Germs EVERYWHERE

Well, one of the perks of my job is that my desk is right by the bathroom. I get to monitor everyone going in and out, how long they hang out in there, etc. Its really exciting! You would actually be surprised at how many times during the course of the day someone asks me "Who is in the bathroom? Is so-and-so in the bathroom?" So, when I'm not putting out fires, I am keeping a close eye on the bathroom. Ok not really. But I find it hard to believe that when you are in the bathroom maybe 30 seconds, that you had time to pee, put the seat back down and thoroughly wash your hands. I know, gross...and weird that I notice things like that.

Ok, so I might be a bit of a germaphobe- but I am a firm believer in hand washing. I know, crazy, right? I wash my hands immediately after getting into work, for fear that the train handrail harbored some kind of unknown hepatitis strain. Then, I wash my hands every time I even venture near the bathroom, before I eat lunch, before I leave for the day, etc. I would say that during the day I wash my hands at least 7-9 times at work alone. I have strategically placed waterless hand sanitizer all around the office so that we don't have a flu epidemic this winter season. I HATE when I see someone handling chicken, or cracking eggs- and then they rinse their fingertips quickly under cold water not using soap. Are you insane? Salmonella everywhere! I am paranoid about food poisoning. If you've ever had it, then you know what I'm talking about.

Did you know?

- Up to half of all men and a quarter of women fail to wash their hands after they've been to
the toilet
- Right handed people tend to wash their left hand more thoroughly than their right hand, and
visa versa
- We have between 2 and 10 million bacteria between fingertip and elbow
- Damp hands spread 1,000 times more germs than dry hands
- The number of germs on your fingertips doubles after you use the toilet
- Germs can stay alive on hands for up to three hours
- Millions of germs hide under watches and bracelets and there could be as many germs
under your ring as there are people in Europe

Alright, I guess all I'm trying to say is please wash your hands!