h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The bacteria cells in our bodies outnumber our own body cells ten to one. It's a good thing we don't let them vote about what we do on any given day.

Yes, I can see some virtue in working with the bacteria.

This thread reminds me of the old joke:

microbiologist: (n): a person who washes their hands BEFORE going to the lavatory.

I've always considered this as working on two levels.
(1) a microbiologist understands the point made in the original post - that one's genitalicular areas are likely a good deal cleaner than one's hands after a normal day, and therefore washing first is more logical
(2) a microbiologist might be assumed to have been handling something rather nasty in a lab immediately before visiting the facilities, and therefore wants to avoid the possibility of transferring such things to the region of their bits.

Although I do get the microbiological point - genitals probably being cleaner than most things around a person - I would still love it if everyone washed their hands after a bathroom visit. Pre-wash is up to the individual, of course.

I like to choose whose genitals to touch, you know? And feel confident that the (thing) I touch wasn't recently handled by someone just having handled their genitals.

I don't believe I'm alone in this either... but of course I could be wrong

It's not unusual for me to visit the bathroom after a meal. The first thing I do is clean my hands and face of whatever grease/salt/juice got deposited on them from the food. Then I use the facilities and, of course, wash my hands.

But I'm not a germ-phobe. Recently, I was reading about the good things that happen to you when you do gardening. One of those good things is that you are exposed to harmless soil bacteria. They don't do anything bad to you, but your immune system gets to practice dealing with them, resulting in stronger immune defenses. (Plus, you're out there in the sun, breathing oxygen, using exercise equipment such as shovels and rakes and hoes. Even if you're just there to pull up weeds, the muscles in your hands get tones, not tom mention the posture muscles that you use when you kneel or crouch.)

I don't use anti-bacterial soap. I've been inoculated against the main pathogens, and I get enough sleep and eat right. These are said to be ways of keeping the immune system healthy. plus, of course, washing my hands after using the lavatory -- not just for me, but so as not to spread things to others.

What does annoy me is when there are automated water & drying facilities that don't provide enough of either to do the job effectively.

I agree. I prefer to be able to wipe my hands with paper towels, to get slippery stuff off. The soap just aggravates things .