DRUMMER CAFE

Do you wash your hands regularly? Do you wash your hands after using the toilet? Given the nature of these questions you probably don't want to answer. 

I rarely get sick, but for the last few days I've had a low-grade fever. I believe the reason I don't get as sick as some is that I wash my hands regularly, especially after using the toilet.

Hand washing is a simple habit to develop, and when done properly, is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. This simple habit requires only soap and warm water.

Antibacterial soaps have become increasingly popular, but studies have shown that they are no more effective at killing germs than regular soap. Research has also shown that using antibacterial soaps may lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the products' antimicrobial agents, which means it will be even harder to kill these germs in the future. In general, regular soap is just fine. The combination of scrubbing your hands with soap and rinsing them with water loosens and removes bacteria from your hands.

I'm amazed how many men don't wash their hands after using the toilet. Whether I'm at a restaurant, club or other public venue, I see men do their thing and walk straight out the door! If that's you, are you so busy that you can take 30 seconds to wash your hands, keeping yourself and the rest of us healthy?

Despite the proven health benefits of hand washing, many people don't practice the habit ... at least not as often as they should (even after using the toilet). What many don't realize is that throughout the day you accumulate germs on your hands from a variety of sources, such as direct contact with people (eg. shaking hands), contaminated surfaces (eg. faucet handles, door knobs, computer keyboards, drumsticks, etc.), contaminated foods ... even animals and animal waste. If you don't wash your hands frequently enough, you can infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth. And you can spread these germs to others by touching them or by touching surfaces that they also touch.

That being said, here's my hand washing technique:

• Wet my hands with warm, running water and apply liquid soap (or clean bar soap).
• Lathering well, I rub my hands vigorously together for at least 15 to 20 seconds.
• Scrub all surfaces of my hands, including the backs of the hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails. I sometimes use a brush to get under the nails when I know I've got germs on the hands.
• Rinse well with warm water.
• Dry my hands with a clean or disposable towel.

When I'm in a public restroom:

• Use the towel to turn off the faucet.
• Use the towel to open the door to the restroom as I leave.

Many people forget that after they wash THEIR hands, they still have to protect themselves from those that did not wash their hands. If I see an employee at a food establishment not wash their hands, I report them to the supervisor.

I keep an antibacterial soap in my vehicle to use when I can't get to a restroom to wash my hands. My whole family uses the antibacterial soap when we leave a public place where we've been in contact with surfaces and people, contaminated or not. My first choice is always soap and water, but if that's not available I'll use the antibacterial soap.


Spreading germs is a serious thing. If you don't believe me, check this out ...

Infectious diseases that are commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact include the common cold, flu and several gastrointestinal disorders, such as infectious diarrhea. While most people will get over a cold, the flu can be much more serious. Some people with the flu, particularly older adults and people with chronic medical problems, can develop pneumonia. The combination of the flu and pneumonia, in fact, is the eighth-leading cause of death among Americans.

Inadequate hand hygiene also contributes to food-related illnesses, such as salmonella and E. coli infection. In fact I just read that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 76 million Americans get a food-borne illness each year. Of these, about 5,000 die as a result of their illness. Others experience the annoying signs and symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

So do us all (and yourself) a favor ... wash your hands regularly, especially after using the toilet.

Thanks for the message Bart.    I agree with everything said. Now I have to teach my grandson what I've known for many years. That's going to be a major chore. Kids have a tendancy to ignore what they bring home from school. 

I agree. I think some guys think their stuff isn't dirty so they don't need to wash, or just want to touch as little in the batchroom as possible anyway.
I follow my routine to the 't' every time.

I also believe the body needs to build up its defences, so I don't go overboard on the antibaterial stuff. There's been studies on the overuse of those too and the possible effects on kids. Its interesting the huge increase of allergies and the body overreacting to many things, like peanuts and such.

I think this pales in comparison to the nightcap afterward...

Don't forget to wipe your sticks down with alcohol. Never know who last picked those suckers up. I've seen other people mess with my sticks while on break. Not much, but it does happen more than you know. Same goes with putting fingers on cymbals. People are crude and don't realize what they did to your stuff. Same goes with drum bags. Wipe the handles off once in a while.   

Geez Bart, talk about being anal!. Um, I do the same thing. Fastest way to transfer any bacteria to your body is through your hands touching your eyes, nose, or lips. I keep my fingernails short. I do the paper towel opening the door thing and simply toss it on the floor! if there is no waste basket. I probably wash my hands 5 or more times daily. Ill open restroom doors with the front of my foot or knuckles if its a push open door at times. Ok....so im anal, im anal about snare drums to! .

Thank you Bart for posting this.  It takes guts to address the fact that the majority of men dont wash their hands after going to the bathroom.  I tend to think its a matter of being lazy-

Im a complete germ phobic individual.  I have been since I was little kid.  I do whatever I can to avoid public restrooms-even at work and we have a service that maintains the the bathrooms.  I avoid handshakes when I can.  I tell people to cover their mouths when they cough-I dont pass through the space someone is in if they sneeze.  I tell people they shouldnt spit if I see them spit.

In a restaurant I immediately go to the bathroom and wash my hands after reading the menu and ordering.  I NEVER touch anything in or near the bathroom.  I dont flush after using the toilet.  I always use the generous wad of paper towels to shut the water off and open the door when I leave.  I have casually told men that its very unsanitary to not wash their hands if I witness them not doing so.  Its led to verbal exchanges on numerous occaisions.  One time it ended up openly voiced by me in front of the whole restaurant!  The police were even summoned and the nasty no hand washing individual and his date/wife left!

The mere thought of not washing our hands-REGULARLY-appals me.

In fact, Im going to go wash them right now-

Hm. Interesting approach.  I think that contributes to the overall unsanitary conditions in public spaces.  Works for you, but sticks it to the next guy coming into the stall. No one likes to see Mr. Hanky saying "HI-DEE-HO" when they look down.

Same idea with stepping on the lever.  I see that approach quite a bit. Now all the grody stuff that was on the floor is now up on the toilet and on the next guys' hands...Maybe yours.

Always flush, but use some toilet paper to protect yourself. 

And for me handshakes are a part of doing business. Can't avoid 'em.

So I'm never without a bottle of Purell hand sanitizer.  I use it whenever I leave the street and enter a building (office, eatery, home, etc.) or whenever I feel the need (I had to grab the handrail walking up the subway steps this morning.  Squirted a shot into my palm and rubbed it in, no problems.)

Also, another good practice is to never touch your face with your hands unless they are clean. There are tons of blood vessels right up next to the surface of the skin in the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) and germs can get into your body lickety-split.  This was a HUGE thing when I was a DI at Parris Island. Touching, or worse yet, scratching was a big no no for the recruits.

With 80 men sharing a squad bay, the potential for an outbreak of Recruit Crud was extremely high.  We took every precaution imaginable, and then some!  Ha!

I've worked with special needs children for the past year or so, and being around elementary school students has made me a believer in regular handwashing. 
I try to be the fun teacher who gives high-fives all around, but when many of the kids are coughing in their hands or picking their noses, one must keep scrubbing the germs away.

And I don't know if anyone has mentioned public drinking fountains, but young children have a habit of sucking the water out, rather than drinking it.  If you ever visit a school and expect to drink water, be sure to bring your own cup and duck into the teacher's lounge to fill it up.

I always wash my hands after using the restroom.  Some of my friends will make fun of me, but the result is I don't get sick that often, maybe one or twice a year.  When I do get sick, a cold typically lasts only a couple days.  When I worked in restaurants I washed my hands constantly, especially when dealing with money and credit cards.