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-
Sigh. One of the things that really annoys me is when people do not flush. I don't care WHAT your little reason for not flushing is: PLEASE FLUSH IT! Okay?
It's considerate of the next user!! No, I don't care if it's just urine. And I don't care if it's CLEAR urine. If you urinate in the toilet, and it's clear, and then I sit down to take a crap and splash-back occurs, guess who's urine is now on my butt? Yours. Thank you for being so inconsiderate. Or, what about when I have to go so badly that I run up to the urinal, and start peeing on top of your urine? Guess what happens THEN? Don't you think that I'm now getting fine particles of your urine on my body, and not just on my hands? And let's not forget the smell. Oh, I hate it so intensely when I'm going in a urinal and I'm forced to smell somebody else's strong odor just because I didn't have the patience to flush it first. That makes me so angry. I mutter things like, "inconsiderate moron."
I'm well aware that there are people who don't like to touch anything in a bathroom, so they just don't flush. But there are very easy ways to flush without making physical contact with it, such as a paper towel, a piece of toilet paper, or your shoe. Come on. This isn't rocket science. Let's take the extra 3 seconds to go out of our way to be considerate of the next person.
Oh, and as for actually SITTING on a public toilet seat: I wipe it down with a lot of elbow grease first, and then I make sure I remember to wash where the seat touched my body the next time I shower. So, sitting on a public toilet seat doesn't phase me.
And one more thing: What about you people who like to make the restroom door handle wet because you didn't dry your hands thoroughly? That's disgusting. How am I to know that's just clean water?
Oh wait, that reminds me: what's with you guys who can't throw your paper towels INTO THE GARBAGE? Why do you have to let it fall to the floor? Who cares if you missed? Pick it up and throw it away. What if you were the janitor?
Speaking of being a janitor, what's the deal with you people who stand too far away from the urinal or the toilet when urinating and end up getting many drops of your urine on the floor? Do you really think you're THAT LONG? I have news for you: you're not. Stand closer. I'm sick of seeing your urine on the floor. To this day, I have been 100% consistent with checking after I urinate to make sure I did not get any of it on the floor. And to this day, I have not because I always stand close enough. There was one time a few drops fell on the rim of the toilet, BUT I WIPED IT OFF. Why? Think about what COULD happen with a certain body part as you sit down on the toilet. It might touch the tip of the rim right there, and thus you might get somebody else's nasty urine or spit (I've seen a big goober sitting there a few times) on your special member.
And finally, what's with you people who urinate into the toilet without lifting the seat? I'm SO INTENSELY SICK of walking into the stall only to find that it's decorated with many yellow drops. There's soap and water. Lift the toilet seat, do your business, FLUSH IT, and then wash your hands. It's so extremely easy.
Sigh...
End of rant. I'm sorry. I guess I have problems.
P.S. I can't imagine having a teething baby and not caring about it enough to make sure it avoid teething on objects I have not approved of (such as a grocery cart handle. How disgusting.)
