Monday, August 3, 2009

Wash Here Often Or Not Often Enough?

I visited a public restroom facility today that was relatively clean but peaked my awareness of how much of a breeding ground it was for harboring germs responsible for infecting employees and consumers with viral and bacterial illnesses. Even if one followed the recommended steps to prevent contracting and spreading potentially harmful germs, short of a hazmat suit there is no sure way to leave germ free but I believe installing sanitary wipes and/or gel *inside* the stalls could help eliminate the transference.


We all know the steps of using the restroom and washing our hands before we leave; there are even bold red signs posted informing employees that this is a mandatory action. But my thoughts are about what germs we spread between leaving the stall and walking to the sink. It only makes sense that if we washed our hands before entering the stall, then were allowed to sanitize after closing the stall door, place the seat cover on the seat, sit down (or applicable step for men)...I'm assuming we know the drill of what to do next...then before standing or if already standing, use the sanitary product again before touching our clothes to help maintain cleanliness. Once leaving the stall, proceed to the sink to wash hands, hopefully with hands free equipped soap dispensers, faucets and even dryers...oooohhh, even better hands free toilet paper dispenser!

I cannot help but believe this added precautionary measure could reduce the number of food borne, bacterial or viral contracted illnesses we face today. I believe people wash their hands before leaving restrooms, but in my point of view, the germs that spread are the ones lingering on the clothes or personal items carried by individuals, such as purses, shopping bags, or anything else we take into the stall with us.

Washing hands before and after is essential! But we have no protocol to help fight what happens in between those hand washes. Most every successful transaction has a middle man, maybe the same could be true for reducing the spread of germs. Installing sanitizing wipes/gel inside bathroom stalls would act as the middle man and may significantly reduce the number of publicly contracted viral/bacterial illnesses; it definitely wouldn't increase them!