Dirty hands?!

ruggedeagle95 said:Come on, give me a break. It’s really not that deep—they just passed on a little bit of spit and nothing else. 😉 So, how does the theory even work where they say you could technically pass on IBM through deep kissing (not just a quick peck)? I honestly have no clue if that’s ever actually happened in real life...

I read somewhere that couples can end up infecting each other because they’re dealing with gum issues—like bleeding gums and stuff. Look, besides saliva, you’ve got blood involved too if someone has a little cut inside their mouth or if their gums are acting up. I'm not exactly sure what the specific conditions are for a more serious transmission, but blood can definitely show up in saliva. According to the data on IBM, besides the most common ways people get infected, there are cases like IDO, who caught it through a different route entirely. Honestly, I don't know how it works exactly.🤷

The worst part is how much conflicting info is out there. It’s all over the place... one doctor tells you one thing, then another one says the exact opposite 😕

ruggedeagle95 said:The worst part is how conflicting everything is. You read one thing online, then a doctor tells you something completely different... it’s just total chaos.😕

Exactly. Honestly, you just have to look out for yourself as much as possible. Don't drink or eat anything someone else has touched. I'm not about to be sharing drinks or food with anyone—what's the point of having our own glasses and plates? I don't care if someone's offended; why would I risk my health? Mono is bad enough, but who knows what else you might pick up from someone else's leftovers...
mögth be even worse.

ruggedeagle95 said:I mean, I'm not sure if that's really the case... it seems more like someone just passed on a little saliva and nothing more. 😉But isn't it true that, theoretically, one could transmit IBM through deep kissing—not just casual kissing? I honestly don't know if there has ever been a documented instance where that actually happened.

In theory, I suppose you can pick up anything in any way imaginable, and perhaps the safest path is to live under a glass dome. If we are going to get into the weeds of analyzing those extreme statistical possibilities, like a one-in-a-million chance...
I once heard a girl mention reading in some newspaper she picked up at a church that it might even be possible to transmit IBM despite using a condom.
Whether that is an actual medical reality or just fear-mongering, I really shouldn't venture myself into such a debate. ☕

wanderingheron482 said:I recall reading somewhere that a married couple could potentially infect one another if they were both struggling with gum issues or bleeding gums. It's worth noting that beyond just saliva, blood can be present if someone has a small sore inside their mouth or if their gums are bleeding. I am not entirely certain about the specific conditions required for such a transmission to become more serious, but since blood can mix with saliva, the risk exists. Looking at the data regarding IBM, besides the most common modes of transmission, there are instances where individuals become infected through other means. I suppose I am still trying to wrap my head around the specifics of how that works.🤷

I was watching this program recently where a woman was describing how her husband had been living with HIV for years without her ever knowing. She explained that, by some stroke of luck, she hadn't contracted the virus despite them being intimate for such a long time, which is a concept I find quite difficult to wrap my head around. I seem to recall her telling the story with her face somewhat blurred out to protect her identity. 🤷
I am not quite certain, but perhaps it would be wise to exercise a bit more caution...

Carol Scott98 said:Theoretically speaking, anything is possible if you look hard enough, and perhaps it’s best to live life under a glass dome... if we are truly going to obsess over those one-in-a-million odds.
I once heard from a girl who was reading some church newsletter she picked up at a local parish that even IBM can be transmitted through a condom....
Is that actually true, or is it just fear-mongering? I won't get dragged into an argument about it.☕

And where else would you find such news but in a church bulletin? Honestly....☕

Carol Scott98 said:Look, I saw this show where a woman was describing how her husband had IBM and she didn't catch it, even though they were intimate for years without knowing. She’d been carrying the virus for ages and somehow escaped infection... which honestly sounds impossible to me. But that's what she said in the clip. It was pretty blurry, so I couldn't even tell who she was...🤷
I don't know, you just can't be too careful...

I've heard stories about that too—cases where a guy has IBM, doesn't realize it, sleeps with his wife for years, and she stays negative. Then you have people who get stuck by a needle and it's game over. I guess it all comes down to a bunch of different factors. That woman was incredibly lucky, but you can't bank on luck working the same way for everyone, so like you said, you have to protect yourself. It actually reminds me of some horror story I heard about a guy who stabbed his wife with a needle soaked in his own blood. Even though she hadn't been infected before, things went south fast. They stayed together for the kids, and then he did that to her... just sick. And as for condoms, they aren't a 100% guarantee either. The risk might be low, but it's still there. As for whether anyone has actually caught it that way? Who knows. Unfortunately, everyone's first time is a gamble.

Seriously, what on earth does using a condom have to do with unwashed hands? 😕

Honestly, you all are just drifting off-topic for the sake of it.

I don't mind eating a pastry without the wrapper. Honestly, who knows how many hands touched it before it got wrapped up? My hands aren't even my biggest concern, though I don't really ride the subway. It doesn't gross me out at all—I'd much rather deal with that than grab a soda or coffee at a local pub from a glass that's been passed around by God knows who.
I don't carry disinfectant wipes everywhere. I just wash my hands after using the restroom, when I get home from work, and obviously before I eat.

Chloe Gomez6 said:I can eat a pastry without worrying about the paper wrap. Honestly, who even knows whose hands touched it before it got wrapped up? That’s the least of my problems, though I don't really take the subway. The pastries don't gross me out at all—I'm way more concerned about grabbing a soda or coffee at some dive bar out of a glass that some random person was just sipping from a minute ago.
I don't carry around disinfectant wipes like a maniac. I wash my hands after using the restroom, when I get home from work, and yeah, before I eat.

I mean, they probably wash the glasses well enough, but I've definitely had a few where you could see the grease left on them. They probably just run it under some water and call it a day because they aren't the ones drinking out of it. I actually caught herpes once, almost certainly because of stuff like that, since I never drink out of someone else's glass when I'm at home...

Nancy Grant77 As specified by:
I find myself wondering, somewhat sheepishly, how one might even begin to draw a connection between the use of condoms and the simple matter of unwashed hands. 😕

Honestly, you all seem to find such immense joy in drifting away from the topic at hand.

It all began quite innocently enough with discussions about mayonnaise, then drifted toward jars of pickles, before eventually spiraling into topics like hepatitis and IBM, and finally landing on condoms. 🤣

Haha, fair enough... I suppose we’ve all drifted a little too far from the actual point of this discussion. 😁 🙈

Carol Scott98 said:It started with mayonnaise, then moved to jars of pickles, then we hit hepatitis and IBM, and now we're talking about condoms.🤣

Haha, alright, fair enough... I guess we all lost sight of what this thread was actually about.😁 🙈

😂

I'm just waiting for someone to bring up a Coca-Cola stand in Pompeii and all those people lying around there...😁

wanderingheron482 said:I assume they wash the glasses properly, though I’ve definitely spotted a greasy one here and there. It probably just gets a quick rinse under the tap and they call it a day—they aren't the ones drinking out of it, after all. Honestly, I actually caught a cold once because of something like that. I'm careful at home; I never drink from someone else's glass...

They might clean them, sure, but when you see someone visibly sick using a glass, you just feel like no amount of scrubbing can fix it. It's more about the "ick" factor than anything else. I don't think I'll actually catch a disease, it's just gross.

I’m big on washing my hands, but I was honestly surprised to hear people talking about skipping it after using the restroom. To be honest, when I’m at a cafe or a restaurant, I almost never wash my hands. It sounds gross, but I can’t stand the thought of touching the faucet or the soap dispenser—even if it's just a pump—or the door handle. I can't stop thinking about how the person right before me used those exact same surfaces with their dirty hands, and then I’m supposed to touch them and pretend my hands are "clean" afterward? That logic just doesn't track for me. It's a bit of a twisted way to look at it, sure, but I'd much rather have hands that are dirty from my own body than hands that have touched a public faucet, soap pump, or door handle that a total stranger just gripped. If you know what I mean! And
My favorite thing is being able to grab a paper towel to pull the door handle so I don't have to touch anything else on my way out.
There isn't really a perfect solution here; maybe the best bet is just holding it until you get home.

As for sitting on the toilet seat, I won't even sit down at my own house if someone who isn't a member of my household—like a friend, a neighbor, or my brother's buddy—has used it. And don't even get me started on putting layers of toilet paper over the seat just to avoid contact!
Whenever a guest uses my bathroom, I make it a point to spray the seat with disinfectant once they're done. I know some people might find it excessive, but to me, it's just the right thing to do.

😕, quite the routine. I wash my hands, then use my elbow to open the door while kicking it shut.🤷

Emily Mitchell80 said:...
Honestly, I don't even sit on the toilet seat at my own house if someone else who doesn't live here has used it right before me. Every time a guest uses the bathroom, I make sure to spray the seat down with disinfectant once they leave just to be safe. Maybe I'm being extra, but that's just how I roll.

Okayyy, that sounds a little intense to me 😁
But seriously, it’s actually been proven that when you flush, water droplets can spray several feet—enough to hit your toothbrush sitting on the sink. So, maybe it wouldn't hurt to give the seat a quick wipe with some disinfectant after you're done (or even before if you aren't the first one in there 😁), just to stay on the safe side 😁

I’m seriously wondering if getting sick is actually that easy, especially when people can't even be bothered to wash a glass properly. How many people are gonna get sick because of this? 😁 I feel like we can't even grab a drink at a bar or a pastry from a bakery without worrying. Honestly, it's my coworkers that freak me out more—people who touch stuff and then eat right out of someone else's container. It's disgusting and totally unhygienic. There are days when someone won't even give a spoon a real wash; they just give it a quick rinse and toss it back in with the clean ones. 😕

ruggedeagle95 said:I honestly wonder if people realize how easily sickness actually spreads. If everyone around here actually bothered to wash their glasses properly, we wouldn't have half the sick people we do. 😁 I feel like we either need to grab a drink at a bar or just pick up some pastries from a bakery. Honestly, though, what’s actually bugging me are my coworkers. They’re constantly dipping into other people's containers and eating out of stuff that isn't theirs. It's disgusting and completely unhygienic. There are days when someone won't even bother washing a spoon; they'll just give it a quick rinse and toss it back in with the clean dishes. It's gross. 😕

That’s just gross. Honestly, I’d rather they don't wash it at all and let someone else do a decent job than have them toss dirty laundry back in with the clean stuff. If this were happening at home, fine—whatever, their house, their rules. But doing that at work in front of everyone? It’s like some people just leave their basic manners and common sense at the front door.🤷It honestly drives me nuts when someone’s digging into a jar of Nutella or whatever, slathering it on their toast, and then they actually lick the excess off the knife before shoving it back into the jar. Now we all get to share whatever saliva they left behind. It’s absolutely revolting.

Chloe Gomez6 said:😕Whatever. I just wash my hands, use my elbow to turn the faucet, and kick the door open.🤷

So, what do you do when you’re stuck? You’re facing a massive door that’s way too heavy to nudge open with your elbow, and of course, there isn't a single paper towel in sight—not even in the restroom to grab a scrap to hold onto. At that point, you’ve basically got no choice: you just have to grab the handle with your bare hands and deal with it.
So you're saying you'll just wash your hands of the whole thing? Do you honestly think your hands are clean if you touched the faucet and turned off the water right after someone else used their hands to wipe their ass?Look, I won't get bogged down in all the tiny details, but I really need you to grasp what I'm actually asking here.
So, am I really the only one who actually disinfects their cutting board after guests leave? Seriously?
I’ve got the impression that everyone here is acting overly sensitive about hygiene. Does nobody actually disinfect the toilet seat after a guest, a friend, or even a neighbor sits on it with their sweaty backside? Especially with this heatwave hitting us right now. To me, it seems like common sense.

Anonymous said:Alright, I think this might be a bit of an overreaction. 😁
It’s actually been proven that water from a toilet can spray several feet—I don't know the exact measurement right now, but enough to reach a toothbrush sitting on the sink. So, maybe consider giving the seat a quick wipe with some disinfectant after you use it (and even before if you weren't the last one in there, obviously 😁). 😁

I don't see why you think it's excessive. If you don't disinfect the seat at home after a neighbor or a friend uses it, then it's pretty much the same situation as sitting down on a toilet in a Starbucks or a restaurant where a complete stranger was just sitting there.
My restroom and my bathroom are separate rooms and I always keep the doors closed, so that specific concern doesn't really apply to my setup.