just set up tension and a battle of wills. Your best bet it to make sure things you use are cleaned/sanitized before you use them if your goal is to avoid disease and ick. Since you can’t guarantee that he’ll comply with your wishes just by being told.
ha ha, the ad in here is for Tide.
I was in this situation with my old roommate. We were friends, so I had no problem saying, “Wash your damn hands, nasty!” in a joking manner, to which he would reply, “Sorry, Mom!” However, I KNEW he only did it when I was around, so every few days I would wipe down all communal surfaces (microwave door handle, fridge door handle, doorknob) with Lysol. I think it was here, in fact, that I once read that it’s not so much that you absolutely must wash your hands after using the bathroom, but that periodic handwashing is a good idea and the bathroom is where the sinks are. He never washed his hands if he could get away with it- the only washing they got were in the shower, I’m sure, unless I asked him to. I don’t want his butt germs all over my Tupperware. It’s gross. And yes, I did get sick more often when living with him.
I wash my hands BEFORE I use the bathroom. My penis is clean.
I have a roommate who never washes his hands. Also, when he takes an Advil he pours half the bottle into his hands and then puts the tablets all back in bottle. I just never use the Advil in the common area any longer, and I wash every utensil, plate, saucepan, etc. before I use them, or if I don’t have much time, I use paper plates and plastic utensils. In addition to Advil, I also keep my own Nutella, peanut butter, and a few other things in my room. It’s inconvenient, but you can’t force an adult to change his lifelong habits. I know the chance that he is going to give me Norwalk virus or a pathological strain of E. coli is very low, but it’s not nonexistent. Nobody’s perfect, and this roommate doesn’t play loud music or change the thermostat to an unreasonable temperature.
If your roommate doesn’t wash his hands at work, either, then I’m sure his colleagues have noticed and talked about it–“Try not to shake X’s hand. He doesn’t wash after going to the bathroom.”
Thank you!
Your toothbrush probably has more bacteria on it than his hands after using the loo.
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Most people are irrationally germophobic.
Lighten up.