When you turn the tap on to wash your hands is it not pointless when you have to turn the tap off again ?

Question

It seems a pointless exercise, you place your dirty hands on the tap to turn it on and then after washing your hands you place your clean hands back on the tap, that has the germs from your hands before you washed then, to turn it off . Surely some of those germs are then back on your hands?

Answer 1

You are quite right Rody in all your points.

This has always been given serious consideration in places where germs can be a deadly affair eg. in a surgical operating theatre.

There the taps are replaced by those having long arms and the elbow is used to open and close them..

This system is now getting popular in public water basins but probably not fast enough.

To push your argument further I personally think we should try to find a system where public toilet doors should not be opened or closed or locked with the hands.

This should be done to avoid self or cross infection by transfer of germs.

Answer 2

Unroll the paper towels before you wash you hands, after you dry your hands, use the paper towel to turn off the water. You should use the paper towel to open the door of a public restroom. Tons of germs and bacteria are on the surface of door knobs. Some people do not wash their hands at all and whatever they did in the restroom is now all over the door knob. Disgusting.

If you only have access to an air dryer. Use you elbow or a piece of Toliet paper.

Hope that helps

Answer 3

You're right. Some people use a towel, or some such to turn off the tap. Some germs are good and are necessary to be on your hands, They kill the bad ones. Some places now have hand sanitizers in place to combat germs, on the hands.

Answer 4

You are right if you turn on a tap with dirty hands you will leave germs on the tap, but with a bit of common sense (no offence) while washing your hands, wash the tap as well. End of problem.

Answer 5

Well, here's the trick we doctors and nurses use: when we wash our hands, we dry them on disposable towels - usually paper towels - and then turn off the tap by grasping it with the towel and then drop the towel in the proper receptacle. You can do that whenever you have to use a public restroom. At home you can use hand towels and drop them into the laundry basket after one use. You'll need enough of them that you don't have to do the laundry every day. If you can afford a bathroom makeover at home, you might consider a lavatory with the sort of on-off levers you control with your knees like we do in hospital operating suites...

Answer 6

you could say the same for the toilet seat.....but yeah there is germs on it, thats why they started introducing those sensor taps and toilet flush mechanisms in some places.
otherwise, if you want to avoid the problem, turn the tap on, wash your hands, grab a paper towel, dry your hands, then shut the tap off with the paper towel in your hand!...job done!

Answer 7

To be honest, i always wash the tap before I turn it off in my own house, but I try to avoid having to "go" anywhere but my own home.

I also carry some alcohol hand cleaning gel and use that if i have to touch anything a bit sus.

Answer 8

Turn on the tap, fill the wash basin with enough water, turn off the tap, now wash your hands.

Answer 9

It would be pointless if the faucet is extremely coated with bacteria. I have heard that some people even use paper towel to avoid contamination when turning of the tap.

Answer 10

Wash and rinse the tap at the same time as your hands unless you have a tap with a lever so that you can use your elbow.