To my colleagues (and others) that don’t wash their hands in the bathroom….

[Anonymous]

Hand sanitizers are good in a pinch but I can't justify using them as your primary hand washing. Just the principle of the thing for me - it's like the treadmill at the gym on a gorgeous fall day. Go run outside.

And the fact is - your colleagues do not think you are using sanitizer at your desk. They think you are disgusting. And they talk about you behind your back.

Sorry, I'd rather work with the people who have bottles of hand sanitizer on their desks. People that use sanitizer after the bathroom almost certainly have cleaner hands than those who either wash or skip it. And if your real issue is that you don't know what your colleagues are doing, you have serious control issues and probably need to ask your supervisor for more work because you have too much time on your hands if you have time to discuss the potty habits of others. Unless of course you are in middle school, when that sort of conversation is more appropriate!

[Anonymous]

I'm a crazy non-hand washing pooper, I'm going to touch your desks at work tomorrow!! The horror, the horror!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm the hand sanitizer user. My colleagues know exactly what I'm doing, because we've actually had this chat after someone read an article about the amount of poo found on various surfaces in the average public restroom. We shared it, laughed about it, and agreed that it was disgusting to wash your hands only to touch about 14 poo covered surfaces before getting back into the office. So not only do they know what I do, they agree and do the same.

And I'll give you 3 guesses as to why the surfaces in your bathroom are covered in poo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe in hand washing, but clearly the topic has some people unhinged. It's like watching a Monk episode. Funny.

Agreed! I wash my hands regularly (especially since I have a toddler - now there's something with poo on it), I rarely get sick, but my goodness. Some folks here just seem to enjoy working themselves into a tizzy.

[Anonymous]

It's amazing to think how we survived as a species for thousands of years without soap or running water!...

If you think it is bad here in the US, where antibacterials are pushed like crazy, i don't know how you'd survive in the developing world. Do you just not travel??

There is a whole group of scientists who actually think excessive handwashing may be detrimental to our health because it impedes our bodies' ability develop immunity.

[Anonymous]

And.. excessive use of antibacterial soaps creates resistance to antibacterial products - that could end up being a much worse problem that a few poo particles in your system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I honestly do not understand the logic of not washing one's hands after one uses the restroom. And yes, we all think of you who don't do it as dirty and disgusting.

Wash your goddamn hands people. Christ. This should not be an issue that is up for discussion. There's no defensible position for not washing.

Yes.

[Anonymous]

WWJD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WWJD?

There's a couple of really tasteless jokes set up perfectly here - something about the poop just falling through . . .

[Anonymous]

OP, just wash your hands and mind your business. If you are watching people's bathroom habits you have bigger problems than clean hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to think how we survived as a species for thousands of years without soap or running water!...

If you think it is bad here in the US, where antibacterials are pushed like crazy, i don't know how you'd survive in the developing world. Do you just not travel??

There is a whole group of scientists who actually think excessive handwashing may be detrimental to our health because it impedes our bodies' ability develop immunity.

What the hell do you think hand sanitizer is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to think how we survived as a species for thousands of years without soap or running water!...

If you think it is bad here in the US, where antibacterials are pushed like crazy, i don't know how you'd survive in the developing world. Do you just not travel??

There is a whole group of scientists who actually think excessive handwashing may be detrimental to our health because it impedes our bodies' ability develop immunity.

What the hell do you think hand sanitizer is?

My husband grew up in South America and he laughs at how much we sanitize things. Let me tell you, the hygiene practices down there when he was younger would make most posters here cringe. That said, he has the strongest immune system of anyone I know. He only very rarely gets sick. His whole family (who now reside here), rarely get sick.

[Anonymous]

Ok, here's an article that anyone with an opinion on this thread should read. And for those of you too lazy to get all the way to the end, I'm cutting and pasting the last line:

Or you can ... wash your hands sensibly after using the bathroom and around meals, and stop wasting money on hand sanitizers.

http://www.slate.com/id/2245896/

[Anonymous]

Ok, here's an article that anyone with an opinion on this thread should read. And for those of you too lazy to get all the way to the end, I'm cutting and pasting the last line:

Or you can ... wash your hands sensibly after using the bathroom and around meals, and stop wasting money on hand sanitizers.

http://www.slate.com/id/2245896/

Uh, thanks, but I don't think anyone here is trying to make the case that sanitizer protects them from the flu.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I'm the hand sanitizer user. My colleagues know exactly what I'm doing, because we've actually had this chat after someone read an article about the amount of poo found on various surfaces in the average public restroom. We shared it, laughed about it, and agreed that it was disgusting to wash your hands only to touch about 14 poo covered surfaces before getting back into the office. So not only do they know what I do, they agree and do the same.

And I'll give you 3 guesses as to why the surfaces in your bathroom are covered in poo.

Well, the poo on the faucets aren't caused by the people not washing their hands. . . it is from the handwashers. And after you wash your hands and turn off the sink, you are getting more poo on your hands, which you then transfer to the door on your way out . . .