# To the woman down the hall who's "allergic" to the soap in the ladies' room... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 11, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678 "2004-05-11T19:38:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/21 "2004-05-12T06:36:15Z")
> [@belladonna](#): > > Expecting other people to accomodate you You know, it would never occur to me that taking simple steps to try to avoid infecting other people when you’re sick would be “accommodating” them. I always thought of it as simply the polite thing to do. Kinda like giving up your seat on the bus for an old or pregnant person, or holding the door open for someone with their hands full. But I guess maybe it is too much to expect manners from people these days. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/22 "2004-05-12T06:41:50Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > I don’t know if the OP is getting more colds because of this woman’s unwillingness to wash her hands. However, I cannot fathom how someone could _not_ find a way to wash their hands after urinating. I mean, _ewwwwww_. Ever hear the one about the soldier and the sailor in the bathroom after taking a piss? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Doris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Sir\_Doris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Doris)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/23 "2004-05-12T10:06:39Z")
I sympathise with you on this, **Ruadh**. I have a colleague who delights in spreading his germs. He insists on coming in with a stinking cold (he’s able to work from home if he wants to) and carries round a snotty hankie . I’ve seen him pick up the kettle, open doors etc with the hand he’s holding the hankie in. I’ve spoken to him about it, but he simply laughs. Trouble what might be a mild cold to one person can end up being much worse for another. Anyone predisposed to asthma, or who has suffered from bronchitis, for example, can really suffer. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/24 "2004-05-12T10:29:29Z")
Refusing to use the soap after you piss is one thing, but if you have a cold and spend all day touching your nose and mouth and don’t wash your hands every so often then that is inconsiderate. That said, I have a simple plan. I wash after myself, and I don’t worry about what other people do. As a result, I haven’t had a cold in years. ---
**Author:** ![Ross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Ross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ross)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/25 "2004-05-12T11:45:43Z")
Have you spoken to her about this? Because I’d be interested to know who one should put these things. There are several people in my classes who really don’t see much social contact, so in lectures and so on they tend to cough without covering their mouths, but I’ve yet to find a nice way of asking them not to because they’re nice but awkward folk who need encouraging, not embarrassing. It has just occurred to me that I could say “could you cover your mouth when you do that?” and then merrily change the subject to how great they are. I suppose you’ve tried this though. ALternatively one can always go :smack: right after they cough, so they’ve no doubt their fluids hit you in the eye. And then have the same reaction as the people in _28 Days Later_, which it sounds like you’re not far from already… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/26 "2004-05-12T17:10:41Z")
> [@ruadh](#): > > I may just do that, but I don’t think she’d use it. I think this so-called “allergy” is really just her excuse for being a filthy cow. > > I have recently had a physical examination and I’m fine, thanks. You on the other hand are obviously a freak 😃 I know! And I’m not what you’d call “health conscious”, either. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/27 "2004-05-12T17:14:27Z")
Maybe she’s really a man in drag. I hardly ever wash after urinating- what I handle is cleaner than my hands. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/28 "2004-05-12T17:18:01Z")
I’m with ruadh in this one. Sure, she can carry soap with her wherever she goes, but this other woman is not behaving in a considerate or socially decent way. In our society anyway, it’s a socially _expected_ thing to wash your damn hands and at least try to keep the contamination down to a minimum. Sure, the OP can be extra careful and wash her hands often, and she should do that (we all should do that, really), but that in no way lets this inconsiderate woman off the hook. We all need to do our part, to at least _try._ There’s no excuse for this woman to not at least _try._ ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/29 "2004-05-13T02:15:46Z")
**ruadh** , tape this to her desk: > [@](#): > > Most Shigella infections are the result of the bacterium passing from stools or soiled fingers of one person to the mouth of another person. **This happens when basic hygiene and handwashing habits are inadequate.** ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/30 "2004-05-13T05:40:56Z")
You know, I just realized something. The OP never explained how she knows this woman never washes her hands. Does she follow her into the bathroom just to make sure? Just crosses me as rather odd how anyone can know when one of their co-workers _never_ washes their hands, unless they’ve installed cameras in the restrooms… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/31 "2004-05-13T06:44:41Z")
I was in the ladies room myself once, having a post-pee chat with another one of the Women Down The Hall, when Linda came out of a stall and headed straight for the door. Other Woman asked her “aren’t you going to wash your hands?” “Oh, er,” Linda said, “I’m allergic to the soap”. I commented about this later to a co-worker and she said she’d noticed the same thing. So, I suppose it’s possible she actually washes her hands _when nobody’s looking_ but, er, I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/32 "2004-05-13T07:13:46Z")
At one of my jobs, during clean up my task was to refill the soap dispensers. The ladies room dispensor almost always needed refilling. The mens room dispensor…? Well, let’s just say that it RARELY needed topping off. So, in short: yeah it’s gross that she doesn’t wash your hands, but remember my story above the next time you shake a guys hand. It may not be she that is giving you colds! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/33 "2004-05-13T07:24:23Z")
Ah, well, that explains it then. Although, one adult woman asking another adult woman “_aren’t you going to wash your hands?_” in the restroom seems a bit…rude. And condescending. And…_wrong_. Does she stop random women in public restrooms that head straight for the door if they’re going to wash their hands as well? I realize the majority of us _do_ wash our hands after using the restroom, but some don’t, for whatever reason. It happens. And frankly, it’s done of your or your other co-workers damned business. If you’re so concerned about catching a cold, wash your own hands often and use some anti-bacterial hand gel or something. Chances are Typhoid Linda is going to be touching some doorknobs after a sneeze or a cough if she’s truly got a cold, post-pee hand washing or no. I’m just having a hard time trying to imagine in what situation asking another grown woman with whom you have a professional relationship with if they’re going to wash their hands before they leave the bathroom is deemed in good form. I just…can’t see it. [sub]disclamer: yes, I wash my hands after I use the restroom. I just can’t imagine the type of person who would ask anyone over the age of 10 whether or not they’re going to wash their hands as they’re leaving the bathroom.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/34 "2004-05-13T07:29:01Z")
> [@Bad News Baboon](#): > > So, in short: yeah it’s gross that she doesn’t wash your hands… um, yeah, that would be gross if she took to washing other people’s hands. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/35 "2004-05-13T09:41:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Chances are Typhoid Linda is going to be touching some doorknobs after a sneeze or a cough if she’s truly got a cold, post-pee hand washing or no. There are three doors between the ladies’ room and the hallway in which our offices are located, all of which have to be pulled open. So, as a practical matter, the greatest risk of her depositing her germs for the rest of us to pick up is right after she’s been in the loo. > [@](#): > > I’m just having a hard time trying to imagine in what situation asking another grown woman with whom you have a professional relationship with if they’re going to wash their hands before they leave the bathroom is deemed in good form. I think their relationship is actually a friendly more than a professional one, but I still don’t think the question itself is in worse form than the action (or inaction in this case) to which it referred. But if you really think it’s none of our business, we’ll be happy to come over and continue spreading the germs all over _your_ working area :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/36 "2004-05-13T10:48:53Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > There’s been some soaps that would make my hands blister and the skin peal off in chunks! But sure as shootin’ I bring my own if I think I might need to! I have the same problem, i.e. I have to be _very_ careful about what kind of soap, detergent, and deodorant I use, else I’ll break out with a rash. I’m not sure what ingredient(s) causes it, but I have noticed I’m most sensitive to “anti-bacterial” soaps. But I do not use it as an excuse for not washing my hands. (Yuck.) At work I use my own soap. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2004, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/37 "2004-05-13T10:49:19Z")
Hmmm… Well, I DO have allergies, and even have some minor scarring from some of the kick-ass rashes I’ve acquired from “harmless” and “natural” substances, so yes, someone certainly could be allergic to either soap or the fragrance in it… but whenever that has occurred to me I either bring my own soap or at least RINSE my paws and wipe the vigorously to dislodge anything on the surface. And yes, there are several months of the year when I sneeze and cough non-stop. It may sound like a cold, but it really is non-contagious allergies. However, when suffering such I do wash my hands frequently (elightened self-interest - I may not have a cold, but other do and allergies+cold is one of the nine circles of hell, I’m convinced) and engaged in Tissue Etiquette. NO ONE wants to see snotty, drippy tissue So even if someone had allergies they can still practice good hygiene. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/38 "2004-05-13T14:05:22Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Maybe she’s really a man in drag. I hardly ever wash after urinating- what I handle is cleaner than my hands. Please go read [the link](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_220.html) that **Shade** provided earlier. YOU are one of the people we’re talking about here. One of my degrees is in biology, with an emphasis on microbiology and parasitology; I find that there is tremendous ignorance about basic sanitation – i.e., many people are freaked out by relatively harmless stuff, while some people don’t understand the true need for simple things like washing your hands after using the toilet or covering your mouth/nose when you cough/sneeze. Take a parasitology class and you’ll turn into an almost compulsive hand washer. People do notice those who don’t wash after using the toilet, and at least some of us shun the unwashed. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/39 "2004-05-13T14:19:24Z")
[QUOTE=lainaf] \ Take a parasitology class and you’ll turn into an almost compulsive hand washer. \QUOTE] That is the honest truth - I was a lab tech for a couple of years, and I cannot, to this day, shake someone’s hand without running to the bathroom to sterilize ASAP afterwards. I don’t touch the holes in my face with my unwashed fingers, either - if I have an itchy nose, it gets rubbed with the back of my hand. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/40 "2004-05-13T15:46:00Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > I was a lab tech for a couple of years, and I cannot, to this day, shake someone’s hand without running to the bathroom to sterilize ASAP afterwards. Make it easy on yourself and do what i do – refuse to shake hands. It’s becoming more and more common, and frankly, I don’t think that any sane person should ever question my refusal to touch the most used, most likely to be infested portion of a stranger’s body just because someone has just introduced us. Nope, not happening. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678.md?page=3)