Hand washing!

[DouglasFirs]

I went on a night out last night, still breastfeeding so had to spend a bit of time pumping in a cubicle...

Only a couple of people out of about 10 washed their hands

Is this normal? I thought everyone washed their hands after they'd been to the toilet!

Do you?

Omg! Who doesn't wash their hands after using the toilet?! Yuk. And gross.

I wash my hands, but thended get grossed out by thinking an out having to open the toilet doors after women who haven't washed.

I use antibacterial wipes for my hands as the dryers seem never work, I only use public toilets for a quick pee, so a wipe is more than enough.

Oh I noticed this the other day. It's gross.

I have a recently toilet trained 3 year old and always make sure he washes his hands and I do mine. Obviously this takes a bit of time with a toddler. It amazes me in that time we are there faffing about at the sink how many people don't bother or do a quick get their finger tips wet then shake and that's it. Public loos or in cafés, pubs etc are generally pretty grubby. I can understand that they probably haven't actually weed on their hands but they will have most likely wiped, touched the flush, the cubicle door handle etc.

Yep it'd grim.

I know drink I had to try and open the door with my foot so I didn't have to touch the handle

Those using antibacterial wipes / gel - you do know these are useless against viruses?

A care setting a relative attended used to get lots of noro. Turned out that to circumvent the requirement for each child to have their own towel, the carer was just giving everyone anti bac gel viruses spread like wildfire.

In fairness, I don't always wash my hands but i do have severe eczema which can be really painful and the process of washing hurts like hell.

I do when I can but sometimes I can't.

There are so many filthy people out there; I witness this a lot. I always open the door with tissues when leaving- as I've washed my hands and yet if I touch a door where so many people haven't, then it kind of defeats the object.

This is precisely why there are so many viruses and bugs spreading like wildfire. That and people not adhering to 48 rule after sickness and stuff.

Makes my blood boil.

Yes, always. In fact I have a condition which means I wash my hands excessively, partly because there's filthy, dirty people out there who don't bother.

And YY to bacon , the antibac gels/wipes do nothing about viruses. They are no substitute to good hand washing with soap and water.

Tbh, there are probably more germs and viruses in the soap dispensers and actual water in my town public toilets, I'll keep on using my dettol wipes if I need to thanks!

I always wash my hands in public toilets / at work but not always at home.

I think it's really nasty how few people at work wash their hands. We have one pot of soap between five sinks and the number of people who just splash on a bit of water (or don't even bother doing that) is horrible. I have to keep a little bottle of hand sanitiser on my desk to use after I've been to the loo and opened the door so many dirty people have touched.

Logically thinking, if you're using tissues to touch the door handles when you come out of a loo then you should be wiping the trolly handles, lift buttons, petrol pump handles, bus handrails, stair rails, PIN number pads and everything else that you touch that everyone else might touch after they've been to the loo. They're all disgusting.

(Saw something on TV showing some research and as far as i remember it was petrol pump handles and supermarket trolly handles which were the worst and harbored all the big names in nasty germs.)

Saw something on TV showing some research and as far as i remember it was petrol pump handles and supermarket trolly handles which were the worst and harbored all the big names in nasty germs.

This is why I cringe whenever I see babies and toddlers in trollers with their mouths on the handles. It's completely automatic to me to wash my hands after using the loo and before preparing food, even if it's just a bit of toast for myself. I couldn't not do it. It's ingrained behaviour and it's worrying to realise how many people haven't been brought up to do it as I was.

I've had Germphobic OCD since i was 5, and i've had some very extreme cleaning rituals including showering every time i pee with complete set of clean clothes, clean towel each time, scrubbing with neat bleach up to my elbows etc.
Thankfully im much better now, after more than 3 years i can FINALLY use the toilet without having to shower right after, but i still wear doctor style exam gloves to go to the loo, and wash up to my elbows, but just with antibacterial soap now. I use disinfectant on the tap mid hand wash so its clean to touch to turn off, and open the door with my foot. Been more than 8 years since i used any toilet other than my home one though. Only time i ever set foot in a public toilet is if i feel the need to wash my hands when out shopping, and i tackle the door by pulling my sleeve down and using that at the very top of the big bar handle where least people will touch it.

It is THE most annoying thing in the world to me that other people don't wash their hands after the toilet, it's so inconsiderate. Not even counting those with compromised immune systems they could make very ill, think of all the things a person touches in a day that someone else has to touch after you. Then these people stack the stock onto supermarket shelves, scan it through tills, etc. I had a majorly awful period where i would go days at a time not eating because it was easier than handling the stress of trying to clean everything before i ate it. I lived on just crisps for months because my dad could open the outside bag and the individual ones inside weren't touched by human hands.

I cannot be friends with people who don't wash their hands after the toilet, i can't be around them. I couldn't touch anything they touched and i couldn't relax in a social situation, i'd be constantly avoiding them. Nobody comes into my house but me and my dad for the simple reason a none washer cannot contaminate anything.

To all you lot using anti bac gels. They are useless with viruses. You need purell vf481, it's anti viral and works against noro.

Hand washing is the best thing against it but sadly as people don't wash their hands, even after washing my hands in a public loo, I will still use my sleeve/foot, to open door and will use anti viral hand gel before eating if out and about. There are so many dirty people about it's not worth the risk of a bout of noro!'

It does depend on where you are. Posh malls tend to have more hand washers than pubs.

Saying that I pull down my sleeve and cover my hand to open the door out

You should always wash your hands after using the toilet and I always do but as others have said, petrol pumps, ATM machines and even money are probably more covered in bacteria than toilets are.
You have to sometimes trust your immune system and not get too stressed about it.
Wash hands regularly to help prevent contamination but don't get too worried.

So the world's going to hell in a handcart and y'aĺl worried about a few people not washing their hands!

I don't think that hand gels are "useless" against viruses. It depends on the ingredient. It is true that they are no substitute for washing hands though, particularly as they don't kill c.diff.
I agree that not washing hands is disgusting and so inconsiderate.

It's neither disgusting or inconsiderate. Judging others so harshly is.

I don't think that hand gels are "useless" against viruses.

Antibacterial hand gels (which most hand gels are) are usually useless in fighting viruses. However, antibacterial + antiviral combo gels are much better.