See! They want me to be OCD!
Recently, when taking one or more of my kids to the pediatrician, I used the bathroom, there. There was a sign above the sink, titled “Hand Hygiene”, which lists a series of bullet points for cleaning hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and another list of bullets for washing hands with soap and water. What struck me as interesting, and compelled me to take a picture of the sign, was the last bullet point under the soap-and-water section: “Use dry towel to turn off the faucet”. Click the thumbnail below to see the whole sign.
To me, someone with some degree of OCD (I wash my hands too much, flush toilets with my foot, open doors with paper towels/my sleeve, etc.), this sign sounds like it’s justifying my actions. I don’t always turn off faucets with a paper towel, but when it’s a particularly grungy-looking sink, I often do.
Most of the time I use one pinky finger to turn off faucets, when possible, because I don’t like to leave the water running the whole time that I’m getting paper towels, drying my hands, then finally turning off the faucet. But if the bathroom conditions warrant it (hmm.. now that I think of it, the bathroom at work probably does, since so many people don’t bother washing their hands (or even flushing!)), I will waste the water and use a paper towel.
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June 20th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I think it’s only OCD if it exceeds the scope of logic. And, it is quite logical not to get your freshly-cleaned hands on something that people touch BEFORE they clean their hands…
June 21st, 2007 at 8:32 pm
But what about the paper-towel dispenser handle being all wet? Yuck!! (That’s what happens at my work.) At least I know it’s clean wet…
Clint was surprised that I do not use the toilet-seat protectors at work, but the bathrooms are never in a state that I feel like it’s unsanitary enough to justify me using one. I think it’s much worse for me to flush one of those huge paper things down the toilet everytime I go. Too much pollution. If the toilet is wet or nasty in any way shape or form and i *have* to use it, then I would use a toilet-seat protector thing. Otherwise, I don’t feel it’s necessary. But keep in mind, I’m talking about the bathrooms at work, not about some random public restroom. At a rest stop or bar, or anywhere like that, of course. The bathrooms at my work are really very clean (we have a great cleaning crew.)
Speaking of public restroom, I hate how women are like “Eww, toilets are nasty, therefore, I’m just going to sort of crouch above it.” They end up peeing everywhere and create the same very nastiness they are trying to avoid by crouching above it. A seat-protector is not going to save someone from sitting in wetness!!!
June 24th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
You can get some towels out BEFORE finishign washing your hands, and then you don’t have to touch a wet towel dispenser knob. That’s what I do.
And not using seat-protectors is just gross!