On the anti-bacterial stuff I hadn't thought about how even regular hand soaps have it in them. I always thought I was doing good my not using purell, but soaps can be just as bad. So we made and effort at home to switch to the regular stuff. Bacteria is good! Bring on the bacteria!
My neurosis about using hand sanitizer immediately upon getting in my car, and pretty much any time I leave my house, is now seeming...not so neurotic.
Nope. It still sounds neurotic. :-)
That's ok. I'll own it. Especially with all these non-handwashing posts. I'm breezy about some things, but fecal-oral contamination is not one of them.
Next time you awake it is your infant kid who is hungry and you swing your boob out using the same hand. Maybe you touch his face.
Next time you awake you have a sore throat and pull out a halls with the same hand.
Next time you wake up you forget you peed and proceed to prepare breakfast.
You have a hot dream and you stick your hand in your mouth.
You have an itch in your eye and scratch it without waking up.
While most of the time absolutely nothing bad can happen in any of the instances above, they are all risks of getting some bacteria in the wrong place and getting sick.
By this logic we should be washing our hands after every.single.object we touch throughout the day.
I mean, people use their cell phones which have been shown to be just as gross as toilets, and then touch their babies too right?
Almost. Or at least you should be mindful not to touch your face or wash your hands before you eat.
However, this is life and I work at a hospital in a department with immunocompromised patients. I am trained to live like this. I may not need to be this paranoid but I am.
I don't know or really care if the non-hand-washers get sick more often. I care about not getting sick myself or my family.
I don't flush in teh middle of the night. and I rinse but no soap because I just can't do nothing but I don't feel like taking the time to completly wash. My mom always taught us to sing happy birthday and that's how long you need to wash your hands. I am not doing that in the middle of the night.
On the anti-bacterial stuff I hadn't thought about how even regular hand soaps have it in them. I always thought I was doing good my not using purell, but soaps can be just as bad. So we made and effort at home to switch to the regular stuff. Bacteria is good! Bring on the bacteria!
My car is seriously the only place I use it. None of my soap is antibacterial, I only use clorox wipes around the house when my kids are sick to keep them from passing it to others, or if I'm doing a quick wipe up of the bathroom. I just can't handle the thought of hundreds of people using the same door handle, and then thinking about how many of those people just finished picking their noses, or went to the bathroom and didn't wash their hands, then grabbed the door handle.
On the anti-bacterial stuff I hadn't thought about how even regular hand soaps have it in them. I always thought I was doing good my not using purell, but soaps can be just as bad. So we made and effort at home to switch to the regular stuff. Bacteria is good! Bring on the bacteria!
My car is seriously the only place I use it. None of my soap is antibacterial, I only use clorox wipes around the house when my kids are sick to keep them from passing it to others, or if I'm doing a quick wipe up of the bathroom. I just can't handle the thought of hundreds of people using the same door handle, and then thinking about how many of those people just finished picking their noses, or went to the bathroom and didn't wash their hands, then grabbed the door handle.
Other people's germs gross me out but my own (or my families) do not. So I totally get it.
We have never had any stomach flu with the kids. Any stomach stuff I have had has been short lived and rare (maybe once a year). We don't get many colds, etc.
Post by marylennox on Mar 12, 2014 12:45:50 GMT -5
I'm not obsessive about cleanliness and I agree that there is good bacteria, and good for the immune system to be exposed to certain germs and that we're somewhat over sanitized, blah blah blah.
That said, I still always wash my hands. If I use the bathroom, even if my hands seem clean, or it's nighttime or I'm at home, I'm weird and get this feeling like I literally can't touch anything else until I wash them. Maybe it's from having worked in healthcare but I think hand washing is pretty important. The non washers gross me out. Even seeing someone cough into their hands disgusts me. (Not that I would say that to them, but, it does. I can't help it.)
Like, what are the consequences of not washing your hands in the middle of the night? I never do that, and I don't feel like anything suffers because of it. I'm missing something.
You have a hot dream and you stick your hand in your mouth.
I will wash my hands in public bathrooms, usually only a tiny bit of soap and a ton of rinsing because my hands react to most soaps. I do not use hand sanitizer, I think it does more harm than good, especially now that I'm over 21 and I don't need to wash the marker off my hand at the club
At home or at the barn I do not wash my hands every.single.time. I have this un-canny ability to not piss all over the bathroom and myself (yes I know there is particle spray, etc) but if I do happen to get something on myself I will wash my hands. I do try to wash my hands after every poop.
I grew up showing horses and working on my families farm, I have peed in many horse stalls and trailers without proper hand-washing stations. I'm sure I've had far worse things on my hands and other parts of me than possible pee / poo particles.
I have had the flu once (H1N1) and one case of allergic conjunctivitis(since if I just said pink eye I'm sure people would say "OMG POOP HANDS") in my life, but otherwise am rather healthy. Exposure to germs, in those that do not otherwise have a compromised immune system, builds immunity.
Post by EllieArroway on Mar 12, 2014 12:53:51 GMT -5
I'm not a germaphobe. I never buy hand sanitizer or antibacterial soap. But I am obsessive about washing my hands. The thought of not washing them after going to the bathroom kind of makes me want to puke. (Clearly I have issues.)
I don't wake up in the middle of the night to pee though. Maybe I would feel differently if I did?
This list of diseases transmitted between the fecal-oral route is a good reason to just exercise precaution when using a vessel that also receives poop.
Believe me, I have chapped, cracked hands and want to cry sometimes washing. I moisturize like crazy but it's especially harsh in winter. If anything, that should increase your desire to wash as your skin is lacking natural barrier and needs assistance repelling bacteria. Sometimes for a millisecond I wish I didn't have to wash, but that thought is quickly out of my brain. And I hope no one cites the oldendays and how they didn't necessarily wash. They didn't necessarily live, either
This comes from someone who loves to play in dirt, camp, hike, doesn't carry hand sanitizer, etc.
This list of diseases transmitted between the fecal-oral route is a good reason to just exercise precaution when using a vessel that also receives poop.
Believe me, I have chapped, cracked hands and want to cry sometimes washing. I moisturize like crazy but it's especially harsh in winter. If anything, that should increase your desire to wash as your skin is lacking natural barrier and needs assistance repelling bacteria. Sometimes for a millisecond I wish I didn't have to wash, but that thought is quickly out of my brain. And I hope no one cites the oldendays and how they didn't necessarily wash. They didn't necessarily live, either
This comes from someone who loves to play in dirt, camp, hike, doesn't carry hand sanitizer, etc.
I once caught salmonella from eating Peter Pan peanut butter.
I hope everyone is washing their nut butters thoroughly.
Why do I feel like I'm in the middle of a debate with anti-vaxers?
Are the anti-vaxers the washers or the middle of the night who gives a fucks?
I'll judge you forever more on your answer. Choose wisely.
Haha. I was wondering as well.
I don't know why I keep responding. I know I won't alter anyone's stance. Everyone seems to be pretty firmly camped out. Lol. I didn't know I was passionate to respond to this. Then again, it didn't even cross my mind that people didn't wash. It kind of dropped my jaw.
This list of diseases transmitted between the fecal-oral route is a good reason to just exercise precaution when using a vessel that also receives poop.
Believe me, I have chapped, cracked hands and want to cry sometimes washing. I moisturize like crazy but it's especially harsh in winter. If anything, that should increase your desire to wash as your skin is lacking natural barrier and needs assistance repelling bacteria. Sometimes for a millisecond I wish I didn't have to wash, but that thought is quickly out of my brain. And I hope no one cites the oldendays and how they didn't necessarily wash. They didn't necessarily live, either
This comes from someone who loves to play in dirt, camp, hike, doesn't carry hand sanitizer, etc.
I once caught salmonella from eating Peter Pan peanut butter.
I hope everyone is washing their nut butters thoroughly.
You know that's different. Lol Not washing is making a choice to eliminate a very easy prevention step over which the individual not washing has control.
Honestly, I just had no idea people didn't wash. I think I thought about this transmission more after having kids. They chew on my hands so much as babies. (Which is another thing I never realized)
Post by pantsparty on Mar 12, 2014 13:01:41 GMT -5
I don't understand anyone who washes their hands in the middle of the night. You're going right back to bed, not rubbing your hands all over your food, doorknobs and walls. WEIRD.
Post by shostakovich on Mar 12, 2014 13:03:58 GMT -5
Despite my seeming over investment in this issue, I'm actually not that germ phobic. I recognize the need for bacteria to exist in our lives, I understand about immunity building. I don't really use hand sanitizer except in rare, disgusting instances where I don't have immediate access to soap and water.
Listen: I am seriously one of the laziest fucking people you will ever (virtually) meet. SO, SO lazy. But if I can spare the minute or less it takes me to wash and dry (and sometimes moisturize) my hands, I'm certain others can too. Especially, especially in a public bathroom, where other people have to deal with your germs.
I don't understand anyone who washes their hands in the middle of the night. You're going right back to bed, not rubbing your hands all over your food, doorknobs and walls. WEIRD.
You dirty people realize that you are touching other peoples FECES, AND VOMIT when you go to the bathroom, and then PUTTING THAT IN YOUR EYES, EARS, MOUTH, etc.
Ewwwwwww.
It's people like you that keep spreading this nastiness around.
You dirty people realize that you are touching other peoples FECES, AND VOMIT when you go to the bathroom, and then PUTTING THAT IN YOUR EYES, EARS, MOUTH, etc.
Ewwwwwww.
It's people like you that keep spreading this nastiness around.
^o)
If we all just washed our hands after that middle of the night piss, rotovirus would be extinct! Science!
I just used the first floor bathroom on my way back from the coke machine. It had a sign in the stall to keep that bathroom clean. Our bathroom on the second floor has no signs. WTF is going on in the first floor bathroom that makes a sign necessary?
Millions of fecal flakes probably!!!! On all doorknobs and handles!!!!
I wash my hands every time, however, they are SO dry right now, and I live in FL. I remember putting straight Vaseline on them every time I washed them when I lived in the NE. So I could see not washing them every time just to keep them from cracking and bleeding and hurting.
Yes. I have this issue right now, too. It still won't deter me from washing my hands after using the bathroom, as well as helping DD use the bathroom.
Ish.
If your hands are all broken out and cracked, and you don't wash them, isn't there a chance you are getting feces and other stuff in the cuts and cracks? eww