# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/41 "2004-05-13T15:54:44Z")
How do you do that? If you’re going to an interview, or meeting your kid’s principal or a client and s/he outstretches her/his hand for a shake, what do you say? ::shoving hands behind back:: _Say, have you ever watched_ Monk? ---
**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, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/42 "2004-05-13T16:18:16Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > 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. How do you make it through business/social occasions while refusing to shake hands with anyone? Most people would consider that really disrespectful, I would imagine. That, or it would be increadibly akward. When you meet someone in a business situation (not so much social), that’s what you _do_. You shake hands. It’s a social norm. I doubt anyone would come to the automatic conclusion that you’re just a germaphobe when you refuse to do it. Most likely they’d think you deemed yourself “above” shaking hands with them, or didn’t know how to conduct yourself in such a situation. What do you do if they outstretch their hand? Do you just refuse to take it? Now that’s just _rude_. Honestly, some of ya’ll sound like _freaks_😉 The only time I’ve ever got all crazy about germs was when my boss came into our office while sick as a _dog_ and proceeded to sit at all of our desks at some point and use all of our phones (it wasn’t his home office). Even then, I waited until he was out of site and _discreetly_ wiped everything he had breathed on or touched with an antiseptic wipe. I would never have done it with him watching though, boss or no. Yes, it was rude of him to come into our office and “infect” everything, but I would have appeared just as rude and offensive had I followed him with the wipe, glaring at him all the while. Or demanded to know if he’d washed his hands upon returning from the restroom. One person’s rude behavior should not act as a green light for another’s, IMHO. I think the above also answers the questions you directed to me, **ruadh**. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/43 "2004-05-13T16:55:00Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > 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. Amen! We’re surrounded by filthy, filthy microbial germs that seek to corrupt our bodily fluids and shorten our lives. I question why people touch _anything_–who knows where that _e. narcosepsisium_ bacterium is lurking. Is it on your keyboard? Those nail clippers? The doorway? The steering-wheel? I don’t know why any sane person would every question my refusal to have any contact with a surface, biological or otherwise, that hasn’t been sprayed with a bleach solution heated to at least 185.3 degrees F. Thank good for kleenex boxes! I’m reasonably sure they’re clean, and they make fine, inexpensive foot-coverings to protect me from the filth. While we’re on the subject, does anyone know where I can get some latex gloves with extra-long fingers? There’s no way I’m bringing some filthy, germ-ridden nail clipper near my nail-beds, and my finger-nails keep breaking through the tips of the double-layered latex gloves I usually wear. ---
**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, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/44 "2004-05-13T17:40:38Z")
> [@lezlers](#): > > I think the above also answers the questions you directed to me, **ruadh**. What questions did I direct at you? ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/45 "2004-05-14T00:12:11Z")
Whoops. I meant to say your response to me. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/46 "2004-05-14T00:34:11Z")
My viewpoint on this has been dramatically altered since my last job (working with the developmentally disabled). Needless to say, you can’t enforce good hygene on some of these people. Therefore, we had some employees coming down with _pinworms_, and the people we cared for were always getting them. Think about it—_PINWORMS_. You can catch _PINWORMS_ from a clear, almost invisible gelatinous substance (that can be anywhere—a countertop, door handle, etc.) that contains the _PINWORM_ eggs. Now, granted, most people don’t get _PINWORMS_, but if someone lives in a household with small children or anyone who might have poor hygene, it doesn’t matter if their hygene is good—they can still catch the _PINWORMS_. You just never know. It’s really sobering to realize that you’ve been exposed to _PINWORMS_ and you may end up doing what I did—looking at your poop in the toilet for any telltale signs of thin, white, thready _PINWORMS_ in there. (Thankfully, I never caught them.) ::shudder:: _ **PINWORMS!!!** _ But you never know what is lurking out there. So while I may not avoid shaking hands and I may not freak out about those icky germs everywhere, I cannot forget how I was scrutinizing my own SHIT for _PINWORMS_ and I am mindful of how easy it is to catch them (not to mention many other types of cooties). All it takes is touching a counter or door handle. All I expect from others right now is that they _WASH THEIR DAMNED HANDS_. This cannot be waved off as if it is some trivial or “optional” thing. My gosh, are some of these people raised by wolves? What is their problem? **WASH YOUR DAMNED HANDS.** And I swear, I don’t blame ruadh’s coworker for asking this stupid, silly woman about not washing her damned hands. It is, frankly, astonishing that someone wouldn’t know that it’s a matter of general courtesy. ---
**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 14, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/47 "2004-05-14T04:16:17Z")
Make fun all you like, **Metacom** (I assume your post was meant as a satyrical example of germ-wariness taken to the extreme degree), but I know what I know - hands are dirty; really, really dirty, and I don’t want other people’s viruses, bacteria, and _PINWORMS_ on my hands. I will still shake hands with people, but I’m off like a shot to the washroom to have a good wash with soap as soon as I can after. I do this from knowledge, not from ignorance or fear. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/48 "2004-05-14T04:59:13Z")
Hey, don’t get me wrong, I think failing to wash ones hands after using the restroom is just as nasty as the next person. I’m just saying, I thought what her co-worker did (in asking about her washing her hands) was out of line. It was rude. Just because the action that warranted the rudeness was rude in itself, doesn’t excuse the latter rudeness. It’s just not the kind of thing one adult asks another adult. It’s more in the parent/child realm. _That’s_ what makes it rude, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/49 "2004-05-14T05:21:40Z")
> [@JuanitaTech](#): > > How do you do that? If you’re going to an interview, or meeting your kid’s principal or a client and s/he outstretches her/his hand for a shake, what do you say? I make sure that I have stuff in my hands, and I smile and nod and act personable without having to suffer someone’s sweaty, meaty paw mauling my delicate manicure. 😃 Seriously, in this part of New York, I don’t find it that difficult. Perhaps that’s because people are more sensitive to the various cultural issues which make handshaking difficult (if not outright impossible) for many. **Lezlers** , with all due respect, I think you have some very interesting notions about what’s rude and what’s not. It is far more rude to insist upon touching than to gracefully demur via refusal. It is far more rude to spread coliform and other bacteria around a workplace than to ask someone (no doubt aghast and in utter surprise) why they aren’t engaging in the most common, simple act of hygiene known in the western world. Furthermore, back to the OP’s co-worker: being allergic to the soap wouldn’t make her allergic to water. Even if she couldn’t lather up, she could’ve rinsed her hands well with hot water and then used antibacterial hand gel or lotion. Heck, she could’ve just rinsed. That she didn’t even do that suggests that she’s just a filthy, disgusting pig of a woman who ought not be employed outside of her home until she’s learned how to keep her bodily waste germs to herself. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/50 "2004-05-14T05:55:00Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > **Lezlers** , with all due respect, I think you have some very interesting notions about what’s rude and what’s not. It is far more rude to insist upon touching than to gracefully demur via refusal. It is far more rude to spread coliform and other bacteria around a workplace than to ask someone (no doubt aghast and in utter surprise) why they aren’t engaging in the most common, simple act of hygiene known in the western world. > . Who’s talking about “insisting upon touching”? Are you claiming it’s somehow rude to outstretch your hand when first meeting someone? I know New York and California are different _parts_ of the country, but I never realized they were _entirely_ different countries. 😉 As for the second notion, as I told **Yosemitebabe** , when assessing whether or not something is rude (IMHO, of course), I try to avoid comparing the act of rudeness to the act that induced it in order to determine whether or not it was rude, period. I just don’t feel that rudeness is ever justified. Rude is rude. A rather bad hypothetical would be “speed monitors” on the highway. Say I see someone speeding and cutting people off, and I cut _them_ off. I mean, hell, they’re endangering others and are in general, being obnoxious. So is my action now any less rude? Hell no, it isn’t. Cutting someone off is still rude, no matter what the provocation is. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/51 "2004-05-14T07:05:42Z")
> [@lezlers](#): > > Rude is rude. Is calling someone on their rudeness (and their possible spreading disease to others) rude? I don’t think so. I don’t want to stand by, politely, as someone else gets away with that shit. Speaking up is not rude. It’s what they deserve. > [@](#): > > A rather bad hypothetical would be “speed monitors” on the highway. Say I see someone speeding and cutting people off, and I cut _them_ off. No, it’s _telling_ someone (or _asking_ them) about their speeding. It’s not doing it yourself. If someone is doing something _nasty_, I don’t think it’s rude to ask them about it, or even to ask them to stop. It’s _nasty._ And it affects us all. If they were just being nasty but it didn’t affect anyone else, then very likely saying something would be more rude. It for all we know, they’re spreading _PINWORM_ eggs and I’m telling you, I don’t appreciate inspecting my own poop in the toilet anymore than I have to. The hell with that. If someone is behaving like a swine, I say that there’s nothing wrong with speaking up and telling them. In fact, I think we should do more of this speaking up business. People have been getting away with this nastiness for far too long. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/52 "2004-05-14T10:05:30Z")
Some of you sterilize your hands after shaking someones hand? Just move into the freaking bubble already! ---
**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 14, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/53 "2004-05-14T14:13:44Z")
That was uncalled for, **TwistofFate**. Those of us who feel other people’s cleanliness may be suspect have defended our position repeatedly in this thread, we are backed up by microbiologists and Cecil himself, and yet you still seem to feel the need to mock us. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/54 "2004-05-14T14:55:09Z")
I seriously think you are being way too obsessive if you feel you have to wash your hands every time you shake hands with someone. It’s a scary thought that people are getting more and more afraid to physically make contact with other people. Thats bordering on Howard Hughes terroritory. Sometimes it’s actually beneficial to you to be exposed to some germs. I’m probably taking complete bollocks, but I wouldn’t be in the least bit suprised if the recent trend for sterilizing as much as possible as often as possible isn’t responsible for the increase in allergies in children. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/55 "2004-05-14T16:00:56Z")
Hey, if the parisitology lessons aren’t enough to get you washing up, maybe a nice SARS crisis will. There was a study last year, after the SARS outbreak in Toronto, of handwashing in airports. In most airports people washed their hands 40-60% of the time - in Toronto, it was something like 97%. I became a compulsive hand-washer. And I haven’t gotten a single cold since then. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/56 "2004-05-14T18:10:49Z")
Just working in retail for a few months had me obsessing about the cleanliness of my hands. I made every effort to keep my hands away from my face while working at the cash register, where customers would come up, cough wetly into a hand, then hand me their credit card with the selfsame hand. People are gross. If they do that right in front of you, what the hell do they do when you can’t see them? It’s just a fact that our hands tend to carry the germs that make us sick. Handwashing is an essential element of politeness. As for handshaking, I’m considering giving it up as well. One radio personality has suggested substituting the salute. If you don’t want to explain that you suspect the person’s hands are filthy, you can always say “I won’t shake your hand, because I have a cold.” ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/57 "2004-05-14T21:35:05Z")
**Yosemite** , I think we’re going to just have to agree to disagree here. I don’t equate failing to wash your hands after using the restroom with “being a filthy cow” or any of the other over-the-top, gratitious insults you’ve been throwing around in your responses. IMO, you are overreacting to the _extreme_. Your obsession with _PINWHEELS!!!_ is a bit disconcerting as well. Your responses have come across as crazy paranoid. I just don’t think heading straight for the door after using the restroom requires justification. You don’t know _why_ this person didn’t wash. Maybe she’s normally a hygiene junkie but simply had her head in the clouds that time. Maybe she just went in the stall to blow her nose, fart, fix her pantyhose or whatever (I’ve done that and if you called me a filthy cow for it…). It’s not a question of how viable any of those options are, it’s simply a matter of _you don’t know_, therefore who the _hell_ are you to #1. Demand justification from another adult as to their hygiene #2. Jump to some ridiculous conclusions and overreactions such as someone being a “filthy cow” or a “swine” from one minor infraction. I could see where the OP and others who I felt were being a little over-the-top were coming from and tried to be rational when communicating with them. Your paranoia, hyperbole and general freakyness, however, I can’t honestly take seriously. It’d be funny if I knew you weren’t legit. Shame, because I normally really like and respect your posts. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/58 "2004-05-14T22:10:14Z")
> [@lezlers](#): > > **Yosemite** , I think we’re going to just have to agree to disagree here. Sigh. Yeah, I guess so. > [@](#): > > I don’t equate failing to wash your hands after using the restroom with “being a filthy cow” or any of the other over-the-top, gratitious insults you’ve been throwing around in your responses. It’s nasty. It’s _nasty_. I don’t think that it would be appropriate to screech at them and tell them that they’re _nasty_, but raised eyebrows and “aren’t you going to wash your hands?” is certainly not out of line. > [@](#): > > IMO, you are overreacting to the _extreme_. Your obsession with _PINWHEELS!!!_ is a bit disconcerting as well. Your responses have come across as crazy paranoid. You can’t even get the word right! It’s _PINWORMS_. And maybe if you’d had a brush with them you’d feel the way I do. (And just for the record, I don’t freak out at shaking anyone’s hands, I don’t call people names, and I’ve never questioned someone about not washing their hands, but I would if I saw them not doing it.) Getting back to the _PINWORMS_, they’re these nasty worms that are spread hand to mouth. They live in your intestines and the worms crawl out of your _ass_ when you sleep and lay eggs on your _ass_. Then if you scratch or touch your ass area you get the invisible eggs on your hands. Then if you touch something else (door handle, etc.) without washing your hands, you can then spread the eggs to any surface. Anyone who comes in contact with the eggs (which are virtually invisible) can come down with _PINWORMS_ too. In my previous job, I had to directly deal with people who had these nasty things. Thin, thready worms in their shit. It’s _nasty._ Trying to keep everything clean so you don’t get the worms too is a huge hassle. And worrying if you got them too (because you touched a counter top or a door handle) is also stressful. You become reduced to looking at your poop in the toilet to see if you’ve got them. It’s not pleasant. And trust me, I wasn’t the only one freaking out about the _PINWORMS_, everyone I worked with felt the same way. It’s _nasty_. (Granted, in our case, the people who were getting the _PINWORMS_ were unable to know any better, bless their hearts. But most people _do_ know better and I expect them to _act_ like they know better.) > [@](#): > > I just don’t think heading straight for the door after using the restroom requires justification. You don’t know _why_ this person didn’t wash. I don’t really care _why_ someone is being nasty, but if they are being nasty in a way that may affect me (like give me cooties) then I think I have a right to raise my eyebrows and ask them why. > [@](#): > > Maybe she’s normally a hygiene junkie but simply had her head in the clouds that time. And then she won’t mind being reminded, will she? > [@](#): > > Maybe she just went in the stall to blow her nose, fart, fix her pantyhose or whatever (I’ve done that and if you called me a filthy cow for it…). And if someone raised your eyebrows at you, you could simply shrug your shoulders and say “I was just fixing my hose. Don’t worry.” What’s so hard about that? > [@](#): > > It’s not a question of how viable any of those options are, it’s simply a matter of _you don’t know_, therefore who the _hell_ are you to > > #1. Demand justification from another adult as to their hygiene Because I don’t want to get _PINWORMS_ or something else. If their hygene does not affect me, I don’t care. When it does, I care. I don’t think that raised eyebrows and a simple question is totally over the line here. > [@](#): > > #2. Jump to some ridiculous conclusions and overreactions such as someone being a “filthy cow” or a “swine” from one minor infraction. I’m not saying that, and I don’t think anyone else here is either. It’s not a matter of forgetting once (though for most of us, it’s so ingrained that I cannot imagine forgetting, no matter how “in the clouds” our brains are), it’s _not doing it, **EVER** _, which is what the woman in the OP was doing. > [@](#): > > Your paranoia, hyperbole and general freakyness, however, I can’t honestly take seriously. It’d be funny if I knew you weren’t legit. I don’t freak out and I am not a clean freak (I have too many cats for that). 😉 But I know _nasty_ when I see _nasty_ and someone who refuses to wash their hands after peeing or shitting is _nasty_. They’re _nasty_ because they’re helping spread germs that affect all of us. That’s _nasty_. Are raised eyebrows too much to ask? So perhaps they’ll realize that they’re being _nasty_ and will feel some social pressure to be less _nasty?_ I don’t think that’s too much to ask. > [@](#): > > Shame, because I normally really like and respect your posts. That’s okay. I am assuming that you haven’t had a brush with _nastiness_ like some of the rest of us have. When you have, perhaps you’ll understand a little better. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/59 "2004-05-14T22:25:25Z")
Damn, **yosemite**. That was beautiful. ---
**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 14, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-woman-down-the-hall-whos-allergic-to-the-soap-in-the-ladies-room/244678/60 "2004-05-14T23:37:17Z")
> [@TwistofFate](#): > > \Sometimes it’s actually beneficial to you to be exposed to some germs. > I’m probably taking complete bollocks, but I wouldn’t be in the least bit suprised if the recent trend for sterilizing as much as possible as often as possible isn’t responsible for the increase in allergies in children. I actually agree with you on this point - I believe that you should challenge your immune system regularly to keep it healthy, not wrap yourself in a sterile bubble. It should be a _gentle_ challenge, though, not exposing yourself to the Ebola virus every day (that was hyperbole for effect, by the way. I don’t think most people carry the Ebola virus. What they _do_ have on their hands, however, is beyond how much I want to challenge my immune system.) [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=2) [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=4)