UGH...that is so me...I am constantly washing my hands. It gives me the heebie jeebies when I think about all of the other non-handwashers touching stuff! I try no to dwell on it too much though because I can totally see how poor HH ended up wearing Kleenex boxes and never leaving the house.

You're not alone...I'm a FREAK about that too...sort of like buffets! YUCK!

Sonya. The word "buffet" does not exist in my vocab ;) LOL

It's good to have clean hands, but try not to obsess, because that is indeed a short bus ride away from crazyville.

I am so glad to know that there are other germ-o-phobes out there. Sometimes all those germs (and the people carrying them) are all I can think about on my bus ride home, especially on those days when I'm squashed in like a sardine packed in oil. Trust me, the very first thing I do when I get home is wash my hands in hot water and antibacterial soap.

Not to add further insanity to your situation (and I'm hoping I'm not giving you any ideas), but I heard of a man who, because he was shaking a lot of hands with a lot of strange people, kept a Purel dispenser on his belt so he could sanitize after each handshake.

Why is it so easy to picture you as a female Monk, with a hottie male assistant who hands you a wet wipe every time you touch something?

Hope you feel better soon!

Geesh! I'd hate to have to be in a hurry to pee! Security locks on the bathroom??

Acutally, I just give up all together and avoid public restrooms as much as possible.

OMG! I didn't have issues before, but now you've got me doing a mental run-through of every door knob/handle I've touched today & pondering who had touched them before my arrive. ACK! I'm going to wash...

Dudette- you are not crazy. Because, if you're crazy... then I am. The building I work in has not-so-sound-proof restrooms. So you can hear (whether you want to or not) what the person in the next private bathroom (not stall .. an actual room) is doing ... or not doing. Ya know, like NOT WASHING THEIR HANDS WHEN THEY'RE FINISHED!!! (I am shocked (and disgusted) by how many people don't) And I must touch THREE of these doorknobs to get back from the bathroom to the sanctity of my office. THREE. UGHHHHHH! I have turned into Monk .. I swear. I wash my hands in the bathroom ... grudging touch the three doorknobs to get back to my office ... then prompty rewash my hands in the office kitchen. So if that makes you and I a freak ... so be it! Better than having those icky poo germs crawling all over me! BLECK!

For the love of my sanity people ... wash your frickin' hands after using the bathroom!!! Wouldya, please??!!!

I always carry around a small bottle of Dial or Purell. Small thing but should help.

You know those bathroom doors that swing open and you are supposed to push against the metal plate? Umm. No. I push above the plate on the wood - just because.

Or how about in the womens restroom, while doing your business you hear someone flush & just walk out. You do not hear them washing hands! YUCKO! Then you need to start watching shoes, cause heaven forbid you get close to that pot-luck item she brought for lunch! BARF!

Oh, don't you just love that sanitizing hand gel from Bath & Body Works?????

I am suffering from the sam Bird Flu as you. I have one word for ya...ZINC. You *must* embrace the zinc lozenges. No one at work has a clue how riddle with germs I am.

And I've been obsessing over the door knobs too. Must be a bird flu thing.

Nancy... clearly the Bird Flu has made us BATTY. HAHAHAHAHA. Boy I am so funny to myself when stoned on sudafed. wooowee. heh.

Didn't your mother teach you to wash your hands after going to the bathroom?

No, she taught me not to pee on my hands.

Just kidding.....as I sit here with chapped hands from over washing.

Okay, this is gross, but I must share... I have timed my boss going out the door and back in, and there is NO WAY he can pee AND wash his filthy hands in 15 seconds. No freakin' way! The worst part? He asked to use my key card to get back in one day. "Sure, be my guest. And then burn it!"

Oh Auntie Purl...I do understand your aversion to doorknobs and other's germs. HOWEVER, according to my scientific husband (Mr. Larry), once the germs have touched the doorknob and the air, most of the deadliness dissipates into the environment. So, I'd be nervous about people wet-sneezing in your direction more than touching doorknobs, etc. Lay off the Sudafed for awhile if you can, I know that it causes bouts of paranoia and depression (in me, that is). Be well, drink brandy!

I'm pretty obsessive about washing my hands, but it's not because I worry about germs...I just don't like feeling dirty.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

I'm a religious hand-washer, but I don't always think about whether or not OTHER PEOPLE wash their hands. Maybe it's time for me to start carrying around a little bottle of hand sanitizer.

Or I could carry around a teeny can of Lysol and just keep spritzing the doorknobs at my law school. I'm sure no one would find that strange.

When I first heard of locking women's bathrooms at workplaces (the corresponding men's rooms never being locked) I thought it was some kind of sexist women-can't-be-trusted-not-to-waste-time-in-there thing, until it was explained to me that the plan was to keep the perverts out. Lovely world we live in.

Despite my Yankee-scientist view of germs (you gotta expose yourself to 'em so your immune system will know what they look like and put up WANTED posters, and besides, adversity is good for you, don't ask why, it just is), I have to admit that your examples are, well, gross.

I just used up have a bottle of purell. Thanks.

Yep you are a bit obsessive about this. But the best way to prevent disease (especially stuff like colds) is to wash your hands frequently (and keep them away from your face). why don't you buy some of that Purell stuff or similar? It is alcohol based so it doesn't need to be rinsed off. You could keep some on your desk and then maybe little ones in your purse (though i,ve had one that leaked -- it eventually evaporates but smells a bit medicinal) and in your car. It's the stuff they have all over in the hospitals and stuff.

Oops - can't type (spell - whatever)... "half a bottle"

I just washed my hands. Pushed the door with my elbow. Oh, why did you have to write about doorknobs?
I have this tiny little bottle from Avon, it's antibacterial gel, it's in my purse. I do remember to use it, after having a greasy donut from a drive-thru coffee place. That reminds me, I need to go and get a fresh cup of coffee.

My back (upper back, just to clarify the body part itch) started itching. TMI.
going to wash my hands now. Thanks a lot.

You need a box of wipes on your desk so you don't have to keep getting up (unless you are counting the getting up and walking to the break room as exercise, 'cos exercise is important). (And the hot male assistant handing you wipes sounds good too). Also the bath and body works suggestion above is a good one. They have great smelling anti-bacterial lotion that you can keep in your purse, pocket, or on your desk so you can kill germs and keep your hands soft too. Hope the bird flu flies back to wherever it came from and leaves you alone soon.

To combat the yearly flu outbreak my employer gave all employees a little squirter (branded with our company logo, of course) of hand sanitizer! Great in theory, but it doesn't stop the guy across from me from coughing and sneezing in my direction without covering his mouth. I have taken to spraying the hand sanitizer in the air in his direction each time. And he actually called me rude!!!

Your skin is probably doing a good job at keeping germs out of your system. Washing hands and keeping out of the way of people coughing and sneezing is the first step. (Although - most germs probably are dead after a short while on a doorknob). The best way to prevent self-contamination is to NOT PUT YOUR HAND IN YOUR MOUTH. (My PhD is in microbiology, I know sterile laboratory technique like nobody's business.)

That means if you've touched a suspect surface, there is absolutely no nailbiting, no eating or drinking (ie, no licking extra mustard off of fingers, no foods like Cheetos [sorry!] where you keep putting fingers into your mouth), no finger-applied lip gloss, no pens or pencil ends to chew on, etc.

I agree with Lucia's idea of challenging your immune system, it will prepare you with antibodies to fight a true invasion. (Very generally speaking, you will develop "memory" cells that jumpstart antibody production against particular antigens if you had a low-level exposure to them before a big bad infection.)

ahhhCHOOO!!!!!!!

oh, gosh..pardon me! Here let me just..wipe that...

You're right.

It's gross.

But your blog is GREAT!!

(Wow, I got a comment in under the 30 mark!)

Just noticed there are two Nancys, so guess I ought to differentiate myself.

Quick intro: I'm a 40-something wife to one, mom to two teenage sons...well I can only say that today. The eldest turns 20 tomorrow. Yikes. Anyway, I have a serious yarn addiction. I crochet well, but have a burning desire to learn to knit. Actually I can do the knit stitch, but not the purl. Purl eludes me.

I work in PR at a community college in TX. Interviewed for a promotion in mid-Dec. Still waiting for TPTB to flip a coin and make up their minds.

I adore this blog! I read during lunch and it's like having a mug of Joe with a pal. Keep up the good work. And seriously, zinc, lots of zinc.

Yay June for your answer! As an immunologist by training I was goin to try to lay out the basics, but you're there first and did a better job.
I will add - do NOT rub your eyes.
Also I will add - my boss picks her nose in front of you while she's talking with you. Or in a room full of people as she's talking with them. I find that a touch on the gross side, handwashing or no.

Hey Laurie! Been loving your blog since Mike turned me on to it several months ago... we miss you here in the 'boro- its been great to peek into your L.A. life.
I have to agree with the poster who's scientific husband argues that germs don't hang around on smooth, dry surfaces. I've seen some 'news' stories lately (or maybe it was a Mythbusters episode) where they tested toilet seats, butts, faces and hands and the faces and hands tended to have more bacteria than the ol' but and toilet seat. On the flip side, I do find those who can't take a few seconds to WASH THEIR FREAKIN' HANDS dis-gustin'. My mom is totally o.c.d about hand washing and leaves a little trail of paper towels in her wake from all the wiping. It never occurs to her that someone has to come along and pick up her germy residue paper towels.
Take care of yourself girl! Sounds like you need Jack Daniels and Country Ham infusion stat!

This reminds me of a Sex Ed lesson in high school. Do you remember the diagram with all the little circles and squares?

"Think about it, Alice: When you make the decision to have unprotected sex with Rupert the quarterback, then you are actually making the decision (ominous music) TO HAVE SEX WITH EVERY PERSON HE HAS EVER HAD SEXUAL CONTACT WITH. And everybody knows that Rupert is a man whore who has screwed around with the head cheerleaders from at least four other schools."

This lecture was followed by cringe inducing discussions about the forgotten but equally terrifying risks of hand holding, open-mouthed kissing and oral sex.

There should be some sort of condom-equivalent for door handles and hand shaking. Also troublesome is other people using my phone. Bleck.

I am the same way, and it must have rubbed off on the kids, cause my daughter got in trouble one day for refusing to use the restroom at school! My children will NOT use public potties except in dire emergencies, and then I know where the clean ones are. Most stores are switching over to the "no-touch" systems...there is a little maze to walk through (no door), there are little upholstery-covers for the seat, it flushes itself when you get up, and the soap, water, and towels are all automatically dispensed with the aid of electronic eyes. Even at the grocery stores, they now have wipes right next to carts so you can wipe off the handles! I'd say you're no more picky than the average person - be sure to let us know if you start sleeping in an oxygen tent, though!

Oh Purlie, feel my pain, my shower drain has been blocked for two days, and I only just got a plumber to call, and he may, just may, fix it tomorrow, but promises nothing. And will charge me a king's ransom when he does, no doubt. We're going out visiting this evening with some clean clothes, and a bag full of washing, we're gonna shower!!!!! Oh yeah, and all the other drains except the WC are clogged, so we are having to toss our waste water down the WC. This is not good for a germophobe like me. I'm just ready to claw my skin off!

ugh!!! Please don't share the paranoia!!! JUST KIDDING - but seriously - I do ok not freaking out about things like this as long as I DON'T THINK ABOUT THEM - but if I do...oops down goes Aria in her spiral of paranoia (yes I'm a paranoid worrying person - you should have heard me yesterday... and why yes I was sick (Actually still am but at least I have antibiotics in my system and my sinuses aren't pounding anymore)

Right on: I travel with a small can of Lysol spray.

Oh Goodness!

I'm with you on that manual re-adjustment thing men do. Seems especially prevalent with baseball players, as if their junk is going to disappear between pitches.

Gah - am too busy to read comments (but not too busy to read posts?)so I don't know if anyones mentioned this yet - but I know someone who always carries a nice white hanky in her pocket, and discreetly uses it to protect her hand from door knobs and their icky germs.

Two things:

1) Being exposed to everyday germs is good for you. It gives your immune system a workout and strenghtens it for when those really serious germs come along.

2) Dosing yourself up on over the counter products will only suppress your symptoms and hinder your bodies ability to get rid of the cold. Your body needs rest, fluids and a chance to expunge (through coughs and a runny nose) what is making you sick.

I try to open doors with my elbows if at all possible--particularly public bathroom doors. Neurotic? Not me.

Oh nooooooooooo, I wish I hadn't read this. Yuck! I am on my way to wash right now.

I've found this wonderful stuff at Bath and Bodyworks! It's antibacterial! It's hand-lotion! It's antibacterial hand-lotion! And it smells terrific too! So I can soften my hands and ward off the nasty germs at the same time! Fantabulous!

Hi. My name is Carol and I'm a germ-o-phobe. :-)

I carry individually-wrapped sanitizing wipes and Purelle in my purse and am a very frequent hand-washer, for all of the reasons mentioned above. It's nice to know I'm not alone!

I worked in an office in a hospital many years ago - not as a healthcare worker - but an office grunt. When first hired you had to do three things, get a TB shot, get tested for measles immunization, and watch a videotape on the proper way to wash your hands. I kid you not.

So in case you're wondering how to do it:

Approach sink and dispense appropriate amount of paper towel. Wash hands with soap forever, then pick up the towels to turn off the tap and dry your hands. Then, keeping the paper towel in your hand, open the door of the bathroom and exit. Of course, you have to walk back to your office with the wet towel, but that's no big deal.

I'm with Carol. I always use the ultra-hygenic hand washing technique. However, I think people in the office are freaked out by my always having wet paper towels in my hands. Oh well....

Keep in mind that antibacterial gel/lotion/soap is good to fight bacteria...but most colds/flus are viruses...not bacteria. If you can find something that is both antibacterial and antiviral and not toxic (to you) go for that item.
Chin up & get sleep & lots (& lots) of fluids & an expectorant at night to help move that crud through your system. You might look into Wellness Formula & Elderberry - I start taking those as soon as I feel any type of cold/flu coming on - the tickle in the throat type of thing. I haven't had a full blown cold/flu since I started doing that in early 2005. Norma (http://nownormaknits2.typepad.com/) has a whole list of homeopathic things to take/use when you get sick - a really good article. Here's the addy: http://nownormaknits2.typepad.com/now_norma_knits_2/normas_medicine_youll_take_it_and_youll_like_it/index.html

Sending you positive thought & healing wishes

I can relate.
While i tend to ignore these things when noone is visibly sick - as soon as someone in my office gets a cold I turn into Ms. Germaphobe and do things like refuse to touch any paper handled by anyone else, and using plastic bags on my hands to touch their computers. (yeah, i did this once when someone came in with the flu -but mostly to make a point).

I've got some mystery throat crap now that i attribute to everyone at work coming in while sick.
Trust me, i understand, doorknobs = evil

Lemme just say that when Bath and Bodyworks has their little sales, I'm all over the antibacterial hand gels. Then you smell pretty AND the little doorknob thing doesn't bother so much.

Also, I am always sure to have clean hands before: eating, touching my face, touching other people and after: eating, touching my face, touching other people.

Those little bottles are a lifeline, I'm telling you! And moisturizer because hand washing is the best thing you can do for yourself but the worst thing you can do for your skin. :/ Double-edged sword yannow.

Go to Bath & Body Works and get some bottles of hand sanitizer. It's got denatured alcohol in it. It will kill anything. They put softening stuff in it as well so it won't dry out your skin. I have some on my desk, in my car, in my purse and various other place where I am frequently. You won't be sorry. This is of course in between washes.

I'm down with the opening doors with elbows (also, pushing elevator buttons!) And I'm happy its "winter", so I can wear all my super long sleeves that I use to cover my hands when pushing shopping carts or when I just can't avoid using the doorknob. Sure, I look like my 7y/o with the dirty cuffs, but I don't care.

BTW, my boss also picks his nose *all* the time. It's kind of a nervous habit, I think; its gross as hell, but I love him anyway so I try to not notice. I'm good with the denial. :)

I'm not so concerned with germs at work. I have my own office and I wash my hands with soap. I am however very concerned at places like restaurants and bars, etc. My stepfather used to be a restaurant heath inspector and is now a USDA food plant inspector so I hear all the horror stories. Plus I have had a couple really bad experiences with food poisoning.

You know...you can buy those little bottles of disinfectant spray. Just carry it around with you and every time before open a door, just spray it on the doorknob. ;)

Dr. Weil says to wash you hands for as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday.

You're not crazy. Okay, you're not VERY crazy. Just gently, Southernly crazy, and I say that as a fellow Southerner. :) I don't like to think about doorknobs. At all. If I think about them too much, I'm like poor Howard Hughes, trapped in the public restroom because he just spent 20 minutes scrubbing his hands and can't touch the door now. (I don't like to think about public restrooms, either, and I apologize for bringing them to everyone else's attention.) I have a brand name for you: Wet Ones! They are our friends!

I work in a warehouse. There is no winning. If the guys cleanliness (or lack thereof) doesn't kill me, the airborne particles of forklift tires will. UGGGG....

What bugs me is the people I work with (actually, I could end the sentence right there, but there's more, haha) use a paper towel to open the bathroom door, then use the same paper towel to open our office door. So as to spread the germs further. Lovely.
But I heard or read somewhere that your mouse and keyboard are actually the dirtiest thing in a whole office building (including the bathroom). Of course I don't mean YOUR personal mouse and keyboard... hehehe... I've got the bird flu too... Maybe we should have a button for our blogs for the bird flu club.

I love Dr. Weil.

Oh Yes! Germs! When I was growing up in N. Dakota I think that I must developed some anti-bodies (perhaps they all froze to death). Would you believe that people handled food and money without the benefit of plastic gloves? Well, here I am now, in the balmy Great Pacific Northwest,and after years of watching the personal habits of the general populace, I am a great believer in protecting myself from the most obvious sources of possible infections. When I am in public places, I avoid sinks, doorknobs, desk-tops! However, how many people are cautious about the products they bring home from stores - particularly products from foreign markets? We could open up a whole new book of cleanliness phobias here. Perhaps the solution lies somewhere in-between. I confess to using a Kleenex (or gloves in winter) as protection against most sources. But, I confess that I don't guard against anything that my kitty may carry. And we share pillows, bedding. However, I would not kiss a chicken!

I used to work in a bookstore. We had no private bathroom of our own. I used to think the bathroom door opened straight into hell. Aside from a crazy man who spent one morning burning the little hairs from his arm with lighter fluid, graffiti written in a mystery brown substance, and similar incidents too varied too summarize concisely, I noticed that no one, (really) no one washes their hands on the way out. And I worked for two years with someone who never ever washed their hands. She thought it was amusing to use my phone.
You are not the only one who thinks about doorknobs, believe me!

I am so like you about the bathroom. The 'women's' bathroom also happens to become the public bathroom for visitors since the one the men use here is not acceptable for outside visitors. I'm in there immediately spraying everything down with lysol and am mortified when they can't aim properly (it's usually men) or flush...it makes me disgusted with most of mankind. And when I KNOW someone doesn't wash their hands? I lose it, and have to clean everything with alcohol or lysol or both. Makes me want to wear rubber gloves 24/7.

Oh, and I work with a perpetual ball checker to...what's up with that? I want to say, don't worry buddy, I can't SEE them, but I'm pretty sure they are still there. Relax!

I read somewhere that, on average, you come in indirect contact with 15 penis' a day!!!! Makes total sense too, when you think about it in relation to your door knob theory. Eww.

Every time I go to Kroger's and use their handy pop up dispenser of germ-killing wipes that they provide next to the grocery carts I think of you.

Aint that sweet?

You think the doorknobs are bad? I went to the Boardwalk a few summers back, and WATCHED as a teenager handled my money, wiped his nose on his sleeve, sugared my funnel cake, and handed it to me. BARE-HANDED.

Needless to say, somehow I managed to get food poisoning that day. Shocking. Not to make you OCD about food as well as germs, though. :)

So the other day I had a panic attack. A whole lot of sleeping and smidge of Valium later, I was right as rain. Almost. I started thinking about how clean is the water, exactly. What types of nasty little buggers are living in there. Does the soap kill the cooties in the water as well as the cooties on my hands?

See ya on the bus to Crazyville, sister!

Oh Girlfriend..get a nice bottle of Germ-X for your desk. Cuts down on how many people ask you why your hands are all cracked and bleeding, and the embarassing answer of "I wash my hands 500 times a day."

And feel better! I know it seems silly..but chicken soup cures bird flu!

I'm reading this at work and I started out thinking, "That Laurie... she's just a little overboard on stuff like this." And then I kept reading and kept thinking about the joys of working in a public library, and all the patrons who hand us all their books covered in all their nasty germs. Including that one time we got a book back that smelled of urine.

And I reached for the hand sanitizer.

While your message is true, you're not giving the ball-adjusters a fair shake! Those things are highly sensitive and just hanging there, waiting to be twisted and pinched and all sorts of fun stuff involving hair during the course of a day. Just sitting down wrong can be pretty traumatic if done just so. So yes, while they should wash their hands regularly, sometimes a little adjustment is needed.

Of course there are those that just like to touch 'em in public. I've got no excuses for them.

You are turning into Adrain Monk from the TV show, very OCD and constantly cleaning hsi hands with disinfecting wipes.

GO TO BED & GET SOME REST!!!

I agree, doorknobs are disgusting, but what really grosses me out if SHAKING HANDS. How did this ever become an acceptable greeting in our culture? We know that people rarely ever wash their hands after going doodie and other various disgusting things with their BARE HANDS, then we go around giving a good tug to the hands of strangers. Grosses. me. out. How did this possibly become accepted? I'd almost rather do the European air kiss greeting, they're obviously much more germ-conscious. But I'll lay off doing that in the business world so as to avoid getting fired or committed.

Here's a gross story for you. I worked at a building at there was a lady there who didn't wash her hands after changing her tampon. I know this because I could her the tell tale rip of paper when she was in the stall and she NEVER washed after. YUCK! I open doors with paper towls or I pull my sleeve over my hand to oopen the door.

i used to know a man born and raised in africa who used to say that bacteria were african vitamins.

remember, the more germs you are exposed to, the stronger your immune system (a corollary to "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger")

what's a little pee among friends and strangers.

Years ago I worked with someone who didn't wash after using the bathroom. word got around and no one would eat her food at potlucks. She always wondered why.

Here's another one for you to think about. I get a lot of mail at work that I have to sign for. The mail guy hands me the clipboard and a pen. I always use my own pen.

OH MY GOD. 15 penis' a day. DISGUSTING. Oh for the days when it was fashionable for women to wear white gloves.

Oh my goodness...I hope you are feeling better soon. I saw all about the bird flu on Oprah and it looks like its going to be a real bitch.

I think if people saw that show they would be way more in tune with the need to wash hands.

I'll one up you. I carry clorox wipes in my purse. I wipe the shopping cart handles...and doorknobs to bathrooms.

I look like the freak now!

Were you ever to look from one side to the other in traffic, you would be perhaps not a little surprised to tabulate how many souls pick their noses in full view of anyone who would care to look.
As my college roomate always said, life is just the time between food, sex, and a private place to pick my nose.

Security locks on the bathroom? Why? Do they need to keep track of how often you go? Is there a real security risk?

About the guys adjusting their balls all the time, my sons always tell me its because they get sweaty and stick to their leg. I bet that makes ya feel much better. Break out the Purell!!!!

I used to work at a movie theater and it was shocking--SHOCKING--how many women didn't wash their hands after peeing. And you know, we women have full hand contact with our ecosystem, what with the wiping and all. Then, these same women are going back into the dark theatre and digging into that large bucket of popcorn that they're sharing with their sweetheart, giving him a taste of nature. Ewwww.
Every time some hot chick would walk through the lobby who I know didn't wash her hands, I would out her to the boys on the staff who were inevitably drooling as she walked by.
Purell is the greatest invention of the 20th century, right up there with velcro and the ice-blended mocha.

you see, I'm the exact opposite. I think about how many door knobs I touch and I just don't care... I never wash my hands before I cook / eat etc.. I've not died yet!

I see your doorknobs, and raise you this:

I hired professional movers to relocate 900 miles. The packing crew came today, and they used my bathroom numerous times. My walls are thin enough that I know, because I hear everything, that they did NOT ONCE wash their hands. Remember, packing!! Packing everything in my house!! Touching everything!! Sometimes more than once! Even the dishes!

My yarn, of course, was already packed in sealed containers. Thank goodness.

OMG- you are so right! I have been known to wait several minutes for someone to waqlk into the bathroom so I can walk out without touching the door!

Hey, I used to be very concerned with this keeping your hands clean thing too, until I figured nature made my immunity system strong enough to fight against boogers and viruses and whatnot.

Also. You've been tagged (http://raining-noodles.blogspot.com/2006/01/four-things-post.html)! Hi!

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
Also, that woman who was picking her teeth should probably worry about what doorknobs SHE was touching.
And from your last post, if you run into the fireman of your dreams and need to tell him your phone number, carry with you a Sharpie and write it on his (nice firm) pectorals.

I'm sure someone already said this... the magic thing you need is Purell. You can keep some on you and some on your desk - that way Bill doesn't have to watch you wash your hands. I used Purell all the way through a month in India and never got sick.

After years of perfecting my talent, I can open pretty much any door with the back of my hand / back of my fingers...

That said, I then have to focus all day on not rubbing any area of my face with the back of my hand or finger. lol.

I'm a bit of a germ-o-phobe... But I figure that's better than not thinking about it.

I work at a school. In the attendance office. All day long, kids in various degrees of health come into my office, some hacking up a lung, some with the runny noses...you know...kids. Teenagers.

And they all want to call their mommies, so they can leave school so they don't have to take their Honors Chem mid-term--or whatever!

Like it is no big deal, they pick up the "office phone" dial it, get mom, and they hand me the phone, because for liability reasons, some grown-up who works for the school (me) has to speak to some grown-up in charge of the kid, before we let them leave the building.

The. Phone. The. Freaking. Phone.

It is an ORANGE office phone--a throw-back from the 70's, with an extra-long beige cord that we raided from some other 70's piece of junk. I make it a point to NEVER touch this phone except to wipe it down with an alcohol wipe, so when it is handed to me, JUST LIKE THAT, LIKE IT IS NO BIG DEAL, the look on my face must be startling.

One of these school years, someone is going to take a picture of that look on my face, and put it in the yearbook. The look that says "Eww".

Laurie, I have no idea how you do it. I have to just go about my life ignoring these things or I would have gone mad by now...You are made of stronger stuff than I...

As an RN, I think about germs often and am continually washing my hands. I've read a lot about wet towels in these comments and feel compelled to point out that a wet towel will allow germs from a faucet or doornob to pass back to your hand through capillary action (like wicking action). So be sure to use a dry towel to turn off the faucet or to open a door. It is also recommended to use a lotion on your hands after washing to keep them from drying out too much from the washing. It seems rather obsessive, but it's not. Good handwashing technique is your best defense against all those nasty germs!

Look at Bob - when was the last time HE washed HIS hands after using the feline toilette? Perhaps there is an opportunity here for a product for you to market?

My boss has been sick and coming into work long enough to shred papers. She has been hacking, hocking, sneezing, farting, burping, and blowing her nose all over everything. We can hear that she doesn't wash her hands in the bathroom either. After she leaves my coworker swabs everything down with alcohol and sprays lysol. Later in the day an old lady with what looked like pink eye, with it oozing and weeping all over the place handed me a roll of film. I immediately washed my hands after and worried all day about touching the door knobs. Later on when I got home my boyfriend had just gotten back from the grocery store. He told me that he saw a mouse in the muffin cabinet in the bakery section.
I can't believe how many people don't wash their hands after using the bathroom in public places. I always get the paper towels before I wash, and use them after to turn off the water and open the door. They are starting to put the trash cans next to the door now to put those towels into so you don't have to throw them on the floor or carry them out with you. I think the stores are starting to get the hint. If there are no paper towels a big wad of toilet paper works too. You wouldn't believe the funny looks I have gotten, usually from the people who don't wash their hands. Who is crazy there, eh?

My grandpa used to say "You've got to eat a pound of dirt before you die." It's true! Kids(and people of all ages) need to be around germies so that our body recognizes them (creates antibodies) and can fight them off. In other words, if you're not exposed to a little germiness, you'll die of something stupid because your body never saw Germ X in little doses such as those found in your everyday life, and wasn't prepared to handle a big dose of Germ X. That's why we get vaccines.

I'm not saying that other people's poo is good for you, however, too much handwashing, Purell and antibacterial crap is not so great for you either. Just FYI.

I can't believe the number of women I see leaving restrooms without washing their hands...Somehow I just expect women to be cleaner, but they're not! Some of them will do a double-take when they see me at the sink lathering up, & come back & do this "quick rinse" 1 second under the water-no soap thing & I want to ask "why'd you even bother?" Clearly, door-opening mittens should be a priority project for us all!

You are not crazy! I wash my hands around twenty times a day,and clean everything with bleach every day.Research was done a couple of years ago on public toilets, on average there was TWENTY THREE different lots of SPERM!!! And that wasn't just in the men's.You don't want to know about bar nuts.I try not to use public toilets at all.

Germophobia... never really understood it myself. I'm definitely in the "immune system strengthening by exposure to some germs" camp. BUT, washing hands after using the loo is something I do. And when I see guys in bars not washing their hands after going, and then I see the same ones chatting up lovely ladies outside, I find a discreet whisper as I pass has the same ladies making their excuses and coming to talk to me before too long! Though, judging by what all you girls are saying... the girls were probably just as guilty!

To quote Trevor from Aeon Flux:
"That which does not kill us, makes us stranger.." :)

gloves?

Touch door knobs and don't wash your hands. You'll have alot of anxiety initially but after awhile of doing this, it will lessen. Get the book, The OCD Workbook, by Bruce Hyman.

After I wash my hands I discretely carry the paper towel I used to dry them and use it to open doors on my way back to the office. Throw it away there. Same it public restrooms, I try to always carry a couple of paper towels with me.

On the other hand, I get a cold or the flu about once every 3-4 years so something is working.

most germs are fine. Drink lots of fluid and rest. Take echinacea and zinc.

My mother use to go around with a bottle of vinegar. Wiping down doorknobs....and anything else that didn't migrate south for the winter. (She still wonders why her yorkshire terrier keeps getting skin rashes). She also drinks the stuff and cleans her face with it. Just in case she misses something. Because vinegar's like clorox. It kills everything. Apparently.

Here's a link for all you OCD travelers out there (and those of us who just need to know where NOT to go): http://www.thebathroomdiaries.com/

So I'm guessing you are not a fan of that Dial Antibacterial Soap ad in which the mom opens the door to a department store WITH HER FOOT?? And her kids are staring at her the whole time and certainly thinking how crazy their mom is, as is the person who is coming out of the door at the same time?

Yeah, that's a really gross ad.

Isn't vinegar just wine gone wrong? Maybe we all just need a little more wine.

Eeeek....I feel so dirty after reading all that...*laughs* Dirty like...where are my Purell Hand Sanitizer and wet wipes?

My germ pet peeve: I won't use straws or coffee stir-sticks if they're not individually wrapped. Think of all the people that stand there making their cup of coffee in the morning and sneeze or spit or whatever all over those nekkid stir-sticks. YEEEEECH!!!

I hate touching crap that other people touch...

The mere thought of a public restroom gives me the heeby-jeebies. I won't even wash my hands *in* one of them, I wait until I'm safely outside the restroom and then do my own little disinfection ritual with massive amounts of Purell, baby wipes, alcohol, etc etc. It leaves a distinctly medicinal smell on my hands but it sure beats the alternative- touching the soap dispenser (which everyone's pee-pee hands have touched!!! eww!), the sink handles (again - the pee-pee hands) or even the paper-towel dispenser handle (residue of pee-pee may even make it there!). NO THANKS!

I've even got my 6-year-old trained. She knows the drill. She flushes the toilet with her foot (which, I know, leaves infinitely more germs on the handle than pee-pee hands, considering her shoe has just been standing in *echblechblarf* pools of germs on the bathroom floor) and never EVER touches the door handles. I know...I'm setting her up for years of therapy.

:) I think you'll appreciate this post - http://www.whitetrashmom.blogspot.com (23 Jan 06). Its about the 3d down. BoogerBeads. The new trend.

MITTENS. My mittens, I'm convinced, form a completely impermeable barrier between my clean little hands and the ickies of any doorknob I may have to encounter (although I do still wash my hands often, and the mittens too). When it is non-mitten season, I have, in the past, chosen to fall on the bus rather than touch the handholds. They are anathema, and gross.

And restrooms shouldn't have doors you have to pull to swing open - they should all push out with a firm hip-nudge.

i have worked in the restaurant business for a long time....oh, the stories i could tell. (and i work in high end, expensive restaurants.) that guy making your salad? he just cleaned the dirt under his nails with the same knife thats slices the tomatoes that go on your salad...and thats only the beginning. ~shiver~

jeez Purl, just reading your post made me feel like a disgusting mass of germitude...

I had to pull out the apple-scented Bath & Body Works Deep Cleansing Hand Gel with Vitamins B5 and E and kill me a crapload o' microbes

At our city commission meeting last night, a little old lady from the local senior park spoke to the commissioners about watching Oprah last week - yep, she was FREAKING out because the bird flu pandemic is going to kills us all. Crying. "What is the city going to do for us?" "How will we survive?"

Luckily, someone reminded her after ten minutes of ranting in fear that washing our hands frequently would likely drop the chances of contracting bird flu to at least 50% of the going percentage, and she bought it.

I think you should knit little nose masks to cover your face during the commute and wear latex gloves. With the right accessories, you'll be picking up men in no time.

I'm a lurker, but this has brought me out of the shadows. I AM SO WITH YOU!!! I go in the bathroom in my building and the women don't wash their hands after they use the facilities. I wash my hands and use the paper towel to open the two doors and making sure not to touch the side of the paper towels that touched the knob I discretely ball up the paper towels and discard them when I get back to my office. Some days I want wet wipes like Monk and I supress the urge, but it's hard.

and purell? freaks me out! i feel like i have just *sealed* all that grime on my skin.
hot, soapy water is the only thing that puts my mind at ease.

Some men recite this when getting ready to the leave the house, just to make sure they've got everything:

"Spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch."

Laurie, I just saw a commercial for liquid soap wherein a woman is balanced in a toilet stall trying not to touch anything.

"Avoiding germs is not easy...."

Naturally, I thought of you.

Here's hoping you feel better, lady.

ewwww, my LA office is right off Hope street. I think I know who you're talking about.

(He sends me lots of interoffice mail too. Ick!!)

I gave up worrying about germs too much when I decided to work with kids. I probably would not be able to function in my day if I stopped to think where the little darlings's hands have been. This does not mean that I do not wash my hands after going to the bathroom though. My mama raised me right.

Dude. Elevator buttons. Think about it.

By the way, I don't think anyone has mentioned it, but all these antibacterial products are not a great idea. It's kind of like too many antibiotics - they are creating a race of super-resistant bacteria. Plain old soap and water is really best.

Thank you, rb. I don't know how many times I have tried to tell my mother this.

OMG, you are in LA!? We should meet and have a stitch and bitch!! Thanks for the laugh!....going to wash my hands now...again...

OMG, you are in LA!? We should meet and have a stitch and bitch!! Thanks for the laugh!....going to wash my hands now...again...

1) Open door. Get a little bit of paper towel hanging down. Turn on tap and wash with hot soapy water. Pull down paper towel and use to turn off tap.
2) Line seat with toilet paper.
3) Use the toilet and dump liner in.
4) Turn on tap, rinse hands, pull down a bit of paper towel and repeat steps in #1.
5) Use paper towel to open door. Carry paper towel back to desk and deposit in garbage.
6) Pick up germ-laden phone and put near mouth, thus defeating 1-5.

I do this. I hate anyone touching my phone or k/b. I don't want anyone touching me, for that matter, unless it's someone "close" to me.

My former boss used to pick her nose at her desk AND floss her teeth at her desk. She would then gargle in front of all of us at the little sink in the office, spit, and not bother to wash it down. Shall we say that I do not miss her?

two words Hand sanitizer

I never thought to much about it untill I went to work for the City Sewer dept ( insert comment s here0 and one of the things they say we can take for free is is quart bottles of hand sanitizer needless to say yes thats stuff is always in reach with me .....if ysa need some let me know I have Gallons of it.......I swear by it

Thank God that I live in Europe. We don't wash our hands, we don't have doorknobs and put germs in our cheese (on french toast).

The thing is, the germ theory? It's just a THEORY, people. (Joke, joke.)

I'm with the whatever-doesn't-kill-you-makes-you-stronger bunch. But I always wash my hands after going to the bathroom -- I'm convinced it keeps me from getting colds. That, or my hearty peasant ancestors. It's too time-consuming to worry about it.

Fear not! Just read an article yesterday or the day before that the University of Pittsburgh has developed a really mean bird flu fighting thing!!! Go Pitt!

Yep. Just confirmed it on Google!

Wow, so many germophobes out there! I just wanted to say that germs are everywhere and some are very dangerous. On the other hand, you have an immune system!!!! Yay for you. Wash your hands, but trust your immune system.

I'll probably drop dead of evian flu after typing this.

I'm happily married, but this post makes me want to run out and start dating again.

I'm so excited for you and the open road ahead of you.

Oh for fuck's sake, that was for the other post. I hadn't hit 'refresh' yet, like an idiot.

But may I just add that I, too, am freaky about doorknobs and use paper towels to exit any restroom.

Are you nuts - oops that has been established - no need to keep going over it. Are you nuts? Door knobs - sheesh - SHOPPING CART HANDLES!!! Adult hands, kids' hands, kids' MOUTHS - not just one hand but both hands - all over - One trip to the grocery store or Wal-mart and I can't wait (sometimes I can't wait, and I use hand cleaner in the car and on my steering wheel) to get home and scrub my hands - attempting not to touch myself or anything I own. Neurotics Unite.

Hey, this is for Amanda. You should check out Isela's looming site. You'd be amazed the things you can knit on a loom! Check out: A Stitch In Time

Oops, let's try that again: http://isela.typepad.com/looming_crafts/

I agree with everyones comments. ONe can never be to safe! As the mother of two children I make it a habit to have them wash their hands often. When coming home from school, playing outside, ect ect. I carry antibactireal lotions in my purse as well. Door knobs are the worst!! Your right..people use restrooms and don't wash hands, pick their nose, teeth and any other oraphis! :) Anyhow..stay healthy all!!