# Question of bacterial transfer elimination **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 29, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-of-bacterial-transfer-elimination/696821 "2014-08-29T01:33:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Henryunderborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/58f4c7/32.png) [@Henryunderborn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henryunderborn)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-of-bacterial-transfer-elimination/696821/1 "2014-08-29T01:33:41Z")
A peculiar directive I have to inquire about. Not as a standard but as a situational circumstance. One just had a bowel movement, and wiped without making physical contact with ass or content. The bacteria that transfers through the toilet paper has how much staging presence on the hand? Second condition person does not wash, grabs a match head from its tip and strikes it alight on the strip . He lights a cigarette after the initial burst of sulfur expends itself . How much bacterial has been eligible to pass from finger to match head to ignition of flame and contact to cigarette? Disregarding finger contact to rest of cigarette or mouth as a factor of contamination. What is the true eligible contamination factor in described circumstance ? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-of-bacterial-transfer-elimination/696821/2 "2014-08-29T01:44:19Z")
Whatever. You still need to wash your hands. ---
**Author:** ![Henryunderborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/58f4c7/32.png) [@Henryunderborn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henryunderborn)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-of-bacterial-transfer-elimination/696821/3 "2014-08-29T01:52:54Z")
Exactly what answer I am trying to avoid. I want to know the science of contact and life eligibility of the bacteria ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-of-bacterial-transfer-elimination/696821/4 "2014-08-29T01:54:05Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Whatever. You still need to wash your hands. This. If the paper didn’t get wet through to the hand, and you didn’t rearrange your toilet paper for a second wipe, then you didn’t get any fecal bacteria on your hand from wiping after you pooped. (Which I believe renders the match question irrelevant.) However, you probably have fecal bacteria on your hand from opening the door to the bathroom, from the elevator button you pressed an hour ago, from your telephone, from the counter at the security desk, from the copy machine and/or from the water cooler in the breakroom. Fecal bacteria is everywhere. So is other bad bacteria. We don’t wash our hands after the bathroom (only) to get off any bacteria that we (may) have gotten on them in the process of going to the bathroom. We wash our hands after going to the bathroom because the bathroom has a sink (and hopefully soap) in it, and we should wash our hands several times a day. Since most of us also go to the bathroom several times a day, that’s the most efficient time to do it, and the time most people remember to do it. Edit: If you don’t ever go to the bathroom (say you have end stage renal disease and you no longer urinate, and you have a colostomy to collect your stool) you should still wash your hands several times a day - about as often and regularly as most people go to the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Henryunderborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/58f4c7/32.png) [@Henryunderborn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henryunderborn)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-of-bacterial-transfer-elimination/696821/5 "2014-08-29T02:07:28Z")
Scientifically transfer through paper and expenses through flame. Zero? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-of-bacterial-transfer-elimination/696821/6 "2014-08-29T02:09:49Z")
did you wash your hands before wiping after handling your phone? phones can get full of nasty bugs. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-of-bacterial-transfer-elimination/696821/7 "2014-08-29T02:21:05Z")
Man homework questions are getting weirder and weirder. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-of-bacterial-transfer-elimination/696821/8 "2014-08-29T04:49:19Z")
[**Cecil** expounds.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1043/why-are-men-supposed-to-wash-their-hands-after-urination) You and your special friend can safely have all the oral sex you want, but you still have to wash your hands. > [@Cecil](#): > > Thus the apparent paradox: you can frolic with your honey all you want, but you still have to wash your hands after using the pot.