[TrappedInLiberalHell]

If people would just wash their hands after using the restroom, these kinds of things wouldn't happen. One of my pet peeves about restrooms is that so many of them require you to pull a handle on the exit door. So even if you wash YOUR hands, you can still get infected by someone who didn't wash before you.

It may seem anal (no pun intended), but I've been known to use a paper towel to open bathroom doors. In addition to door handles faucets should be foot-pedal operated, or auto-shutoff, so that you don't have to touch ANY contaminated surface after washing your hands. It won't prevent all infections, but it seems to me like it would cut them down significantly.

I got some basic information on Norwalk symptoms and causes here.

[blam]

" So even if you wash YOUR hands, you can still get infected by someone who didn't wash before you. "

That's why I use the towel that I dried my hands with to open the door.

[AnnaZ]

One of my pet peeves about restrooms is that so many of them require you to pull a handle on the exit door. So even if you wash YOUR hands, you can still get infected by someone who didn't wash before you.

I'm with you on this one. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

 

It may seem anal (no pun intended), but I've been known to use a paper towel to open bathroom doors.

Me, too. But in those restrooms that only have the dryer (ARRRRGHHH!!), I use my elbow.

[Bella_Bru]

It may seem anal (no pun intended), but I've been known to use a paper towel to open bathroom doors.

I always cover my hand with my sleeve when opening any door.

[Rodney King]

If people would just wash their hands after using the restroom, these kinds of things wouldn't happen. One of my pet peeves about restrooms is that so many of them require you to pull a handle on the exit door. So even if you wash YOUR hands, you can still get infected by someone who didn't wash before you. It may seem anal (no pun intended), but I've been known to use a paper towel to open bathroom doors. In addition to door handles faucets should be foot-pedal operated, or auto-shutoff, so that you don't have to touch ANY contaminated surface after washing your hands. It won't prevent all infections, but it seems to me like it would cut them down significantly.

Hey, I found someone else like me! I usually use a towel to open the door, and then drop it on the floor. Yeah, it's littering, but they ought to have bathrooms designed so that I can use them without getting sick. In my observations, at least 50% of people do not wash their hands.

In any event, I have taken to carrying Purel around with me. Some bathrooms are so bad that the process of touching the faucet, getting a towel, and opening the door is much dirtier than having taken a wiz.

In some instances, I now just don't wash my hands at all, but instead use the Purel right when I leave the bathroom.

[niteowl77]

LOL! The men's can at work has traditionally been nasty, and the workforce at one time had a large number of hygenically challenged people. That combination led to techniques that kept just-washed hands from those dreaded door handles, and my department of four dealt with the situation in four different manners.

Still, some people are not convinced that soap is desirable, let alone necessary. The king of the staff perps was once witnessed finishing a typical whiz- he zipped up while turning from the urinal, looked in the mirror, licked one of his hands and smoothed back his hair. Having completed his styling, he grabbed the door handle and made his exit, sans soap and water. Too cool to wash, but not too cool to share pathogens.

That's when you really want TWO layers of paper towels between you and the doorknob.