I gotta know...

[HDogg]

Related to public bathrooms (could be TMI for some) :





Even as an emet, I cannot wrap my brain around this one. Why do you flush the toilet with your foot?


The reason(s) I ask is:


1.) You go into the stall,set your purse down on the floor,if there is no hook to hang it (for those who don't know, the floor of a public bathroom is way, way dirtier than the seat--research it if you're not too squeamish) , and immediately put toilet paper on the seat to provide protection from germs.


2.) Next, you carefully sit down, trying not to expose any skin to the "germ infested" toilet seat.


3.)Youdo your business, and your hands then become dirty with your own bodily fluids from wiping, and if you're having your visit from Aunt Flo, you touch the dirty little box in the stall to dispose of your hygiene product.


4.) You touch the toilet paper that is on the germ infested seat to put it into the toilet to flush. Or, if you use theHover Maneuver--"If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie and wipe the seatie!" As emets, I'm sure we all observe this rule.


5.) Now, you are ready to flush. By this point, aren't your hands germy enough? And aren't you going to immediately run to the sink to wash them thoroughly afterward (or use Purell if you pee 'n' dash)?


6.) If you employ the "foot flush method," don't you have to touch the germy door handle to unlock the stall door and get out?








I'm sorry to sound snotty, but I just don't get it. If you're already going to use the public potty, what good is it going to be if you use your foot to flush? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm certainly not flexible enough to reach that knob above the toilet to flush with my foot. Sometimes, you are lucky enough to have a handle to flush next to the toilet itself.


But, why do we do this to ourselves? Is it really necessary to go that far in the name of cleanliness?





The reason I bothered to ask this question is: we are all concerned with taking "baby steps" to be more confident in this phobia. Wouldn't flushing with our hands be a little step? Wouldn't it make more sense to do so, instead of using insane acrobatics to reach the button that's two feet above the toilet with our feet? C'mon! We can do it! Let's reach out and touch someone--or something. Heeehheheh. [img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]

[calibmom24]

I do it just cause I feel gross touching any part of the toilet. I just have a thing with my hands touching things. It is kinda ridiculous when you think about it. But I do use toilet paper to touch anything in the bathroom and after I wash my hands I always use a paper towel to open the bathroom door. Really I hate public restrooms and most of the time I can hold it and just skip the bathrooms but when my kids are with me I swear they have to go to the bathroom in every store we go in.

[kristin1980]

personally i just flush it with my hand and then just wash my hands very well..

[christianne]

When I use public restrooms--and I only do if I can't hold it until I get home and so forth, I always hang my purse (or coat) on the hook. I also refuse to flush public toilets with my hands--I'd much rather have whatever is on there on my shoe than any part of my body. I never actually sit on the seat--I employ the wonderful "hover method" which as we all know is really comfortable! I wash my hands really good before I leave, get the soap on first and turn the faucet off with a paper towel. And lastly, I open the door with my sleeve or I grab another paper towel before I go and use that to touch the door.
I'm sure people watching me do this think I'm a freak, but I don't quite understand either why people bother to wash afterwards if they're just going to grab the door handle with bare hands anyways!
But I do see your point--it's alot of work just to go to the bathroom!

[cloughie]

I tend to use one finger or the top of one thumb to flush. You can't escape the germs really because sometimes after you have washed your hands there is still another door to go through. If it's not too heavy i open the outside door with my little finger.

[spilled_milk]

I do flush my toilet with my foot...but i'm not as neurotic as what you are describing! I often put the purse or whatever on top of the toilet paper dispenser, and it takes waaay too long to cover the seat. I flush it with my foot because of the spray, I would rather not have my face over the toilet when it sprays. I wash my hands after I get out.


<3 Anya--

[californiagirl]

Well, I will ONLY use a public restroom as a very last resort, and that is because I don't know what airborne germs are floating around in the air in there.


Here's my process, which may seem crazy, but I absolutely refuse to get sick:


1) Push or pull the stall door open, by holding onto the top of the door, not the handle. I'd rather PULL it open, because if I push it, I will have to have the icky door touch me as I squeeze into the stall and try to close the door.


2) I will hover over the toilet, after grabbing some of those toilet cover tissue things. I use those to wipe with, rather than the toilet papaer, because the TP dispenser may be icky, or the last person who touched the TP may have had d*. If i "spray", I will bundle up more toilet cover things and wipe it off the seat--throw it all in, and flush.


3) Oh yeh, and I don't touch/lock the stall handle at all, I will either hold it closed from the bottom of the door, or just position the door to where it just stays closed,, which is nice


4) As it is flushing, I QUICKLY push the door open and exit the stall so I won't be sprayed (which will send me into a complete panic).


5) I wash my hands, careful not to touch the sides of the sink, dry with towels, turn off knob with towel, then open door with towel to leave the restroom.


It seems like alot of work, but I have it down to where it's really not that bad. At least I know I can walk away from it not obsessing myself with panic for the rest of the day. I know this probably isn't facing this emet head-on, but even non-emets are VERY careful in public restrooms.

[mee55]

Wow!! I use the Public restroom more than I would like to because i have ulcerative colitis and when I have to go I have to go right then but anyway what I do is: I use toliet tissue to line the seat and I flush with my foot only because from past experience sometimes the handle is wet which just grosses me out. then I wash my hands and leave.

[x hannah x]

I just don't use them really. I've been avoiding any toilet that isn't at my house since I was tiny so I can hold it for a reeealy long time. Everyschool dayI use the toilet before I leave for school at 8am and I don't go again until I'm home at 5pm. It's just my routine now and unless I'm totally desperate I never have to use them. However if I do I'm fairly normal about it, just wash my hands well.

[HDogg]

I try really hard not to use the bathrooms also, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. Those with IBS truly know what I mean. [img]smileys/smilies_02.gif[/img] But for the past couple years, I've been using public bathrooms a lot, because my sister moved to another state and we visited her a few times a year (can't avoid a public potty for an eight hour trip, unless you have bowels and bladders of steel!) Now we live in the same state she does, so we go back "home" to visit for the holidays and such.


Anyway, I always use the paper towel to turn off the sink faucet once I'm done, and also use it to open the door, unless I can push it open with my foot. But until I wash my hands, it doesn't matter what I touch--I'm going to get germy anyway. Doesn't matter if I touch one germy thing or five--germs are germs. It's the handwashing afterward that counts. Twenty seconds of vigorous rubbing with any soap and you're good to go.


Californiagirl---using the toilet seat covers to wipe? The scratchiness of it all terrifies me to even think about! Ouch! [img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img] Doesn't it hurt? Edited by: HDogg

[Galadriel]

Lol Heather that is a good point, I suppose I use my foot to flush just....well....I don't know,[img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]

I guess just because I think of others who may have touched it and don't want to join in the germ party happenin on the terlet handle. But you make a good point, we wash our hands anyways.....maybe its more force of habit or something.....?

[daffodil]

Heather, that's a really good question! I guess like Galadriel said, it's a habit. I avoid public restrooms if I can, but since having kids, my bladder isn't as strong as it used to be.[img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]
I just try to touch as few things as possible, including the toilet flusher. I love those automatic paper towel dispensers!!

[ashley]

for me it's just become a habit...one time there was a bad virus going around school, so i started flushing the toilet with my foot, andi've done it ever since! i don't put my purse on the floor though, i hang it on the hook that's on the back of the bathroom stall. i don't touch the toilet even to put down the paper, i kinda squat close enough to it and just pee that way...stupid as it may sound, it seems to work LOL. then i quickly grab the door and then go wash my hands

[californiagirl]

Californiagirl---using the toilet seat covers to wipe? The scratchiness of it all terrifies me to even think about! Ouch! [img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img] Doesn't it hurt?

LOL!! Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt. it's just not very absorbant[img]smileys/smilies_11.gif[/img].

[mjewell]

INEVER put my purse on the floor, and I don't touch anything (except my butt to the toilet seat.). The toilet seat is probably the cleanest surface in the bathroom. I just don't have the mentality of "you're already getting germy so why not get germier" by touching the handle. First of all, even if you are going to wash your hands immediately after, how can you stand the thought of putting your hand on something that someone's poop is probably on, let alone all the germs from other people's feet! Which brings me to my second point - I don't think touching the flusher has a big impact on getting over a phobia - I don't know many non-emets who are too pumped about touching the toilet flusher with their hands.


Also, are you using your hand to wipe? If you are careful you shouldn't be getting pee or poop on your hands in the first place.


I use my sleeve or my elbow to open the stall door, then go wash my hands. Just because I am going to wash my hands after doesn't mean touching germy surfaces makes sense.