Found these tidbits of info on the internet - yuck - I'm a rigid germaphobe so I'm surprised at these statistics - and then again, maybe not.
Confessions: I NEVER wear underwear more than once before washing them out - and wash my hands constantly since I am the household food preparer (in fact in public places, I turn off the faucets with paper towels and exit the doors with paper towels to protect hands, throw them away outside of bathrooms). I line strange toilets with strips of toilet paper before sitting down. I soak produce in 2.5 acidic water to remove germs, wash my meat like a racoon before cooking - gross out at gas pump handles. I carry wet wipes in my purse and annoy my family by handing them out before eating in a restaurant. I won't let people walk in the beds or get in them in clothes they wear outside the house (except "H" ignores my "nutty rules"). I prefer that people remove their shoes before walking in the house. I never, never, never eat off the floor - well maybe if I drop, like blueberries - then I wash them off with the 2.5 water first.
Not asking anyone else what they do, confess if you are brave - but thought this was interesting anyway - - -
How Dirty Are You?
Posted: 2009-05-20 10:41:57
Provided by Glamour
Glamour polled nearly 1,000 women on everything from sitting on public toilets to rewearing dirty clothes, then sent the results to Billy Goldberg, M.D., and Mark Leyner, authors of "Let's Play Doctor." Here, find out which habits are unhealthy -- and which are filthy but fine.
Ever Wear Dirty Clothes? A full 85 percent of women have.
Says Penny, 32: "Isn't that what Febreze is for?" Yes -- just draw the line at underwear (which 52 percent of poll-takers have reworn). According to microbiologist Charles Gerba, Ph.D., there is roughly a tenth of a gram of fecal matter in worn undies; that translates to about 100 million E. coli bacteria, which, in ferreting through your laundry, may get on your hands. Then, if you rub your eyes or, God forbid, eat a sandwich, you could get sick. If you're a regular hamper digger, wash your hands after rooting around in there.
Have You Ever Peed in the Shower? Almost 75 percent of poll-takers have.
Let's start with a few facts: Toilet flushing accounts for almost 27 percent of indoor water use in a home. The amount used per flush ranges from a gallon in eco-friendly models to a whopping seven in older types. Where are we going with this? We beseech you: Save water. Save the planet! Pee in the shower! OK, we won't insist. But it isn't really that gross. Unless you have an infection, urine is sterile and nontoxic. Proponents of "urine therapy" even believe it can help treat athlete's foot. Heck, Dr. Billy freely admits that he is a shameless shower squirter.
Do You Follow the Five-Second Rule? More than 40 percent of women eat food that's fallen on the floor.
First, what floor are we talking about? There's a NASA Clean Room floor, and then there's the floor of a restroom in the Port Authority bus terminal near Times Square. But either way, the five-second rule -- which states that if you retrieve a morsel quickly enough, it's safe -- isn't exactly true. Researchers tossed food on grimy flooring and found that it was germy after just a few seconds. Since it takes very little bacteria to make you sick, it's a good idea to toss fallen food into the trash.
Do You Go Barefoot at the Gym? 32 percent of women admitted doing it.
Sorry, going barefoot is not a good thing to do at the gym. Even if you're not worried about slipping on wet feet, you should be wary of the stuff found in sweaty, steamy places that can cause athlete's foot and plantar warts. If your feet (and the areas between your toes) remain moist, an infection can grow…and grow. So splurge on a pair of $1.99 drugstore flip-flops.
Do You Brush Your Teeth Every Night? 43 percent of poll-takers said they don't.
Brushing before bed always seemed like a no-brainer to us. Skip it, and you're giving the germs in your mouth time to multiply, especially since the production of bacteria-killing saliva decreases when you sleep. All this can lead to cavities and gum disease -- and many studies suggest that the bacteria responsible for gum disease may also play a role in heart trouble. If that won't get you brushing, consider this: These nasty little germs emit gases called volatile sulfur compounds, which smell like a porta-potty.
How Often Do You Shower? Almost a third of women said they don't lather up every day.
Grody? Depends on how much you sweat. Unhealthy? Nah. Stink-causing bacteria feast on sweat released by your apocrine glands, which are concentrated in areas like your armpits and groin. The longer these germs are allowed to grow, the smellier you get. They pose no health risk, but you may clear out a row at the multiplex.
Do You Wash Up After Using the Bathroom? 24 percent of women don't do it every time.
"I'll scrub if I'm about to eat, but if I'm in and out real quick and don't pee on myself, why wash?" asks Alanna, 25. Here's why: When you wipe, your hand is awfully close to the source of stomach-churning E. coli. A little time at the sink will prevent those germs from finding their way into your mouth and causing you -- or a person you shake hands with -- some nasty gastrointestinal distress. Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the transmission of disease of almost any kind. So without question, wash up after using the bathroom. And do it right: According to a recent study involving a supposedly "unobtrusive" research-observer hiding in a toilet stall, 63 percent of women washed their hands after using the bathroom, but only 38 percent used soap (a must) and a measly 2 percent did it for 10 or more seconds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 15 to 20 seconds. (Note: If you ever find someone sitting in a toilet stall with a clipboard, please demand her credentials.)
Billy Goldberg, M.D., is a host of the weekly Sirius Satellite Radio show "Doctor Radio," and novelist Mark Leyner is writing a screenplay called Hurricane Jerry.
2009-05-20 10:06:56
8 comments:
Interesting.
I never re-wear underwear.
I haven't peed in the shower since childhood.
I follow the 5 second rule at home only - and then only if the floor has recently been cleaned.
Never go barefoot @ the gym.
Yes, I brush my teeth every night.
I usually shower every other day, unless I've done something stink-inducing.
I ALWAYS wash my hands after using the toilet - and I wash properly, too.
after 30 years of working in a hospital, i am ace at proper handwashing, do a 3 second rule at home, unless it's my prozac then it's a 2 minute rule, always brush my toofies 2x a day never go to the gym, so i don't worry about that one, i pee in the shower when i need to, and like WC, I shower every-other day or so until summer then it might be 2 x a day.i have been known to go commando on occasion, so i don't re-wear my undies, except the boxers i sleep in. and now that we are thru painting the rental etc, i will change my clothes everyday.
That's kinda disturbing. I'm not a clean freak or anything, but I draw the line at most of that stuff. I'll eat something that's fallen on the floor only if it's something hard, like a carrot, that can be washed repeatedly.
I found that pretty interesting. I was really surprised how many people said they do those things.
I thought the peeing in the shower was hilarious! Now...I wonder how many people will begin doing it to save water?
LOL, never thought of peeing in the shower as a way to conserve water. I remember once one of my kids got 3 months of cleaning duty in a Jr. High school shower room for peeing in the shower after a gym class. That's a whole other post - those humilating public showers in the shcools - ohhhh yeh, I remember plantar warts - foot fungus -
Remember East Jr High's Miss Bender? Liked to run her finger down your back to make sure you were wet BEFORE handing you a towel the size of a slice of bread. Plantar warts, fungus and humiliation..planting seeds of dysfunction.
I am the resident OSHA/WISHA witch at my Doc's office. A freak about washing hands, and a battle constant with property management not managing the cleaning crew. They don't do floors very well. YUK!
Our exam beds are wiped down with disinfectant wipes after each patient.
Oh, I had never seen a flea until I moved to Washington! It takes perseverance to get rid of those nasty things.
Shower every day, brush and floss, clean underwear. 5 second rule? Depends on whose floor. Don't set your purses on public bathroom floors, and I wipe the steering wheel in my car with a wipe, often. Shoes off at the front door. Door knobs/handles, grocery carts eewww...
Bicka, yas, I am becoming aware of the germs on the bottom of my purse too - eh gad, is this the meaning of old age? I've noticed our hospitals aren't clean like they used to be - the floors are scary - no wonder so many infections. When boy was up there, they came in and put the container for the IV equip on the dirty floor by the ER cot and proceeded to put his line in. Errrggg.
What's also scaring me is the amount of skin problems we are having to Dr for "H" - its like meat in its raw form is a breeding ground for really weird fungus thingies -
You guys in health field deserve vacations at least every four months! I "tried" to do OSHA thing at work, man they fight tooth and claw - we did have good custodians - but that is a whole other issue - many peeps are more interested in making the work place dysfunctional rather than efficient...
Oh dear, poor gym teacher, remember when every one put me up to stealing a knife from the cafeteria and putting it between the towels in her room - everyone so fed up with her privacy invasions and wanting to get even - and the blood curdling scream - boy - I can't believe everyone kept their mouths shut....then the cute male gym teacher who oogled the girls crotches during gymnastics - are all gym teachers a bit strange?
I never ever re-wear underwear. And never, EVER, EVER sit down on a public toilet. NEVER. Not even if the seat is covered with 720586 layers of tissue paper. NEVER!!!
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