Ah, but that’s what the spoon is for!
Dilution. As my friend who is a microbiologist always points out, the solution to bacterial pollution is dilution.
For most ordinary germs, including the ones “down there” host defense is more important than any other factor. The germ theory of disease is way overrated for regular bugs.
I’ve tried not to over-sell this idea to my personal acquaintances lest they decide I’m fine with shaking hands with their excreta.
Here’s a nice article from the New England Journal of Medicine: Contagious Acute Gastrointestinal Infections
The article covers, in quite a bit of detail, with many, many cites from reputable journals and studies, everything you’d want to know about groinal organisms which commonly make people sick with gastro-enteritis or similar. Not much on the STDs.
I vaguely remember reading about a study of hand washing, and not to gainsay the obvious benefits of doing something to remove germs, the study basically said that you can wash for a few seconds as most people do or you can wash like we see surgeons do prior to surgery. If you just wash a tiny bit - water, soap, rubrub, water - as most of us do, you just get rid of a tiny fraction of what’s there. It helps, but not as much as if you get totally neurotic about it. I think they were saying that that’s the only type of handwashing that would be truly effective. I think Doctor Qagdop’s cite points out the prevalence of transmission by person to person contact, and most people do wash. A little.
Yeah, the flush handle. Think about it. Think about ALL the things people might do with their hands right before touching the flush handle. Think about all the different bodily excretions people might have on their hands when touching the flush handle. Also think about the fact that it’s probably never cleaned.
Even if you’ve never clicked on a Google Ad before, click on the one below for “The Ultimate Toilet Seat” and watch the video.
So, it’s a bad idea to lick the handle? Dang!
The way I look at it is, you should wash your hands four or five times a day as a matter of course. Doing it when you’re in the bathroom for other reasons is simply convenient.
Important: not slotted.
And relatedly, why do moron architects spec inward-opening doors on bathrooms so that you have to grab the handle that has previously been handled by those whom do not wash their hands? I take an extra paper towel or my hat if none with which to grab the handle. No, I’m not related to Howard Hughes (but I wish).
Yup, it’s called immunostasis from what I recall. While it’s still possible to catch something from your partner, you’re exposed to everthing they’ve got fairly quickly in a normal life. Mostly by the vectors already listed. Bathroom spray and toilet handle, handling each other’s food, handling each other etc etc.
WAG: It’s generally not a good idea to install a swinging-out door that has no window in it, lest you smack a passer-by in the face when exiting the bathroom. A swinging-in door would be approached more slowly from the inside as you’re slowing down anyway to grab the door handle, and are thus more able to react if the door starts opening towards you.
I remember a study that found that people who washed their hands 10 times a day caught half the colds as those who didn’t.
By the way, I find these types of questions very interesting. Our knowledge of the nature of disease and infection seems to be in its infancy but our views on this topic have change dramatically in the past ten years.
The interaction between body and bacteria is certainly complex.
Just a note on hand washing
I always put the soap (soft “squirt” style soap) on my dry hands and rub it around as if washing hands while wet. Then I turn on the water, and rinse the soap off.
My logic behind this is that the antibacterial action of the soap is not diluted by the water and has more effect, plus, my fingers are coated with it when I touch public taps.
when I turn the tap off, it is covered with soap, and my hands are still wet, creating another bacterial barrier.
I don’t get sick very often, and I am not a germophobe…
Regards
FML
I usually wash my hands once or twice a day, and it’s a quick rinse at that. I have’t gotten sick in over a year and a half (I know because I haven’t called in sick for at least that long, hell, it’s likely closer to two years).
Exception proves the rule? Maybe.