9 Things To Never Do In Public: Written By A Germaphobe

By Jessi Stickel on October 5, 2015

Germaphobe (noun) (germ-a-phobe): a person that has an abnormal fear of germs.

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When I was young, I was very aware of the germs I came in contact with, especially when I was out in public. As I got older my case of germaphobia became more extreme. I found myself discovering different ways to avoid contact with germs in public, not thinking these were abnormal until my friends and family started to notice and comment about it. After preaching to them how dirty the outside world really is, they even started trying some of my tricks to avoid germs.

While out in public it is inevitable to come across millions of germs, but to help avoid them, here are nine things you shouldn’t do in public.

In Public Restrooms

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1. Flush the toilet with your hand.

Never, ever, ever, touch a public toilets’ handle. Use your foot to flush! This is probably one of the grossest things in a bathroom considering people either touch it using their hand that they probably just wiped with, or their foot which has all the germs on it as the bathroom floor and who knows where else! Save your hands from getting unnecessary germs and use your foot to flush.

2. Open the bathroom door with your bare hand.

Ever wonder why some places put a trashcan beside the main door of the restroom? When using a public bathroom, that trashcan is your best friend. After washing your hands and drying them with a paper towel do not throw the paper towel away, use it to open the door to exit to the restroom, then throw it away in the trashcan next to the door.

Let’s face it, many people do not wash their hands after using the facilities, so by touching that door handle you’re canceling out washing your hands because you are putting more on.

However, this can be a challenge sometimes because many stores and restaurants are “going green” and have no paper towels just hand dryers (which is an abomination). There really is no way around touching the door handle this way unless someone holds the door in front of you (sucker). What I like to do is either use just one of my fingers to open the door instead of my whole hand, or if I have a long sleeve on, I will use my sleeve over my hand.

3. Sit on a toilet seat.

This is sort of common sense, but you never know — some people may not think of the germs they are catching when sitting on a public toilet seat. Sitting on a public toilet seat is probably just as bad, if not worse, than high-fiving a stranger using both your bare butts (just saying).

The best policy is to squat of course; however, if you are not a squatter use the toilet seat covers most restrooms carry, or lay down a layer (or five) of toilet paper to cover the areas your body would be touching the seat.

At Restaurants

Many people just think if a restaurant is dirty it will be visible, but that is not the case. Some of the simple things you touch every time you eat out can be full of germs.

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4. Get a lemon in your drink at a restaurant.

If you are a water or tea drinker, you probably have gotten a lemon in your drink before. I highly advise you to ask the waiter for NO lemon in your drink. Not only do some restaurants not clean their lemons thoroughly, but the waiters do even worse with them.

Some waiters grab lemons from a container with their bare hands and throw them in your “refreshing” drink. This may not sound horrible, but think about it … waiters are constantly touching three things: menus (we will get to those), the screen of the register (which at least five other waiters are touching) and money from customers’ bills or their tips.

Having their hands basically inside your drink does not sound very tasty to me.

5. Be too handsy with restaurant menus.

As a raging germaphobe, I have a system when I go out to eat. I look at the menu and decide what I want, then let the waiter take my order, then I go to the bathroom to wash my hands, so I wash all the menu germs and other germs off before eating. I do this because restaurant menus are filthy since most restaurants do not clean them, and if they do they just wipe them off, not disinfect them.

Think of how many people and children touch all over the menus and where their hands have been before coming there. Restaurant menus are really a potential death trap, so always remember to wash your hands after touching them, or even using antibacterial wipes or hand sanitizer.

At Stores & Malls

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6. Touch the escalator rail or any other type of railing.

Escalator railings and pretty much every type of public railings are other things that do not get cleaned very often, and have quite a bit of traffic. If you feel the need to hold on to a railing like this, try using your forearm or elbow instead of your palm; this way the germs are less likely to end up on your face, mouth, or phone (God forbid).

7. Touch a shopping cart handle.

Okay, I have to be honest for a second … shopping cart handles are my worst nightmare. Going grocery shopping is a must and unless you are buying one item at a time, you have to push a cart or carry a basket. These handles never get cleaned unless they get left in the rain, which is unlikely because stores normally try to prevent that (it’s like they want us to come into contact with germs).

In 2013, Fox News Magazine did a story on a study of the germs on shopping carts and found that 72 percent of random carts they tested had coliform bacteria on them, which is a bacteria found in poop … just let that sink in for a bit.

According to the article,  ”[there are] 138,00 total bacteria per square inch of a shopping cart — an amount which exceeds the number of bacteria in the average public restroom. These are fecal bacteria capable of causing illness.”

So now that your mind is blown and you are completely grossed out, here’s what you need to do. Most stores now have disinfectant wipes where the shopping carts are held. Clean the cart/basket handles with the wipes and if you want you can keep them on the shopping carts while pushing them around.

If the store does not have wipes to use you can use a plastic bag over the handle to avoid touching it (if people look at you weird, you’re not the one with poop on your hands).

Doing Other Everyday Tasks

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8. Touch your steering wheel (or anything else) after pumping gas.

The gas pump nozzle is known to be America’s dirtiest surface. Getting gas is a must for many Americans and they are not cleaned, which explains why they are so filthy with germs. The worst thing you could do after pumping gas is touching your steering wheel (which is also something you should clean often).

Every time you drive, which could be everyday for most of you, you touch your steering wheel. Putting all those germs on something you touch everyday is pretty gross to think about. Instead, keep antibacterial wipes in your car and wipe your hand off before touching your steering wheel, phone and anything like that.

9. Eat after handling money.

After paying for something or dealing with money at all, you should always wash your hands as soon as you can. Money is covered with germs and you do not want to put those germs on your phone or anywhere around your food.

It is also a great idea to keep antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer in your car, pocket or purse.

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