# Reasons not to wash your hands **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 9, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307 "2005-11-09T23:47:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [November 14, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307/41 "2005-11-14T18:40:52Z")
> [@1920s Style "Death Ray"](#): > > Aiming is not required at a urinal and shaking can be done by jiggling your pants a bit. (Shaking is over-rated anyway, doesn’t matter how much you shake, there is always one last drop.) None of that matters if you’re peeing down your leg because you didn’t touch your underpants. > [@Bill the Cat](#): > > The difference is that I’m immune to most of the bacteria on my hands. I’m immune to most of the bacteria in my mouth. I’m immune to most of the bacteria in my nose. No, you’re immune to most of the bacteria that was on your hands when you woke up this morning. The stuff that came off of all of the things and people you’ve touched throughout the day? All bets are off. Sure you shouldn’t stop to wash your hands after every keyboard, book, pet, etc. you come into contact with–you’d spend all day at the sink–but you should at least wash your hands a couple times a day to cut your losses a little bit. If you don’t do it after pissing, when do you do it? ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307/42 "2005-11-14T19:02:34Z")
Here’s my burning question, that was asked but (IMHO) not adequately answered in Cecil’s column: \*\*If the genitals (penis specifically) are such an intense hotbed of disease and bacteria, why doesn’t repeated oral sex result in sickness? \*\* The Master essentially admits that the danger isn’t very high. I’m not saying it isn’t gross, or that it isn’t worth washing just for the piece of mind of the person’s hand you’re shaking, but it seems that the health dangers are greatly exaggerated. Indeed it sounds like a mental thing. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307/43 "2005-11-14T19:04:44Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > Here’s my burning question, that was asked but (IMHO) not adequately answered in Cecil’s column: > > \*\*If the genitals (penis specifically) are such an intense hotbed of disease and bacteria, why doesn’t repeated oral sex result in sickness? \*\* > > The Master essentially admits that the danger isn’t very high. > > I’m not saying it isn’t gross, or that it isn’t worth washing just for the piece of mind of the person’s hand you’re shaking, but it seems that the health dangers are greatly exaggerated. Indeed it sounds like a mental thing. It seemed to be adequately covered in the column, where Cecil noted that you don’t catch anything from your monogamous partner because you and them are in a state of microbiological equilibrium. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307/44 "2005-11-14T19:15:12Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > If bacteria were the size of spiders, I doubt anyone would forget. Damn you! Some of us can’t handle those kinds of mental images! Blergggghhhh!!! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307/45 "2005-11-14T19:35:35Z")
> [@fetus](#): > > It seemed to be adequately covered in the column, where Cecil noted that you don’t catch anything from your monogamous partner because you and them are in a state of microbiological equilibrium. Microbiological equilibrium? Sorry, but that’s not adequate for me. I’m no casanova myself, but I’ve known a lot of people (epecially back in college) who would _regularly_ have oral sex with several different people who were not “their partners” and couldn’t possibly be in microbiological equilibrium (can that be established once a week after coming home together from a bar?). Granted this is just anecdotal, but I’d say it’s valueable in lieu of any cites or statistics on sickness from respeated oral sex. Remember, we’re not talking about herpes or other STDs here. We’re talking about something you can become immune to through _microbiological equilibrium_. And so if you don’t have a high risk of getting sick from putting the damn thing in your mouth, I find it hard to believe it’s a significant risk touching it lightly for a couple seconds then touching a door handle that someone else then touches. Remember, people, I’m not arguing NOT to wash hands. I’m just [del]calling bullshit[/del] asking for a cite. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307/46 "2005-11-14T19:49:08Z")
> [@Bill The Cat](#): > > Since there’s plenty of TMI in this thread already, I’ll share as well. > > I frequently don’t wash my hands after I urinate. > > The main question is whether my penis is cleaner than anything I’m going to touch on my way out. > > If my penis is cleaner than the faucet handle, I don’t wash. It isn’t. > [@](#): > > If my penis is cleaner than the towel dispenser handle, I don’t dry. It isn’t. > [@](#): > > If my penis is cleaner than the door handle, I’ll grab some toilet paper / paper towels and open the door with the paper. It isn’t. It may _look_ cleaner, but unless you just came out of the shower, it isn’t. Read the linked article from Cecil above. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_The\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Bill\_The\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_The_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307/47 "2005-11-14T20:01:20Z")
> [@fetus](#): > > No, you’re immune to most of the bacteria that was on your hands when you woke up this morning. The stuff that came off of all of the things and people you’ve touched throughout the day? All bets are off. Sure you shouldn’t stop to wash your hands after every keyboard, book, pet, etc. you come into contact with–you’d spend all day at the sink–but you should at least wash your hands a couple times a day to cut your losses a little bit. If you don’t do it after pissing, when do you do it? I assumed that we were primarily talking about washing hands when you’re “out,” not during a regular work day. During a regular work day, I wash my hands an inordinate number of times, because I work in a biology lab. The bathroom at work is also fairly meticulous, and I generally wash both before and after I urinate at work (to avoid contamination in either direction 😛 ) I freely admit this is sort of an ideal situation - unlike other workplaces, we don’t have the general public walking through and everyone is fairly contamination-sensitive. However, on the weekends, or when I’m going out, I have a very different view of bathrooms. I haven’t counted, but I’m pretty sure that I’ll still wash my hands a few times a day - just at choice locations where I think I’ll wash off more germs than I’ll pick up. If I go to a nice restaurant (or a restaurant with a nice bathroom, although I generally assume the cleanliness of the bathroom is proportional to the cleanliness of the restaurant), I’ll definitely wash my hands there. If I have to eat with my hands, I’m more likely to wash my hands even if the bathroom is dirty. But frequently, I’ll just skip the hand-washing altogether. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307/48 "2005-11-14T20:48:03Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > 90% of cases of colds and flu are from touching something or someone, then touching your mouth or nose. According to what I’ve read, it’s the nose and eyes. The mouth is apparently hostile to cold/flu viruses. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307/49 "2005-11-15T04:19:17Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > According to what I’ve read, it’s the nose and eyes. The mouth is apparently hostile to cold/flu viruses. Which is good, considering what some of us do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307/50 "2005-11-15T17:04:35Z")
One thing no-one has mentioned yet is the time factor. Putting all other considerations to one side for a moment, it is undeniably quicker to walk straight out than wash your hands. Granted, good health is worth a lot more than a couple of lost minutes, but if you’re in a real hurry that could be a reason not to wash. It seems the jury’s still out on the health risks anyway. In fact, if the amount of “lost life” due to not washing could be quantified and compared with time spent washing, we might have a definitive (though useless in practice) answer :). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-not-to-wash-your-hands/330307.md?page=2)