AIBU to be shocked at how many people don’t wash their hands!

[Readysetcake]

I’m not an obsessively clean, but hand washing after the toilet is non negotiable.

I’m not sure why but I started to notice when people don’t wash their hands in public toilets and now I can’t help but watch every person as my own personal survey.

I’m so shocked at the number of people that don’t wash their hands or literally just wet them under the tap (which is actually more unhygienic as bacteria like moist environments). The people that use soap and give their hands a proper rinse are in the minority.

AIBU to think that this is pretty horrible? And do you think these people are just doing it because they don’t like public toilets and their hygiene is better at home, or are they just spreading bum bacteria over their homes too?

Or maybe I’m BU and it’s not a big deal? Interested to hear people opinions

"use antibacterial gel after I leave the public loo because so many people don’t wash their hands and I have to open the door they they have just touched."

So you have just added your poo germs onto the handle for the next person. You've also just picked up more germs and then using ineffective hand gel.

I agree it’s grim not to wash your hands after the loo, but I don’t agree with pp that this means people go around with shit all over their hands. Far be it from me to speculate about what goes on behind closed cubicle doors, but presumably people aren’t probing their actual arseholes?

I always take extra toilet tissue out of the cubicle with me...use it to dry my hands after a thorough wash, then use it to open the door with.

"but presumably people aren’t probing their actual arseholes?"
Some people believe that when the chain is flushed, minute particles of poo comes out of the toilet and coats the whole cubicle with poo germs...so everything you then touch is covered with it. Ie door handle, toilet roll etc..

Gross

It’s gross , I’ve given every member of my family a hand gel and the first thing I ask them when they get in is “have you washed your hands yet?”
I’m much worse after I’ve been on public transport which thankfully isn’t much

The non-hand washers must develop amazing immune systems, surely?

DH was in Lidl today and saw a man wearing a B&Q DIY dust mask... 😂

But I notice people walking out of cubicles and straight out of the toilet door, too. Gross. I would lay long odds they are not using sanitiser gel in the cubicle. Sanitiser is for when you don't have water, not instead of water when it's right there for you.

The best way to be safe is thorough handwashing with the help of a nail brush, and short nails with no fancy manicure overlay to make it difficult to keep them clean. Masks are mostly useful for stopping us touching our mouths and noses with dirty hands.

DD came through a norovirus outbreak in her primary school where most of the children and every other adult in the place succumbed. She says it was relentless hand hygiene that protected her. That and a water bottle with a clip on cover and a strict rule that says no, the children are not allowed to fill her water bottle for her, thank you so much for offering, or even touch it!

My tactics:

• soap the tap whilst soaping my hands so that when I push it for rinsing I don't then get germy stuff on it which I've just washed off my hands

• take a paper towel to open the door with

• if it's hot air driers then I pull my sleeve down

• in summer it's tricker as no long layers, I kind of hang about like a weirdo waiting for someone else to move to exit and follow them out the door

I am currently in Adeje where there is a confirmed Covid19 case . DH and I have both commented about people using the loo and not washing hands 🤷‍♀️

I have allergies to Common cosmetic products, so I never use the bathroom soaps as they likely will cause a reaction. So I tend to rinse with water then use anti bac gel.

I’m a very thorough hand washer however I often don’t wash my hands when I’m in public loos because the facilities are so poor. A microscopic drop of watery liquid soap plus a desultory trickle of luke warm water from a poorly positioned tap will not wash much away and can do more harm than good. Then there’s the issue of drying your hands thoroughly - some places have good powerful handdryers, however an awful lot of places older inefficient handdryers that again do more harm than good.

I am prone to eczema and dermatitis. Going out into the cold air with damp grubby hands can lead to already sore skin chapping, splitting and becoming infected. I prefer to leave my hands dry and dirty and wash them properly later.

The signs in so many places (including hospitals) exhorting us to wash our hands properly, when there is no chance of doing a proper job in their inadequate, poorly designed facilities really piss me off. We are fucked when it comes to controlling coronavirus if improvements aren’t made.

YANBU
It's horrible. Also I do wish public toilets had a standard design where you can get a decent amount of water from the tap, the wallgate handwashing machines, though thankfully declining in number are especially grim as you only get the tiniest dollop of water and soap AND outer doors that open outwards so you can open with your elbow or hip.

I hate seeing folk washing their hands poorly, and then using one of the high powered hand dryers which then probably aerosolises the bacteria/viruses into the air for the rest of us to breath in. Less harm caused if they just missed the handwashing bit completely.

Does anyone else hate those taps that you have to press constantly to keep the water flowing? Really feel like germs are getting back on my hands after I’ve soaped and washed them.

My dream public toilet is automatic taps, automatic hand soap, hand dryers, and an open doorway so no doorhandles!

"The non-hand washers must develop amazing immune systems, surely?"

This is a very good point.

Yanbu it's grim.

Weirdly, out of my friends, the most unhygienic, with regards to hand washing, work in the medical sector. Pharmacist and doctor.

I've an allergy to most of the soaps too. I was told (years ago) by a consultant to avoid using soap in public loos. To be fair, I was kind of purple all over at the time, but I was still a bit shocked.
Fortunately there are more less toxic ones these days, and I take the hit on the 'medicated' ones. My hands are really sore at the moment as I've had two bad cold/coughs since Christmas so have been washing lots more out of the house than usual.
I know that some bugs are spread better by alcohol gels than no soap/gel at all, so I never know what to do for the best. But I always take the gel when I need to work in London!

Washing hands after using the loo should be a given, but honestly listening to some people on here I'm surprised we're all still alive! best not to overthink these things