# which gender is worse at washing hands after bathroom use? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862 "2016-07-25T15:37:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/1 "2016-07-25T15:37:46Z")
Not looking for personal experience here; I’m interested in surveys or surveillance that establishes which gender is least compliant with recommendations to wash hands after using the toilet. Can someone point to such data? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/2 "2016-07-25T16:11:59Z")
Here is one from the UK: > [@](#): > > A staggering 62 per cent of men do not wash their hands after going to the bathroom, a survey has revealed. > And while women are slightly better than men, 40 per cent admit they too share this dirty habit. > The survey of 100,000 people, carried out by a washroom services company, was the largest ever analysis into hand-washing habits. > Read more: [62% of men and 40% of women don't wash their hands after going to the loo | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2971931/Do-wash-hands-going-loo-62-men-40-women-admit-don-t-bother.html) ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/3 "2016-07-25T16:16:50Z")
Just curious whether the question is which gender makes no attempt to wash hands or which gender makes the most ineffective attempt (when an attempt is made) to wash hands? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/4 "2016-07-25T17:28:43Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > Just curious whether the question is which gender makes no attempt to wash hands or which gender makes the most ineffective attempt (when an attempt is made) to wash hands? I was asking about compliance with recommendations _to_ wash hands, rather than _how_ to wash hands. The how-to specifics (soap, warm water, duration, etc.) would be a separate issue. ---
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/5 "2016-07-25T19:02:06Z")
You have to define bathroom use. #1 or #2 . I would bet compliance after #2 is much higher than after #1. Urine is usually pretty sterile. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/6 "2016-07-25T19:26:53Z")
> [@Vicsage](#): > > You have to define bathroom use. #1 or #2 . I would bet compliance after #2 is much higher than after #1. Urine is usually pretty sterile. This is true, but, and I’m quoting Cecil here, the point of washing your hands is not necessarily to wash off whatever you may have gotten onto them. The point is, you’re in there anyway, so you may as well wash them. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/7 "2016-07-25T21:33:48Z")
IMHO-type answer: About 1/2 of men seem to leave the bathroom without washing after #1. I don’t stick around to pay attention to their #2 habits but I’d hope they would. Men and women of all ages can both be complete slobs in the bathroom. They can be bad in different ways though (harder for women to miss the toilet). But is a myth that the women’s bathroom is some oasis of cleanliness. > [@Anaamika](#): > > This is true, but, and I’m quoting Cecil here, the point of washing your hands is not necessarily to wash off whatever you may have gotten onto them. The point is, you’re in there anyway, so you may as well wash them. [Link](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1043/why-are-men-supposed-to-wash-their-hands-after-urination). Cecil’s point is that even if you avoid peeing on your hands or touching your junk, your underwear still may be relatively filthy, even if the risk of anything bad is low. Relatively speaking, the bathroom doorknob that you touch after washing is probably worse than any body part you may graze, but washing is still a minimal effort. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/8 "2016-07-25T21:47:41Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Relatively speaking, the bathroom doorknob that you touch after washing is probably worse than any body part you may graze, but washing is still a minimal effort. This is why I, as a professional cook, wash my hands in the bathroom, and then wash them again when I return to the kitchen. As far as I’m concerned, washing my hands in the bathroom is mostly for appearance’s sake, in case a customer comes in and sees me. The real hand-washing happens when I return to the kitchen, before handling anything. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/9 "2016-07-25T22:18:35Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Here is one from the UK: Does that survey measure how many people wash their hands (cleanliness) or how many say they wash their hands when asked (cleanliness x truthfulness)? If the latter, the result is almost entirely meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/10 "2016-07-25T23:03:22Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > This is why I, as a professional cook, wash my hands in the bathroom, and then wash them again when I return to the kitchen. As far as I’m concerned, washing my hands in the bathroom is mostly for appearance’s sake, in case a customer comes in and sees me. The real hand-washing happens when I return to the kitchen, before handling anything. Everyone remembers when Poppy is sloppy. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/11 "2016-07-26T02:59:36Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > Does that survey measure how many people wash their hands (cleanliness) or how many say they wash their hands when asked (cleanliness x truthfulness)? If the latter, the result is almost entirely meaningless. I’m not sure about this survey, but they’ve done observations at sinks in public restrooms that reach the same conclusion within a handful of percentage points. I’m surprised that it’s not common knowledge that people are kind of icky, and that men even less likely to wash their hands than women…you rarely hear the dubious “urine is sterile!” argument from women. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/12 "2016-07-26T03:52:32Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’m not sure about this survey, but they’ve done observations at sinks in public restrooms that reach the same conclusion within a handful of percentage points. I’m surprised that it’s not common knowledge that people are kind of icky, and that men even less likely to wash their hands than women…you rarely hear the dubious “urine is sterile!” argument from women. Women (AFIK) always wipe. Men (mostly) only wipe after #2. I don’t think the situation is comparable. I always wash, because I am aware that the way to avoid common infections, like the common cold, is to hand wash obsesivly. I’m not obsesive, but every time I’m in the bathroom I carefully wash my hands. This has nothing to do with if I’ve “contaminated” myself by being in the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/13 "2016-07-26T04:04:00Z")
I’ve never really understood why washing after peeing is important. I don’t touch anything with my hands when I pee. I suppose men who have to hold their body part to aim are in greater need of washing. Washing well before preparing food is far more important. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-gender-is-worse-at-washing-hands-after-bathroom-use/760862/14 "2016-07-26T15:28:58Z")
Worst, not worse, because there are [58 genders](http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/02/heres-a-list-of-58-gender-options-for-facebook-users/). The chance that (cis) men are the worst is therefore statistically pretty low.