PARANOID BATHROOM TIP OF THE WEEK 2

Those of you that do care about bathroom etiquette, generally think carefully about sanitation as well. Let others call you obsessive compulsive, while they amiably pass around the plague. Here are some tips for keeping the experience as clean as possible.

TIP 2
Pre-pump the hand towel

In a future post, I’ll discuss in depth the engineering idiocy of having to re-dirty your hands on a self-crank paper towel dispenser. For now, I’ll submit that you can expect this customarily wet germ dispenser to give you a bonus dose of the flu or cholera with each helping of towel. You simply can’t know who just wiped an ass, blew a nose, or engaged in some unspeakable activity before touching it. So, before you wash your hands (unless using an automatic dispenser), spend a moment to dispense your hand towel in advance of washing. Thus, you bypass the chance of undoing all the good you just did.

Yes, on occasion some jackass will slip into your bubble and snag your pre-pumped towel. That’s the major disadvantage of public bathrooms – the inclusion of the rest of the public. If that happens, do as the shampoo salesman suggests – rinse, lather and repeat. There’s also the too frequent possibility that the towel dispenser will be empty. If lucky, you had the forethought to stick a paper towel in your pocket. Otherwise, you’re stuck flinging your hands dry or using your pants. But, if you are stuck with the air dryer only option (one more spectacular reason to avoid McDonalds), by all means dry your hands. Just be careful to avoid touching the button. Ideally, use an elbow or some body part you won’t likely stick in your eye later. The big concern is then avoiding door handles on the way out. Best of luck with that.