# Poll for Male Dopers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 28, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528 "2006-02-28T21:57:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/1 "2006-02-28T21:57:11Z")
When you “take a leak” in a public restroom do you _usually_ wash your hands before you go, after you go, or never? For extra credit: If you wash your hands before you go is there some reason why you do this? I’ve noticed that some guys do this but I can’t for the life of me think of why you would. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/2 "2006-02-28T21:59:10Z")
Allways after. If I’m at a movie theater beforehand as well; I don’t want popcorn grease on my willie. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/3 "2006-02-28T22:10:07Z")
Always after in a public restroom. If I’ve been bowling or doing anything else where my hands are unusually grubby, I’ll wash before as well. Hopefully that’ll take care of your extra credit, too. Do I get a gold sticker? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/4 "2006-02-28T22:12:15Z")
If it’s a routine visit during the workday (in my office setting), just after. If I’ve been drilling for oil (no, that’s not a euphemism for anything), shoveling dirt, or spent the day handling various things in the city before my bathroom visit, I wash before as well. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/5 "2006-02-28T22:13:08Z")
I wash my hands before going for one of two reasons: 1. I’m stalling until a urinal opens up. Washing my hands is a way of killing time and not looking like I’m lurking at somebody’s shoulder. 2. I’ve just eaten something and I don’t want to get sticky stuff on Mr. Happy. He has enough problems without being covered in barbeque sauce. -B ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/6 "2006-02-28T22:13:36Z")
And if I had previewed, I wouldn’t have made my post sound so much like **Asimovian** ’s. Great minds, and all that. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/7 "2006-02-28T22:15:24Z")
> [@McNew](#): > > Great minds, and all that. Tinkle like? Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/8 "2006-02-28T22:16:26Z")
> [@Belrix](#): > > I wash my hands before going for one of two reasons: > > 1. I’m stalling until a urinal opens up. Washing my hands is a way of killing time and not looking like I’m lurking at somebody’s shoulder. > > 2. I’ve just eaten something and I don’t want to get sticky stuff on Mr. Happy. He has enough problems without being covered in barbeque sauce. > > -B I wash them after, too. Just to be clear that I’m not icky-strange or anything. I do have an allergy to a lot of commercial soaps so I rarely use soap, though. (If I do use soap, I have to rinse like crazy to make sure it all goes away). ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/9 "2006-02-28T22:24:47Z")
I carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer on my person only because my college campus was designed by a graduate of the School of Making Bathroom Cleaning Apparati Impossible and Frustrating. He appears to have majored in Making Students Press The Handle Eight Times to Get One Hand’s Worth of Water Out of the Fucking Faucet, with a double-minor in Not Offering Any God Damned Paper Towels and in Running Cold Air Through the Hand Dryer So It Takes All Semester to Dry your Freakin’ Hands. Anyway, the whole system is nerve-racking, and I try to avoid it by using hand sanitizer instead. I wash my hands after using the bathroom at home but if I wake up at night just to take a leak I don’t wash my hands because the hand-washing process seems to wake me up just enough so that I can’t get back to sleep. I wash before touching my or anybody else’s private parts if I ate spicy food since the last time I washed. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/10 "2006-02-28T22:32:13Z")
Same as most guys, always after, and before if necessary. Always, if I’ve been eating baby back ribs. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/11 "2006-02-28T22:32:26Z")
After, always. If I’ve been chopping peppers, before, too. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/12 "2006-02-28T22:34:45Z")
Never, if it’s just urination. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/13 "2006-02-28T22:36:57Z")
Ditto sometimes before, always after. I know where that thing has been, ya know? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/14 "2006-02-28T22:38:20Z")
> [@Tevildo](#): > > Never, if it’s just urination. Buddy, urine the wrong place. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/15 "2006-02-28T22:49:50Z")
Always after, and soemtimes before, like if I’ve been eating wings. Don’t want any of THAT getting on Mr. Happy. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/16 "2006-02-28T23:19:04Z")
After, unless I’ve got glue or oil or something nasty on my hands, then both. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/17 "2006-02-28T23:28:57Z")
During. :eek: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/18 "2006-02-28T23:39:31Z")
If you’ve just had wings, don’t stand in the restroom sucking your fingers clean. That would just look gross. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/19 "2006-02-28T23:41:07Z")
if i pee on my hands, then i wash them. if i feel that my hands haven’t been washed in a while, i may do it. a vast majority of the time, i don’t wash em. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528/20 "2006-03-01T01:05:15Z")
After. Besides, during the day I’ve washed my hands or used an alcohol foam countless times. No, not OCD. I work in a hospital. Patient safety, dontcha know. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-male-dopers/346528.md?page=2)