# If you fail to wash your hands after using the bathroom, you may as well take a crap **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 16, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093 "2003-01-16T23:24:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/41 "2003-01-17T20:55:17Z")
I always have a problem in the rest rooms in restaurants. There’s usually a sign that says, “Employees must wash hands.” But I can never find an employee to wash my hands. What am I to do?! ---
**Author:** ![sonicsink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@sonicsink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sonicsink)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/42 "2003-01-17T21:13:21Z")
Sorry but Im one of those people that dont wash my hands… A) because the bathroom is usually smelly and crowded and I want outta there and B) because I can use a bottle of hand sanitizer that I keep in my purse after I have wiped and after I have touched all the so called “infected” door knobs and handles. So next time you see someone not wash their hands,dont automatically think they are a pig…thanks ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/43 "2003-01-17T22:35:40Z")
You know, this is a great thread title. I can just imagine someone at a supermarket handing out free turd samples (you know, little brown dingleberries with toothpicks sticking out of them) with a cheery grin and the famous line ``Here! Take a crap!’’ He’d only offer them to those who were unable to master the delicate and subtle art of basic sanitation, as a reminder of what kind of coliform nightmare they were unleashing upon the rest of us poor poopers. But, of course, it wouldn’t remain pure. After all, shit sells. Eventually, the minor wits of the ad department would concoct catchphrases. Caca catchphrases. Very soon, you’d see little flags affixed to the turd toothpicks that read ``I went to the Lansing, MI, WalMart and all I got was this lousy piece of crap.’’ People eat that right up. Just you watch. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/44 "2003-01-18T05:29:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SaxFace \* > \*\*There’s a lady who works on the same floor as me (but not for the same company). She NEVER washes her hands after using the bathroom. We call her “the lady who doesn’t wash her hands”. I think she’s disgusting. It’s just the thought. > > NOTE: People DO notice. And care. \*\* * * * She must be related to my friend P’s boss, who absolutely never ever washes her hands after using the restroom. She will, however, stand there and watch others wash _their_ hands. This is why P. never eats anything her boss brings to the office that she made at home, 'cause who knows what’s going on there? She could be letting her dog lick her hands, for all we know. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/45 "2003-01-18T06:24:58Z")
mmm no rinse hand sanitizer. I know day to day people should use it sparingly to avoid creating super germs, but I love that stuff. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/46 "2003-01-18T06:30:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sonicsink \* > \*\*Sorry but Im one of those people that dont wash my hands… > A) because the bathroom is usually smelly and crowded and I want outta there and B) because I can use a bottle of hand sanitizer that I keep in my purse after I have wiped and after I have touched all the so called “infected” door knobs and handles. > So next time you see someone not wash their hands,dont automatically think they are a pig…thanks \*\* Talking on cell phone while taking loud juicy dump + not flushing + not washing hands = Pig. Pretty straightforward; also I don’t think that I can give you a pass with the hand sanitizer, unless you use it before you touch the doorknob. Otherwise I am still getting your particulate shit on my hands. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/47 "2003-01-18T06:43:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Binarydrone \* > **loud juicy dump** Now there’s “juicy” in a totally unexpected context. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/48 "2003-01-18T14:30:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\*I was taking care of business in the stall one day, and I could feel a particularly air-charged mass buildup that I knew was gonna make a lot of noise when I released it, so I was kind of waiting for someone to flush a toilet, or considering if I should do a courtesy flush myself to mask the noise, when I noticed this butthead in the next stall is talking on his cell phone. I just thought that was the weirdest thing, so I decided to have a little fun with the guy, and opened the bomb-bay doors, emitting an impressive cacophony. I then heard the guy in the next stall talking into his phone in an agitated voice “That _wasn’t_ me!”. Priceless. \*\* Would this be the story behind the name **blowero**? 😉 Really, though, thanks for the laugh–'twas better than a cup of coffee for getting the day started! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/49 "2003-01-18T15:00:47Z")
Whenever I think of men in bathrooms taking a dump, I can’t get the image of that “Hoo boy” out of my mind from a recent thread. In fact I can’t get the image of it out of my head anyway. It’s absolutely haunting me. ---
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/50 "2003-01-18T16:10:24Z")
> [@](#): > > B) because I can use a bottle of hand sanitizer that I keep in my purse after I have wiped and after I have touched all the so called “infected” door knobs and handles. > So next time you see someone not wash their hands,dont automatically think they are a pig…thanks And we all know that little bottles of hand sanitizer magically disintegrate the actual human waste which is on your hand. Yes. It is. ---
**Author:** ![Quonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ed655f/32.png) [@Quonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quonk)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/51 "2003-01-18T16:27:01Z")
> [@](#): > > And we all know that little bottles of hand sanitizer magically disintegrate the actual human waste which is on your hand. This is, incidentally, the reason I refuse to touch the doorknob. It has little to do with germs. I’ve gotten into a routine at the public bathroom I use most often. Pull out two paper towels, turn on water, use soap, rinse, dry hands with one towel, use other to turn off faucet, use towel to open stall door, use to open main door, push door out with foot, throw towel in trash just inside bathroom. I see people leaving all the time without washing their hands. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/52 "2003-01-18T16:38:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jack Batty \* > \*\*See … this cracks me up. Why don’t you just suit up in a full protective rubber suit with gloves and a respirator before entering the bathroom? > > \ > > People who freak out over germs to the extent that they refuse to touch anything within 50 feet of a bathroom are suffering from dibilitating neuroses, if you ask me. > \*\* Maybe, but a thrid of the staff where I work called in sick with the Norwalk virus a few weeks ago. And it was pretty brutal here in town. It was so bad here that they had to shut down a couple hospital ERs briefly. How to get Norwalk? From _ingesting the fecal matter of an infected person_. I wash my hands. I don’t jump through hoops to open doors with my elbow or carry around rubber gloves, but yes I wash my hands. Forget about bathroom doors for a sec – just think that cellphone pooper probably does the same in his office – imagine the festering cesspool of yuck that is his computer keyboard and mouse. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/53 "2003-01-18T17:08:00Z")
I wash my hands too. It’s habit. I also wipe the toilet seat before I cop a squat. Again, habit. Neurotic habit? Maybe a bit. But people are fooling themselves two ways. 1 - If they think the magic paper towel is protecting them form those big evil germs, they’re nuts. Just being in a bathroom exposes you to germs. And you know what? Being exposed to germs isn’t all that bad, because … 2 - If you think a bathroom is the only place you’re exposed to germs, you’re equally (if not more) nuts. What’s next? Miachael Jackson-ism? Gloves and surgical masks everytime you leave the house? If you take the elbows and napkins precautions in restrooms, but no where else, you’re doing nothing for yourself. If you live on planet earth, you will be exposed to germs and bacteria. I give you that gnawing on turd sandwich ups your chance for disease, but there’s just no avoiding germs. Sorry to break the bad news. ---
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/54 "2003-01-18T17:17:30Z")
That the rest of the world is germ-free is not a claim that has been made here, nor that you can purge all germs from your person simply by using soap and paper towels. But why not try to keep as much of the germs, feces, urine, and various other excrement off of your hands and communal surfaces as is practically possible? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/55 "2003-01-18T17:22:36Z")
Because it’s a fight fought in vain. ---
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/56 "2003-01-18T17:36:48Z")
I see. Well, I can’t provide any data on the efficacy of handwashing. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/57 "2003-01-18T17:42:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jack Batty \* > \*\*I wash my hands too. \*\* I’m just not fooling myself. Pretending to be a surgeon (walking around a restroom with your elbows down and hands up, palms facing in) is not saving anyone from anything. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/58 "2003-01-18T17:54:04Z")
What’s almost as bad as people who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom are the people who ‘pseudo-wash’ their hands, you know, running them under water for a total of one and a half seconds, then shaking them off and leaving. Of course, partially to blame for the shake-and-leave are the public places that supply only air dryers, not paper towels. I hate those damn air dryers! As a preventative to keep my kids from being the two-second rinse types, I taught them, when they were very small, to sing “twinkle, twinkle little star” while they were washing their hands to be sure they were washing for long enough. BTW, this is the funniest thread I’ve read in a long time. Has someone nominated it for Threadspotting? ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/59 "2003-01-18T20:05:40Z")
I live in a dorm, and there are signs in each stall and also on the door when you go to leave the community bathroom that request that you flush the toilet. My first thought is, “why do people need to be reminded twice or even at all to flush the toilet?” Even worse are the signs that remind (in a more polite manner than is about to be stated) that peeing on the seat and then leaving it there is gross. I just don’t understand what motivates a person to pee on the seat and then not clean it up or just not flush the toilet at all. It’s understandable to leave the room without washing your hands, if only for the fact that there are sinks in each of the dorm rooms, but in a public restroom where the only sinks are in the restrooms, it’s disgusting to leave the bathroom without at least rinsing off your hands… but please use the soap; it’s there for a reason. Also, the reason people wash their hands after peeing isn’t because of the urine; the pubic area is full of germs that are transmitted through contact. This area includes the inner thighs and the lower stomach areas as well. (Hint: toilet paper is not as secure a germ barrier as you think it is. There’s no point in using half a roll to prevent “germ warfare” because all you’re doing is helping to clog the toilet.) ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093/60 "2003-01-18T20:34:55Z")
anybody remeber that classic “SEINFELD” episode when Jerry meets the pizza chef in the men’s room? The guy goes to the toilet, then comes out and combs his hair, without ever washing his hands! The he tells Jerry that he’s going to make him the best pizza he’ll ever have! The look on Jerry’s face is a classic-at that point I would have left the place and never come back! DISGUSTING! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-fail-to-wash-your-hands-after-using-the-bathroom-you-may-as-well-take-a-crap/149093.md?page=4)