# How many of you don't drink canned drinks b/c of the exposed lip w/ possible germs? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 12, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302 "2005-09-12T19:31:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/21 "2005-09-12T22:22:49Z")
I only drink soda from a can (I only drink beer from bottles). I do wipe the opening area before I open it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/22 "2005-09-12T22:39:53Z")
The thought of dirty can lids doesn’t bother me at all. I can’t imagine the soda can deliveryman actually fondles the lip of the can. It seems that one would have to go out of their way to do that. To me, I would think that germophobes ought to be more concerned about touching the can, itself, since that’s the part that the dirty, dirty deliveryman would certainly touch upon loading it into the vending machine, or whathaveyou. I will wipe the lip with my shirt or a napkin if there’s some obvious crud on it, however. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/23 "2005-09-12T22:59:47Z")
I always rinse off the can with water before I drink. I also hate people drinking out of my glass, can, or bottle. It sorta creeps me out. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/24 "2005-09-13T00:31:35Z")
Yeah, I don’t bother trying to clean it off. What would I use, my shirt? I’m not going to go find soap and water to wash off my can of Coke at lunch, and I don’t carry alcohol wipes to disinfect stuff, because that would be a bit extreme. If the mouse pee hasn’t killed me yet, I don’t think it’s going to. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/25 "2005-09-13T00:40:38Z")
Meh, doesn’t bother me either unless there is visible signs of yuckiness on the can. I’ve lived this long, and figure I’ve got bigger things to worry about than whether the can has been cleansed. Really, what food or drink is perfectly clean? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/26 "2005-09-13T00:48:27Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Germs don’t scare me (unless you’re talking about hospital germs. Now THOSE scare me). I’ll rinse off a can if it has obvious funk on it, but other than that, it’s bottom’s up! When you say “hospital germs”, are you speaking of Staph or Methicillin Resistant Staph (MRSA)? Because, baby, those germs ain’t just for hospitals anymore! They are routinely found in everyday life, infecting people that haven’t gone near a hospital. I’m somewhat of a germaphobe with my hands (don’t be hatin’!) but it doesn’t bother me to put my lips on an unwashed can. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/27 "2005-09-13T12:09:22Z")
Wow, never even occurred to me that people would be bothered by this. Does it bother you that you have to breathe other peoples’ air all the time, too? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/28 "2005-09-13T13:04:44Z")
[sub]**How many of you don’t drink canned drinks b/c of the exposed lip w/ possible germs?[/sub]** How weird would that be? How weird to even think about such a thing? Bottoms up! _burp_ ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/29 "2005-09-13T15:44:52Z")
> [@Yeticus Rex](#): > > Let’s just say that I’ve seen rats nest in between stacked pallets of soda and beer at a Price Club (now Costco) years ago, and the rats had no problem using their nest as a bathroom. > > \ Aren’t pallets full of cans still covered in that tough plastic film though? \ ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/30 "2005-09-13T16:36:41Z")
> [@Staggerlee](#): > > Aren’t pallets full of cans still covered in that tough plastic film though? > > \ Not the pallets I saw…but we’re talking about things I saw back in the late 80s and early 90s. Most pallets that we received had shrink wrap on the sides only to keep the 100 cases (10 layers of 10 cases) together…the cases only had a half can high cardboard tray that was your typical 6 can x 4 can size. There were no top covers for any case, nor was there any shrink wrap for the top. Things might have changed though, but to save money on materials…I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/31 "2005-09-13T16:42:22Z")
I don’t wipe off the cans unless the gunk is obvious. I do not like to share my drinks with anyone, for fear of backwash from them. I really don’t want to drink bits of what someone else just ate. ::shudders:: ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/32 "2005-09-13T16:46:04Z")
Let me also add that since I saw what animals could do to open-faced cases, I would only grab cases that resided in the middle of the pallet, otherwise I would try my best to wipe the top on cans with unknown origin. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/33 "2005-09-13T18:30:40Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Yeah, I don’t bother trying to clean it off. What would I use, my shirt? I’m not going to go find soap and water to wash off my can of Coke at lunch, and I don’t carry alcohol wipes to disinfect stuff, because that would be a bit extreme. > > If the mouse pee hasn’t killed me yet, I don’t think it’s going to. =) diabetic, I always have the little alcohol swabs around, in my purse, in the car, aroudn the house, tucked into my luggage, heck - i have one as a bookmark in the book i am reading right now=) not anal about it, but i usually do a quick swab of the tops of cans. I have spent enough time being sick in my life that I dont really care to risk it - though if i dont have a swab i will use the tail of my shirt, or even a quick rinse under a tap=) ---
**Author:** ![Sarah\_Woodruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sarah\_Woodruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarah_Woodruff)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/34 "2005-09-14T00:20:49Z")
This sort of thing had never occurred to me…but now it’s something that will keep me awake at night. Thanks! I just don’t drink canned drinks because I freaking hate fizzy drinks. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/35 "2005-09-14T00:40:48Z")
I don’t drink canned pop in the can because the carbonation is a lot more intense when it’s in a can vs. when it’s in a glass. In a glass it has more of a chance to settle. The few times I do pour pop from a can into a glass, I don’t wipe the top. I always buy two-liters, which I’m sure are just as “filthy” since the delivery man holds it around the neck or something. I don’t share drinks with people, though. Backwash, ew. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/36 "2005-09-14T01:07:45Z")
I’m from Russia. I scare germs. (Ok, I sometimes use my shirt to wipe any obvious dirt from the lid.) ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/37 "2005-09-14T01:29:51Z")
> [@cornflakes](#): > > I’m from Russia… So…soda drinks you? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/38 "2005-09-14T01:35:15Z")
Nope, no problem here. I’m not worried that most germs will survive that huge long trip, and the ones that do are going to be really tough. If Cecil says you can’t catch anything from a toilet seat used in the proper manner, I doubt you can catch anything from a soda can if you have a decent immune system. I also have no problem sharing drinks with people I know…my friends are polite enough not to do so when they’re sick, and when they’re healthy I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302/39 "2005-09-14T03:12:10Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Nope, no problem here. I’m not worried that most germs will survive that huge long trip, and the ones that do are going to be really tough. If Cecil says you can’t catch anything from a toilet seat used in the proper manner, I doubt you can catch anything from a soda can if you have a decent immune system. > > I also have no problem sharing drinks with people I know…my friends are polite enough not to do so when they’re sick, and when they’re healthy I don’t care. Me neither. Unless someone is obviously sick, I don’t worry. But come to think of it, I never bothered with aluminum cans until after I’d lived in Colombia, where the most popular beer on the Caribbean coast is in bottles that obviously have been reused–you can see rust on the rim. So everyone uses their shirt or something to remove the rust. Out of habit–now that I think about it–I do something similar with cans from vending machines. But I’ve had housemates who freak out about possible germs. I just wash my hands when I come home, and I haven’t even had a cold or flu in the last five or six years. Those antibiotic soaps are silly. **Anaamika** refers (I think) to Cecil’s article which notes that the typical kitchen has a lot more bacteria than the typical bathroom, so I make sure the kitchen is really clean. Even so, that would involve food poisoning rather than a virus from another person, wouldn’t it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-you-dont-drink-canned-drinks-b-c-of-the-exposed-lip-w-possible-germs/321302.md?page=1)