Do you wash your hands after using the loo?

[weedetective]

I can’t believe I’m asking this, but: do you wash your hands after using the loo? Every time? Does it differ for a wee or a poo?

We moved into an old home with a WC (toilet, no sink) in the hallway. We have an open plan living-dining-kitchen, which obviously has a sink and is visible to everyone who visits.

Since moving, I have noticed that so many people don’t wash their hands after using the loo. People I would expect to wash, like my incredibly tidy MIL, cousins, friends who work in medicine, etc. Women and men (who presumably touch their willies whilst having a wee?) alike. I might say as many as 40% don’t wash their hands (or only do sporadically, which makes me think they’re only doing it after a poo?)

I myself wash every time and am admittedly a bit germophobic (I use a towel to open the bathroom door if I’m in public, that sort of thing) but I am honestly flabbergasted at how many people don’t wash after using the loo. I sometimes mention, “there’s no sink there but you’re welcome to wash your hands here” (in the kitchen) but it doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Do I just have an unusually minging social circle or am I alone in thinking most people wash their hands every time after using the loo?

2 fingers under the cold tap, then air dry, time is money.

I am laughing out loud at this comment 🤣 imagining how awkward it would be has tickled me

Yeah this. I wouldn’t necessarily announce this to people I know though.

I'm probably quite conventional with manners but I wouldn't be able to stop myself from doing that 😂

I always wash my hands, and my whole family do too. But I agree with everyone else, if there is no sink in your toilet people are probably wondering where to wash their hands, not comfortable washing their toilet-y hands in your kitchen sink over your dishes, and giving up. They are possibly using hand sanitiser or something, DM always has some in her bag and I have some with me about 50% of the time.

You can get sinks that fit on top of the cistern.

Kinda gross not having a sink by the loo. As suggested by someone else, get one of those combi ones.

I hope you give that inside door handle a good scrub 😖

I always wash my hands. We have an upstairs loo that's separate to our bathroom (was like that when we moved in) but I always walk along to the bathroom to wash afterwards. My daughter and husband do too but I have caught my two teen sons not bothering on a few occasions!

I remember going on an exchange visit to France as a teen and there being no sink in the downstairs toilet. I tended to use the upstairs bathroom but if the family used the downstairs loo they didn't wash afterwards. I remember being quite horrified and telling my mum when I got home! She said it was more common in France not to wash your hands. I'm not sure if that's true or not? The kids of the family were good friends with the two kids who lived next door and I did notice them washing their hands in the kitchen sink if they'd been to the loo.

I have taught my daughter that a lot of people don't wash their hands so on public toilet doors with long vertical handles she now grabs the handle as high up as she can, where fewer people would touch. And at places with push buttons to open toilet doors I've taught her to use her elbow to push the button!

I am another one that doesn’t all the time because of my skin. I have really dry skin on my hands and it can flare up into dermatitis. I always wash after a poo. I have a technique using a lot of toilet paper so my hands don’t touch anything, then I pick up another piece of toilet paper, flush the toilet with it and pop the paper in the toilet while it is flushing. Should any of this fail, I wash my hands.
After traveling on public transport I always wash my hands.

OP have you got a bottle of hand gel in there? If so they’ll be using that, and if not then pop one in there!

I rinse after wee and wash after a poo

Not after every wee, no

I'd feel more embarrassed about washing my hands in someone's kitchen sink than I would about them knowing I'd not washed my hands

This. Get a combi toilet sink. As everyone will have touched the door handle with their wee hands. Using a kitchen sink to wash your hands is also gross.

Some people might just be using the loo to use their phones in private though so not actually using the loo at all even though they've flushed to pretend they hsve

Good idea

But a loo with no sink is just weird

I always wash hands, I'd feel dirty if I didn't. I've also managed to train both DH and DS to wash theirs too (when I'm around, anyway). My mum was a nurse and obsessive about this and I think it's possibly made me a bit obsessive about it too.
I went to the loos in a department store a while back and noticed that a woman coming out in front of me didn't wash her hands. I was right behind her when she went up to a display of towels and was feeling them! Urgh!

I wash my hands so much that they are always dry and a bit sore 😫 So yes without fail, I will always wash my hands. Often in a public loo I’ll wash my hands and then use anti bac when I’m out.

I haven’t read the other replies yet as I’m worried how many people will say they don’t and this will just make me paranoid!

They've touched the flush handle! They need to wash their hands!

Sorry. Hand washing obsessive here!

I recommend using zerobase in replace of soap to the PP's struggling with their hands. If I go even a day without using it my hands are cracked and bleeding all over. But if I consistently use it keeps my hands in good condition. I was prescribed it by my doctor and it works a charm for me so maybe worth a go if you haven't already. I get it from Amazon now.

In response to OP, I wash my hands after using the toilet all of the time! I've definitly seen family members not do it though and it's grim!

Oh this is really the type of thing that stresses me out. So many people don’t wash items they’ve bought before they use them for the first time as well.

I remember in covid it became apparent that loads of people didn’t know how to wash their hands properly as well. I had hoped that the pandemic trained people to wash more often!

Fit a sink in there. Maybe in the mean time provide a packet of wipes, a bin and hand gel

I absolutely would never not.

Absolutely disgusting.

Always. Grossed out at how many people don't. I try to never touch door handles with my bare hands!

If there’s not a basin in the wc perhaps you could pop some hand sanitizer and hand towels in there for guests to save the embarassment of trekking into the kitchen to wash hands?

I do. Soap and water and you're grim if you don't. It takes seconds.