Urine is generally a very clean source of fluid and is generally regarded as sterile when leaving the body. Bacterial infection does not come from your hands being covered in Urine, it only encourages the bacteria, which was on the hands originally.

The League of Gentleman : Dentons Aqua Vita

Warning the following link is not for those of a hygenic disposition. (British Toilet Humour )

"...what was the baker doing before he came to serve me?..."

Think the "Poppy" episode of Seinfeld...

Yeah, I'm glad the CDC wasted scads of money to tell the public what pretty much every man could say.

I liked that CDC wasting money comment! How true!

When I was in school I used to eat at a sushi place at least weekly. It was an all-u-can-eat place, and I promptly stopped when I was in the washroom with the SUSHI chef, who used the urinal and then, without washing his hands, went straight to rolling sushi.

I still like alcohol simply because it doesn't leave a residue on the hands, the way the quaternary ammonium compound hand sanitizers (foaming non-alcohol ones) do. While the residue is protective, I'd prefer to not have the extra exposure. I am not too worried about ridding the normal flora as it is generally difficult to do so with the alcohol, but I am always worried about damaging the skin by drying, and making it more prone to cuts/irritations. So I add a ml of glycerin to 60 mls or so of 70% alcohol and use that as my rub.

How does one use the hand sanitizers without contaminating the bottle?

5 second rule...

If you can pop the top, squirt, and cover your hands in 5 seconds, the bottle will be OK. LOL

I love British Humour!

I think the CDC story is incomplete, and their discounting of disposable gloves in lieu of handwashing is not practical. Here's why:

Washing with ordinary soap removes a great deal of the microbials and filth clinging to the skins surface, but soap is not itself a disinfectant, only a surfactant, unless it is adulterated with some anti-microbial component. The problem with using anti-microbial soap is that it isn't strong enough to be a contact disinfectant, meaning you have to keep it on the skin for an extended period for it to do it's job. Anything strong enough to kill on contact is going to harm the skin. How many people spend more than thirty seconds to a minute at the sink washing their hands? Still, washing would be better than nothing, except for re-contamination as soon as they touch something. If they aren't wearing gloves, then they will inevitably recontaminate themselves.

In biology class, we did an experiement, culturing samples taken from various parts of the exposed body surface (what you would touch with your hands during the day). We found out that the face/neck area is a breeding ground of pathogens, especially around the mouth. Guess where it is people touch with their hands on their body the most during a day? If the food service guy isn't using gloves, then it is almost as bad as not washing his hands after using the bathroom. That isn't the worst, though. The rags they use to clean your table with, a lot of them aren't kept in sterilizing solution and sit around getting really nasty.

I am an advocate of the alchohol gels, even more for the bleach-based wipes. I am not concerned with contaminating the container, because once I dispense the gel or wipe, I put the container away, then apply the cleaning agent, so no chance for re-contamination from that source.

I suppose it is all for naught, though. A little observation during my daily commutes in NYC and it was obvious that I am inevitably exposed to anything and everything that could harm me, and there's really nothing practical I can do about most of it. It is a fact of our existence, unless you isolate yourself from the public, you are going to be exposed. It is simply a risk that comes with life.

One thing I go to great lengths to avoid is defecating in a public restroom. I can't think of a greater risk of contamination for a guy. Unless I have no other choice, I do my business at home. If I have to go in public, then I minimize my contact as much as is practical. This from a guy who will sit on a log in the woods and do his business and finish up with leaves or even snow (a couple times) if I have to.

You know, on my way out to the east side of the country during the move, I noticed that as I got further and further away from California, less and less public restrooms had toilet seat covers (a.k.a. ***-gaskets) available. In one state though (Indiana, I believe), I found a travel pack of them along with the travel facial tissue packs. Could this be a potential EDC for some of you? Sure. Ask you doctor if ***-gaskets are right for you.

JCW,

I keep packs of those in travel vest and in our daughters' "go-bag" (formerly known as a diaper bag). When you are on a job in Mexico and your lunch suddenly decides to leave, the last thing you want is direct contact with the portapotty. Same goes when I'm out with my 4-yr old daughter. I don't want her in contact with the bathroom floor let alone the toilet seat...

-Blast