Public potty practices
March 14, 2007
My alliterative title says it all: women (especially) have things that they do in a public bathroom that they are hopefully spared from having to do in their homes, or at least I hope this is the case. Since I still live at home with my family of five other individuals, including two males under the age of 21, I should probably consider carrying my public potty practices into the home but so far I haven’t (although I do have some special procedures for using the bathroom after my brothers).
I’m not fond of opening the doors of bathrooms with my bare hands but since I have no choice, I usually will. Attempts to slide in between doors after someone else has opened them for themselves usually results in half of me becoming wedged in the door, so I save that move for occasions when I’m feeling particularly agile, or if I’m dealing with a door that seems to close unusually slowly. Otherwise, I will use my hand to open the door.
Then I wash and dry my hands, enter the bathroom stall, and lock the door. I use toilet paper to wipe off the toilet seat, then tear off enough toilet paper to liberally cover the the entire seat. Only then can I sit down comfortably and do what I came there to do (and yes, I look).
Post potty activity, I fill my hand with entirely too much toilet paper, wipe, and push the toilet paper on the seat into the toilet. I then grab some more toilet paper and use it to work the handle and flush the toilet. I wash my hands, leave the water running while I get paper towel and use the paper towel to turn off the tap (after wiping my hands with it). I either take this paper towel with me or toss it and get a fresh sheet, and use it to open the double doors of the washroom, and the door that leads back into my office. It is only once I’ve entered my office that I toss the paper towel into a garbage can.
I get strange looks from the receptionist (and used to from her predecessor) because if I’ve just been to the washroom, why do I still have paper towel in my hand? If asked, my response will be that I forgot to toss it, but just in case I avoid making eye contact because I don’t want to have to explain my behaviour. I’m not sure why I bother: I know I generally bemuse my coworkers, who already think I’m OCD because I use the compressed air to clean my keyboard every two weeks (I use it every few days at home) and one coworker in particular seems to always walk by my office while I’m frantically fffpt fffpt-ing the dust in my keyboard.
At home, my attention to what might be waiting for me on the toilet seat is even more important: my brothers must use the facilities with their eyes closed and standing with their back to the toilet. After a detailed inspection of the toilet seat for ‘accidents’, I’ll use it. It is not unusual for me to refuse to use the toilet and screech for five minutes until a brother, under my watchful eye, used bathroom cleaner to clean off the toilet seat. I may have even woken a sibling from a sound sleep to do this task once or twice.
My mother and sister, nimble and athletic as they are, prefer to hover over the seat and refuse to allow any part of they posteriors to contact the toilet. That is too much work for me and whenever I try it it always leads to accidentsunpleasantness. Some people just say “screw it” and sit their butts down. Still others don’t bother to wash their hands.
What are your bathroom habits, especially the public bathrooms?
well i dont do any of that crazy stuff, but I wait until there is no one in the bathroom before i make any loud exit sounds. Also sometimes i have stage fright at the urinal and have to go into a stall to pee.
alliterative=wg
Jummy, I'm way behind you on bathroom rules – less particular. Havent really thought much about the germs lurking on the door and so may use my hand sub-consciously to push open the door, once inside the toilet, will clean the seat with tissue paper before seating down or hovering above if its in a public toilet and then will flush after use knowing that I'll wash my hands after.
Very funny! I'm sure that we all have similar tendencies but just don't talk about them…
I am aware of the bathroom doorknob dilemna. I don't worry about touching it while I enter because I know I will be washing my hands when I'm finished. I do definitely wipe the seat and flush before placing the paper on the seat (covering everything). After I finish I do flush with my hand and chuck the paper in the bowl because my next step is to wash my hands.
I will turn on the tap with my hand and wash with soap. An attempt will be made to turn off the nozzle using 2 fingers – or if it is one that you just push down to shut off – I will use the side of my hand or palm.
I dry my hands with the paper towel and, if the door is close enough, I use it to reach for the handle and then throw in a nearby garbage (usually within reach). I curse the 'second' bathroom door which, usually, has a knob rather than a handle. If the handle is not within reach I either use my shirt, sleeve, or my pinky finger (any finger I don't eat with or touch my keyboard with).
Yes, I'm just less concerned than you, but I'm more on the laid-back side when it comes to germs. Antibodies and whatnot, right?
WG: alliterative
Well I can definitely attest to your bathroom germ-o-phobia. After knowing you for many years, I can't even count the number of times I got smacked by a bathroom door just because you didn't want to hold it/touch it. It's nice you are finally admitting it to the world…you know dementia is right around the corner. (And I would know, what with being married to the guy who commented above, i.e. Rich)
I am much like Rich in my habits. I don't worry much about touching on the way in or when flushing because I'm going to wash my hands afterward. Everything must be covered with paper and I never use the first or second stall because studies (who has that job?!) show that they are the most used and I figure less used means more time for germs to die, right? I sing the ABC or Birthday song while scrubbing with the soap and don't feel clean unless the water is hot. I really hate it when there is only cold water available at the sink. I turn the water off with a paper towel and use it to open the door too. I am constantly amazed at the number of people who don't wash their hands, just run their fingers under the water or don't use soap. Ewww!
I'm gonna go against the grain and say "bemuse" for WG.
As for bathroom routines. I used to do the whole toilet paper the seat thing, at some point I gave that up. I read that most toilet seats are actually cleaner than our keyboards, so I figure my bum can handle it if it looks clean and dry. I try to look and make sure there is toilet paper before I go. I am not a fan of dripping dry. I flush with my foot, always. At work our sinks are knobless, automatic ones, so that's kind of neat, the paper towel is too. I gave up trying not to touch the door on the way out too. I figure we need a few germs in our system to keep us strong, if we never come in contact with anything then our bodies don't know how to defend themselves! That being said, I do wash my hands about 15 times a day, so I don't know how much I really believe what I just said.
This is hysterical.
My practice is "leave it as you found it". Which means, if there was no grossness/hair on the seat, paper towel shreds on the floor, or water on the counter when you entered the bathroom, make sure you leave it that way. Sadly, this apparently isn't the practice of most other people.
I worry more about the germs on the fridge than the bathroom door, though I lament the day I don't have a long sleeve or sweatshirt to "guard" my hand from the bathroom door handle on the way out.
It must take you 10 minutes to go to the bathroom at work!
I work two jobs: at a medical clinic and at a medical software company. At the clinic, I will never ever use the patient bathroom, but in the staff bathroom I'm with Julie in that I figure my butt can handle it if it looks clean and dry. At the software company, the women's washroom just doesn't get much use because it's mostly guys working in our building.
I've never been a mysophobe, although at home I clean my toilet inside and out top to bottom.
I walk out with paper towel in my hand as well. I hate opening the doors after I've washed my hands and I know others haven't. I often want to yell out, "your hands aren't washed" when I can hear people turn on and off the water super quickly. I usually sing happy birthday in my head while I'm washing my hands. Glad to read you're weirder about the bathroom than I am! *wink*
oh lord, my bladder would never allow me to get through those rituals! to each their own however :)
I'm going with the majority here and guessing the wordy gurdy gurdy word is: alliterative