# Protecting ourselves from germs on public restroom door handles **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2007, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592 "2007-07-20T22:07:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/21 "2007-07-21T15:16:08Z")
[Achievements in Public Health, 1900–1999: Healthier Mothers and Babies](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4838a2.htm), _Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report_, Oct. 1, 1999, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/22 "2007-07-21T15:23:39Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] [Achievements in Public Health, 1900–1999: Healthier Mothers and Babies](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4838a2.htm), _Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report_, Oct. 1, 1999, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [/QUOTE] What does this have to do with the bathroom doorknob? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/23 "2007-07-21T15:29:42Z")
[QUOTE=C3] What does this have to do with the bathroom doorknob? [/QUOTE] :eek: One shudders to think… ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/24 "2007-07-21T15:31:49Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] I’m much less afraid of the door handle than the toilet handle. People touch those right after god-knows-what, and they’re probably never cleaned. [/QUOTE] Er, yeah, but you wash your hands after flushing the toilet, right? What harm could it possibly do you. In my experience, the sort of people that use paper towels to open bathroom doors are the sort of people that carry antibacterial wipes around with them, constantly spray chemicals all round their houses to guard against any possible _bacteria_, carry a bottle of water with them at all times in case they get dehydrated after being without a drink for 20 minutes, etc etc. In short, the sort of sickly people that would do better to build up their immune systems a little. Colophon (never used a towel to open a bathroom door, only one day off work sick in past three years) ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/25 "2007-07-21T15:38:48Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] [Achievements in Public Health, 1900–1999: Healthier Mothers and Babies](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4838a2.htm), _Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report_, Oct. 1, 1999, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [/QUOTE] **Picunurse** wanted a cite for the decreased rate of maternal mortality. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/26 "2007-07-21T15:46:46Z")
[QUOTE=Zoggie] **Picunurse** wanted a cite for the decreased rate of maternal mortality. [/QUOTE] Well, it says it right in there: > [@CDC](#): > > …and from 1900 through 1997, the maternal mortality rate declined almost 99% to less than 0.1 reported death per 1000 live births… They say maternal deaths used to be higher due to poor obstetric practices and poorly trained or untrained people attending births. I’m still not sure how this could possibly relate to using a paper towel to open up the bathroom door. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/27 "2007-07-21T16:33:14Z")
[QUOTE=C3] What does this have to do with the bathroom doorknob? [/QUOTE] **Picunurse** asked for a cite, **Walloon** furnished it. ( **Zoggie** beat me to it!) ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/28 "2007-07-21T16:41:10Z")
[QUOTE=Jake] **Picunurse** asked for a cite, **Walloon** furnished it. ( **Zoggie** beat me to it!) [/QUOTE] Huh. I saw this as… Walloon put a statistic out there. Picunurse asked for a cite. Walloon provided it. Zoggie said, “Give us a cite!” I said, “She did, but it’s still completely irrelevant to the topic.” Am I reading this wrong? ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/29 "2007-07-21T16:53:54Z")
Can anyone site why people are taught to wash their hands after using the bathroom at all. Is there any statistic proving there is a benefit from doing so. I think if there is it would be a logical progression to take a step to account for other people who do not wash their hands. I wash my hands after using the bathroom. If there is a trash can on the way out I will use the paper towel to open the door. By no means a requirement for me. The simplest and most innovative way I’ve seen to help germophobes in their routine was at a trade center the bathrooms had a little metal thing on the base of the door you could hook with your toe to open the door. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/30 "2007-07-21T19:38:49Z")
[QUOTE=boytyperanma] Can anyone site why people are taught to wash their hands after using the bathroom at all. Is there any statistic proving there is a benefit from doing so. I think if there is it would be a logical progression to take a step to account for other people who do not wash their hands. [/QUOTE] [Cecil already addressed this topic](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_220.html) [Twice…](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_279.html) ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/31 "2007-07-21T20:09:23Z")
I knew there was an straight answer somewhere.. [QUOTE=Cecil] Despite what some believe, however, doorknobs and handles in public restrooms are relatively clean. [/quote] [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990416.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990416.html) ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/32 "2007-07-21T21:05:40Z")
[QUOTE=C3] Huh. I saw this as… Walloon put a statistic out there. Picunurse asked for a cite. Walloon provided it. Zoggie said, “Give us a cite!” I said, “She did, but it’s still completely irrelevant to the topic.” Am I reading this wrong? [/QUOTE] Just a smidge…What I was pointing out was that **Walloon** was giving a cite (I wasn’t asking for a citation). ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/33 "2007-07-21T21:58:57Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] I think the OP is asking whether there’s any sound basis for this (apparently somewhat common) policy. When you consider the state of public sanitation for the first 200,000 years or so of human existence (i.e. until about 100 years ago) the answer would seem to be that an extreme concern with asepsis is not vital for survival. [/QUOTE] Gah. So you’ve never heard of typhoid or cholera epidemics? You know why? Because people stopped crapping in the drinking water and started washing their hands on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/34 "2007-07-21T23:03:47Z")
[QUOTE=Finagle] Gah. So you’ve never heard of typhoid or cholera epidemics? You know why? Because people stopped crapping in the drinking water and started washing their hands on a regular basis. [/QUOTE] Seems to me that the first factor is slightly more important than the second… Of course, germophobes irritate the hell out of me, so just ignore me. It’s a pet peeve. Oh, and for the record, my degree is in microbiology. ---
**Author:** ![stwidgie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@stwidgie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stwidgie)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2007, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/35 "2007-07-22T03:11:18Z")
[QUOTE=groman] [Cecil already addressed this topic](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_220.html) [Twice…](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_279.html) [/QUOTE] Thanks, Groman. That’s more what I was looking for. I did not find those articles in my searches. I’d still like to know about relevant research that I could refer to. The \Korean study of shopping cart handles and other public surfaces\ is the closest thing so far. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2007, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/36 "2007-07-22T03:40:15Z")
[QUOTE=Finagle] you’ve never heard of typhoid or cholera epidemics? You know why? Because people stopped crapping in the drinking water and started washing their hands on a regular basis. [/QUOTE] Not crapping in the drinking water is pretty obviously a Good Idea. Washing hands certainly isn’t a bad idea, but its essential importance in the prevention of typhoid and/or cholera is perhaps a bit less obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2007, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/37 "2007-07-22T03:44:43Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] Not crapping in the drinking water is pretty obviously a Good Idea. Washing hands certainly isn’t a bad idea, but its essential importance in the prevention of typhoid and/or cholera is perhaps a bit less obvious. [/QUOTE] Check out Typhoid Mary. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/38 "2007-07-22T04:07:49Z")
I wash my hands after I take a shit, and after I handle chemicals. That’s just about it. I never get sick. Friends of mine who obsess about sanitizing wipes, and not touching doorknobs, and not using other people’s keyboards, and all that, are sick constantly. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2007, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/39 "2007-07-23T18:10:38Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Leaving aside the rather uncommon nature of your example, the same 6 year old is going to touch a lot of other things that you’ll probably also come into contact with. Granted, the door handle is a known one, but if the risk is so damn scary, you’d better not touch _anything_. [/QUOTE] > [@Enright3](#): > > To which respectfully say: > > How do you get into your place of work everyday? There’s probably more hands that touch that than what touches the bathroom door. > > Taking ordinary precautions has served me just fine. > [@Colophon](#): > > In my experience, the sort of people that use paper towels to open bathroom doors are the sort of people that carry antibacterial wipes around with them, constantly spray chemicals all round their houses to guard against any possible bacteria, carry a bottle of water with them at all times in case they get dehydrated after being without a drink for 20 minutes, etc etc. In short, the sort of sickly people that would do better to build up their immune systems a little. > > Colophon (never used a towel to open a bathroom door, only one day off work sick in past three years) Last weekend, after cleaning (by hand) a trail of my kid’s diarrhea from down in the living room, to the foyer, up the stairs, into our bedroom and straight to our bathroom on the way to the shower, I washed my hands before making breakfast. I am here to inform you that we are still alive with no ill effects. I have no qualms in dealing with the outside world, either. My previous post was to point out, that even though restroom door handles are relatively the same germ-wise as any other public surface, I still know that the likelyhood of fecal material (or influenza, etc.) being present on the handle is higher there than on other surfaces (heh…except in my house!). Extreme example, yes…I know, but plausable. Washing my hands and using a paper towel to open the door are not “extraordinary measures”. We do run a couple of day programs for developmentally disabled adults and I manage fine without latex gloves or anti-bacterial hand gel, even when some of our clients do not have the best hygiene habits. I might have been too sick to work on one or two occasions in the last 15 years…disqualifying myself as any type of sickly individual. I’m one of the healthiest 43 year olds that I know of. I attribute that to just plain common sense and not rubbing my eyes with my fingers (an easy way to transmit many illnesses), and using paper towels to open the door after I wash my hands. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592/40 "2007-07-23T20:05:23Z")
What irritates me is what I saw 15 minutes ago. A guy uses the urinal, washes his hands, so far so good, then, leaving the water running high, he grabs a paper towel to dry his hands, then he uses the towel-protected hand to turn off the water and open the door, and he then _throws the towell on the floor of the hallway!_ I was so shocked I was stunned into immobility. But, I see this again, I’m speaking out. as if we have endless drinking water for running down drains and the frickin’ towel jsut magically disappears when you ignore it. Sometimes people really amaze me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-ourselves-from-germs-on-public-restroom-door-handles/412592.md?page=1)