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Comment by FreeHugs | Hacker News Reader

Is using the tap and soap of a public bathroom really reducing the chances of virus/bacteria infection? Or is it increasing them because the soap and tap carry viruses and bacteria themselfes?

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Not unless you go out of your way to avoid touching everything. The act of washing with soap and water removes your personal fecal bacteria and turning off the water replaces it with whatever filth is on the knobs. Ditto if you touch the door knob/handle on the way out.

Use a paper towel on the door knob to avoid infection.

Most public bathrooms have automatic taps now that I see.

Most public bathrooms also have automatic doors (if you wait long enough)

Not sure if you've been to Japan but they have some of the cleanest public facilities I've seen in spite of all the traffic. I'm sure people are coming through multiple times a day to wipe down all fomites.

Fomite - Wikipedia: A fomes or fomite is any inanimate object that, when contaminated with or exposed to infectious agents can transfer disease to a new host. E.g. tap, couch, bench, hat.

New word to me and I have a pretty good vocab, so

Maybe. But does that answer my question?

If you touch the soap and the tap, that will surely transfer germs to your hands that the person before you left there?

Touching the soap doesn’t matter at all. You’re about to wash it all off your hands.

Soap and water definitely work to reduce infections, even when using a shared sink. Look up what happened in the 19th century when people finally figured this out and started hand washing regularly, infectious disease transmission in settings like hospitals dropped dramatically.

In the 19th century infections were cut drastically when hands were washed with water only. Imagine what soap can do.

They started from not washing hands between autopsies and surgeries though. Talk about low hanging fruit.

I believe I did answer your question. Washing your hands will always be better than not. Many modern buildings also have automated water/soap/towel dispensers. And you can always use the towel to open the door.

Yes, but on your way into the stall, you touched the stall door, and then you touched other things, including your clothing, which you didn't wash on the way out, only your hands.

Germs probably survive better on your skin than on the cold metal tap in the bathroom. Food safe handwashing says use a paper towel to turn off the tap after you are done drying your hands with it.

Sensor tap + sensor liquid soap dispenser + automatic doors. No touching required.

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