Most importantly, I never knew why so many people at my office threw their paper towels on the ground next to the door (or in a trashcan located thereabouts, when available). Now I do.
I still don't understand why people think the post-bathroom door is disgusting enough to merit hand protection. If anything, it's the door people are most likely to have touched AFTER washing their hands. Do these people bring another paper with them to open the door on the way in?
In heading to the restroom I know that I'll have the opportunity to wash my hands after, so the handle leading in is of little concern to me.
In my admittedly anecdotal experience, the rate of full grown adults who casually ignore the sinks after finishing up their business and leaving a stall seems to be disturbingly high. It just kinda gets my ick-factor going. Granted, I'm something of a germaphobe (I wash my hands many times/day) so I might just be more inclined to notice those who don't vs those who do--- regardless, I'll almost always save a paper towel or something to turn the door handle when possible.
Anyway, I don't think the lack of a trash can nearby excuses those who would dispose of it on the floor though. I just hold onto it until I find the next closest trash can outside the bathroom. That usually takes less than a minute, depending on where I am.
> In my admittedly anecdotal experience, the rate of full grown adults who casually ignore the sinks after finishing up their business and leaving a stall seems to be disturbingly high
Not only that, but urine is -- assuming you don't have a UTI -- sterile and even a mild disinfectant. The purpose of washing hands isn't to remove any urine; rather, it's to remove any fecal bacteria along with other pathogens which may have been picked up outside of the washroom.
If for some reason you can't wash your hands, you'd probably be better off deliberately peeing on them.
Which is why it's odd that most washrooms have you pull a door by the handle to exit, a handle many others have probably touched without washing their hands. Ikea is one place that comes to mind that avoids this, instead having a sequence of offset walls to give privacy without a door.
I see that design quite often at airports too -- if you have a large volume of traffic, doors run into collision issues.
But doors do have another purpose in addition to privacy: They contain airflow. I suspect that where this design is used there is extra work to ensure a persistent flow of air coming in through the entrance and then being evacuated from within, similar to negative-pressure rooms in hospitals.
Well the difference between the pre-bathroom door handle and the post-bathroom door handle (opposite sides of the same door, presumably) is that one of them is much more likely to have been touched by someone who may have just been to the toilet without washing their hands.
You wouldn't be that worried about touching the door on the way in especially if you knew you were going to be washing your hands in a moment.
Isn't that just a psychological thing? I mean, if people don't wash their hands after using the bathroom they might be less likely to wash their hands in general, but they're still using other doors, kitchen appliances, papers and (depending on culture) you shake hands with them in the morning. There's no way to avoid that while not looking socially awkward, just wash your own hands more.
Also, don't you remove some of that bacteria left on the door handle by touching it yourself? The amount of bacteria on bathroom door handles should remain rather constant given that you take some away as you leave some of your own, also door handle not having favourable replication conditions for germs.
Well I haven't done any studies on it but I'd assume that the number of people going to the toilet and then immediately touching the way-out door handle without washing their hands is probably higher than the number of people going to the toilet outside the bathroom and then touching the door handle on the way in...
Not to mention that bathroom door handles are pretty good conditions for germs: warm (indoors), damp (from people who haven't dried properly), lots of new germs from people who haven't washed.
I still don't understand why people think the post-bathroom door is disgusting enough to merit hand protection. If anything, it's the door people are most likely to have touched AFTER washing their hands. Do these people bring another paper with them to open the door on the way in?