public loos - sit or crouch?

harrigran I do the same - it's one reason I wear a scarf of some kind!
phoenix so do I - always have.
And I don't doubt that the vast majority of the population don't bottle-wash. But, as you will meet very few who include it in the course of conversation, you're unlikely to know exactly how many do do it

I think there should be some mechanism which prevents users of public loos from leaving the facility until they've washed their hands properly. Maybe a scanning device which detects numbers of fecal bacteria remaining on hands....? :D

....and severing the hands if they try to dodge it....

I can't remember who suggested that plastic loo seats might be more hygienic than wooden ones. Wood is naturally antibacterial, so actually less of a concern than plastic.

There was a survey in the UK about frequency of washing hands. I can't remember the outcome exactly but it was something along the lines that the average person washes their hands three or four times day. I, for one, wash my hands more often than that when I am preparing food, never mind all the rest of the day.

Don't eat the free peanuts on the bar!

All I can think is that husband and I, who have travelled all over the world using public loos and simply washing our hands after - as you do - must have cast iron immune systems.

I read some research recently that said any kind of washing, soap, gel, whatever, is equally effective. Hot water better than cold. Effect lasts for a very short time. I worry about the women in public loos who put the tips of their fingers briefly under the tap then leave. I worry more about the ones who don't wash at all, especially if I see they are then serving at the counter.

Is it an age thing or are we just more aware these days? I'm much more fastidious about hand washing etc. than I used to be, and I never buy any foods that are displayed without a cover, eg; olives, cakes or bread.

I wonder if these workers wash their hands properly, who knows.

I certainly won't be buying sandwiches again.

Greencore sandwich factory in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, gets through 300,000 loaves of bread every week
Three million sandwiches are made by army of 2,000 workers who use their bare hands to put together your lunch
Sandwiches are sold at chain stores ranging from M&S and the Co-op to Sainsbury’s, Asda and Boots
Half of the company's workers are from outside the UK, and many at the 24-hour factory are Polish agency workers

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3114625/How-make-lunchtime-sarnie-s-hands-Britain-s-biggest-sandwich-factory-migrant-workers-help-churn-THREE-MILLION-week.html#ixzz3dUtQAqDu
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phoenix I just don't understand your comment about OCD/CDO. What is CDO?

I wonder if OCD traits are more likely to be found in personality types who inhabit internet forums, such as this one.

I have OCD btw. Fighting it like hell, and wishing I'd never read this thread.

Well, you could always get your sarnies from Waitrose instead

Bare hands are bare hands, whether they are Polish hands or not. The nationality is irrelevant. They should all wear gloves. Eurgh.

They should also be wearing masks. Everyone.

Lona ditto. I never buy cakes/scones/bread displayed without a cover at cafes etc. The National Trust is a prime culprit - at least in many of the places we've visited. Maybe we are more aware, but far too many people ignore basic hygiene measures. It's selfish and puts others at risk. Anecdotally, many experience basic conditions, including whilst travelling abroad, and don't get ill, but that doesn't mean we should be complacent about the risks. Just aware, and careful.

jingl Maybe it was a joke? I didn't get it either....

If you are a cyclist or a hiker in the great outdoors just finding a public loo can be difficult. You have to learn to pee in a field or behind a hedge and of course you have to squat. It's not only in the countryside: the A6 between Lancaster and Preston does not have a single public toilet anywhere along it.

I think the CDO thing was a joke - you know, someone whose OCD manifests itself by HAVING to have everything in the right order, hence the acronym is in alphabetical order.

I have to say I'm a little bemused by the number of people who use various bits of their clothing - scarves, cardigan sleeves etc. - to open the exit doors from the toilets. If I don't want germs on my hands, I definitely don't want them on my clothes! I'd be more inclined to use a tissue and then bin it.

Rowantree you are the one mentioning race, I am just highlighting this story. There are dirty people all over the world.

Jokes should be accessible. [grump grump]

I think things are getting a bit extreme re. fear of other people's germs. If you think about it we'd never go anywhere andl live in a bubble. Not only loo doors, but bus bells, stair rails, lift buttons, everything you buy has been handled by staff......

Just keep your hands clean and live your life!

What is the difference between OCD and a germ phobia I wonder. I haven't got the compulsive bit of OCD, thank goodness.

Yes! You are so right *Pittcity^! Good one. (breath of fresh air on this thread in fact)

I always keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer in my bag. I use it after I leave a public loo ( having already washed my hands). Using bits of clothing to open the doors seems a bit odd. Do you wash your coats and scarves every time you use a public loo ?

Ooh yes! Preferably in a boil-wash!
(joking)

My sister and I were in a ladies in a hospital corridor, we were at a basin and a nurse came out of a cubicle and made to walk straight out into the corridor, my sister bellowed "HANDS" well she should have known better, if she felt shame she didn't show it.

Find a loo first. Now that there are fewer public toilets, it's time we could use toilets in shops and restaurants without having to be a customer. I think that is standard in the US.

Sorry Jingl

harrigran that is disgraceful! (The nurse, I mean, not your sister )

phoenix!