# What are your unsanitary habits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366 "2010-09-28T17:10:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/41 "2010-09-29T04:23:15Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > You probably need to learn more about the nasties you can get from raw meat - I read a case study about a guy who cut a contaminated raw pork sausage with a knife, used that same knife to butter some bread and ate it, and died from it. There’s a very good reason that we have developed the safe meat handling practices that we have. From [this site](http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/f/food_poisoning/stats.htm) - > > > [@](#): > > > > Although most foodborne infections are undiagnosed and unreported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from pathogens in food. Of these, up to 5,000 die. > > I’m not saying we should all stop eating everything because of fear, but being properly educated and using good kitchen hygiene is not a bad idea (and that includes not storing raw meat with fruits and vegetables). There was a Sizzler up the road from us. A toddler picked up salmonella from a watermelon. She didn’t survive. They had used the same knife to cut chicken before hand. This is the very definition of cross contamination. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/42 "2010-09-29T05:48:02Z")
Eat stuff from the floor, check. But the main thing is that I never clean my coffee cup at work. Well…hardly ever. I dump it and add new coffee. The new coffee is hot, therefore it will kill any leftover germs, besides, it’s coffee. I put raw eggs into my cookie dough, and then I eat the dough. Not all the dough, of course. But I always eat some. My cats very rarely get on the dining room table or the counters. But they often sit with their little butts on the coffee table, and it gets wiped a lot less often than the counters and dining room table. Of course we also don’t really eat off it that often, but it does happen. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/43 "2010-09-29T06:08:20Z")
> [@nashiitashii](#): > > My dogs know the command “Clean up, aisle floor” and will come running. I let them eat food off the floor when I’m cooking as long as it’s not dangerous for them (i.e. things that make them sick or spicy stuff). That’s awesome. 😃 I’m also an unabashed serving spoon taster. I sometimes eat stuff off the floor, unless it’s a “wet” thing (like a piece of meat), or the floor in question is carpeted (because then there are cat hairs, which is just plain gross). I’m a shower pee-er, too, though funnily enough I haven’t done it in quite awhile. I guess I’ve just gotten more into the habit of peeing before I shower. If I have to go, though, I won’t hesitate. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/44 "2010-09-29T07:09:26Z")
I pee in the shower. At home i don’t always wash my hands after using the toilet. I wash my hair twice a week. If it’s yellow I let it mellow. I taste from the cooking spoon sometimes. There is cat hair on the furniture and they sllep on the beds. I eat bites of cookie dough and taste the ricotta after i’ve added an egg and a dash of basil ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/45 "2010-09-29T07:47:54Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > I put raw eggs into my cookie dough, and then I eat the dough. Not all the dough, of course. But I always eat some. Yes I do this all the time too. Also with cake batter. ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/46 "2010-09-29T08:11:17Z")
I consume lots of raw eggs. Whenever I eat shabu shabu / hot pot, I dip the meat directly into raw egg mixed with shacha sauce, or just the raw egg alone. I probably consume at least three raw eggs per shabu shabu / hot pot meal. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/47 "2010-09-29T11:04:07Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I grill a lot, probably 5 times a week. Maybe about once a month I’ll get in there and clean all the flavor bars and grilling surfaces but the rest of the time I just allow the heat from bringing it up to cooking temp to kill all the baddies. > > Watching those shows where the chef starts off with a perfectly clean and oiled grill everytime seems like a great “best practices” but if I had to do that everytime I probably wouldn’t grill nearly as much and that’d be a shame. Heh… I’m not quite as bad as that (for one, I don’t grill nearly as often as you do) but I leave the grime on the bars also. Next time I go to use the grill, I go out with a bowl of water as it heats up. and spend a minute or so scrubbing the obvious residue off the top of the grill surface. That way I’m not getting charred bits of last week’s burgers in this week’s chicken. Clean it _after_ use? Hell, I’m too busy chowing down and then it’s dark! Oh - and you clean the flavor bars??? I think I’ve cleaned ours maybe once. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/48 "2010-09-29T11:55:34Z")
I unashamedly drink from family members’ glasses if I’m pouring/passing their drinks. I eat their leftovers too. I use my bra as a pocket for keys and phone. This includes when I’m sweating it out at the gym. Also, at least 66% of foibles already listed above… ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/49 "2010-09-29T12:17:45Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I pee in the shower. I assume your _taking_ a shower when you do this?😉 Me too. I think our immune systems need to be taxed at all times to stay in tip-top shape. 😃 Nothing much scares me but I tend to be just clean enough to not freak out the others living with me. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/50 "2010-09-29T12:30:21Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > heh. We have 3 dogs. One of the things they are taught is that they cannot eat anything without first sitting, and then being told, “OK, eat”. They are 95% perfect with this. > > 95% perfect with chicken? Chicken, steak, liver (liver was the training tool initially). It is kind of amazing what you can train a dog to do, given sufficient repetition. The 5% failures are all the same dog, and she is kind of ADHD, canine version.😃 Oh, and i consume a coupla raw eggs each week, mainly blended in smoothie drinks. The chickens are our own and the eggs are delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/51 "2010-09-29T12:42:03Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > - Sometimes when I’m cooking meat and need to spice it, instead of washing my hands for the fifth time, I’ll wipe them off on a clean towel and grab the spice bottle, use it and put it back. I must admit, I don’t really understand this one though. I try to arrange my cooking activities so that I just don’t touch meat with my hands at all. But even if you don’t, wouldn’t you wash your hands immediately after transferring the meat to the pan? Because they’re all gross and icky and slimy feeling? Unless you’re talking about rubbing the spices in while the meat is on the chopping board? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/52 "2010-09-29T13:04:44Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > I try to arrange my cooking activities so that I just don’t touch meat with my hands at all. Hmmm. I handle my meat frequently while cooking. No, seriously. How do you tell when steaks are done? I constantly press down on the meat to assess degree of doneness, then lick the finger(s) that touched the meat. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/53 "2010-09-29T13:11:30Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > > [@Aspidistra](#): > > > > I try to arrange my cooking activities so that I just don’t touch meat with my hands at all. > > Hmmm. I handle my meat frequently while cooking. No, seriously. How do you tell when steaks are done? I constantly press down on the meat to assess degree of doneness, then lick the finger(s) that touched the meat. With the implement I used to turn it over (egg slice or tongs, generally). I rests lightly on the edge of the pan inbetweentimes. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Nene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@El\_Nene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Nene)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/54 "2010-09-29T13:19:06Z")
I forgot about the nose picking. I’m a horrible nose picker. Most of the time I don’t even know I’m doing it, then some poor soul will walk past my cubicle and get this horrified look in their face. If I don’t like the person, I just keep picking. I’ll tell you one thing. I’m never going to any of your houses. I mean, I know we basically all do the same gross things but my germs are mine. Yours are repulsive 😉 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Nene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@El\_Nene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Nene)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/55 "2010-09-29T13:21:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > > [@Aspidistra](#): > > > > I try to arrange my cooking activities so that I just don’t touch meat with my hands at all. > > Hmmm. I handle my meat frequently while cooking. No, seriously. How do you tell when steaks are done? I constantly press down on the meat to assess degree of doneness, then lick the finger(s) that touched the meat. That is a really big no-no. You’re squeezing all the juices out dummy! Get a timer. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/56 "2010-09-29T13:28:00Z")
> [@El\_Nene](#): > > If I don’t like the person, I just keep picking. And then what? _Onto a Kleenex and into the bin or flying through the air like a [seed](http://www.treegrowersdiary.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/OGRMhelicopterseeds.jpg) that’ll spin?_ ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/57 "2010-09-29T13:31:53Z")
We are dog people, so there are all sorts of dog issues that gross out non-dog people. They sleep in our bed. However, we have two top sheets, so that we try to keep one sheet between human and dog (it doesn’t always work, as they like to be under the covers with their peoples). Mostly this is because one of our dogs has coarse hair and its a little irritating to rub against during the night. Yes, my dogs lick my face. No, I don’t think its gross, however, I do pay attention to what they were just doing, and if it involved licking their butt, then I shove them away. If they just got a drink of water, I encourage kisses - nothing beats a fresh water kiss from my Skip! Skip is a crazy licker, when we get home from being gone all day, he goes crazy with the licking and if you aren’t careful he will lick up your nose and in your ear. We are very particular about handwashing in the kitchen. Touch meat, wash hands. Touch onion or pepper, wash hands (though this is mainly because I rub my eyes). ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/58 "2010-09-29T14:20:23Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > I must admit, I don’t really understand this one though. I try to arrange my cooking activities so that I just don’t touch meat with my hands at all. But even if you don’t, wouldn’t you wash your hands immediately after transferring the meat to the pan? Because they’re all gross and icky and slimy feeling? Unless you’re talking about rubbing the spices in while the meat is on the chopping board? I’m referring to rubbing the spices in while it’s still on the block. If it’s in the pan/on the grill/in the oven or even in the marinade, I don’t generally touch it again, and if I do, I wash my hands afterward. It’s when I’m in the middle of rubbing spices in, then have to put a different spice on and maybe forgot to just set some aside that I’ll simply grab the spice jar after wiping. Fortunately, I rarely cook meat - I have nothing against it, I just get lazy. I tend to associate cooking meat with very dry hands, since I normally do wash my hands with each contact; it’s the occasional grab for spices when I sometimes fail to wash. Oh, and another thing, I don’t clean my daughter’s hands after going to the supermarket. I’ve had horrified people stare at me as though I were dipping my daughter in fresh poo when I don’t have one of those special covers for the seat in the cart; I really don’t care if her hands come in direct contact with the cart. I justify it by telling myself that she’s in daycare anyway and has a brother in preschool - she’s going to get germs one way or the other, and the thought of a shopping cart squicks me out a lot less than the thought of what she could potentially be touching at daycare if a kid gets sick. I don’t think about it much, though. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/59 "2010-09-29T14:25:29Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > I refuse to say all the things I do that are unsanitary because I don’t want to get yelled at. Some of the least horrifying: I don’t use a paper towel to open the door in public restrooms and I don’t hover to pee. I don’t use a paper towel to open the door either. I still remember when that became common just a few years ago (maybe around 2000? earlier?), and it seemed so ridiculous. It seems slightly less so now because it’s so common, but I still don’t do it. I’m also of the belief that the people who hover when they pee are the ones peeing all over the toilet seat, thereby making said seat far dirtier for everyone. If there’s nothing on the seat, I just sit down. If there’s something on the seat, I’ll wipe it off with some TP and probably use a liner or TP on the seat, but I’m not fanatic about it. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366/60 "2010-09-29T14:33:05Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > > [@overlyverbose](#): > > > > - Sometimes when I’m cooking meat and need to spice it, instead of washing my hands for the fifth time, I’ll wipe them off on a clean towel and grab the spice bottle, use it and put it back. > > I must admit, I don’t really understand this one though. I try to arrange my cooking activities so that I just don’t touch meat with my hands at all. But even if you don’t, wouldn’t you wash your hands immediately after transferring the meat to the pan? Because they’re all gross and icky and slimy feeling? Unless you’re talking about rubbing the spices in while the meat is on the chopping board? I try not to touch it either. I can usually cut the package open with a knife and let the meat fall right in the pan, then I go and toss the knife in the dishwasher right away. When I do have to handle raw meat, I usually just put on a pair of disposable latex food service gloves and throw them away as soon as I’m done. No hand washing AND no contamination. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-unsanitary-habits/555366.md?page=4)