Help solve a spouse debate on germs, sickness and Disney

[rinnythepooh]

I don't wash my hands or use sanitizer between rides unless I feel like it's necessary. I also don't use handrails unless necessary. I always wash my hands after using the restroom and before eating. I make a point not to touch my face or anything like that during the day with my germy hands.

In reality, washing your hands probably isn't going to keep you from getting sick...but it could lower the chance a little. For the most part, I don't worry too much about germs at Disney World, but I am cautious. I guess I fall somewhere in between you and your husband's opinions.

Agree. Hand sanitizer after riding Toy Story really isn't a bad idea.

 

[North of Mouse]

If, as some of you say, hand sanitizer is so bad for you, why is it required at hospitals and Dr. offices?

It sure makes me feel better when my Dr.'s and nurses, not only wash their hands, but use sanitizer before tending to me.

To each their own! I have seen women sit their purses on the public floors of bathrooms, then of course go home (and like most of us) sit it on the counter!! I not only wipe my cart handles in stores but also the 'seat' before sitting my purse there - I've seen some of the 'dirty bottomed' sweeties that have been sitting there!!

 

[KateP85]

I wash my hands after using the bathroom, and before eating a meal. I make an effort not to touch my face. And that's it.

The same applies to my 2-year old. I don't care if he touches the handrails, I don't wipe him down after getting off a ride, and he's just fine. I hate hand sanitizer with a passion, soap and hot water works so much better. Because my son is recently potty trained, we're in the bathrooms a lot so we do wash hands a lot. If I see him start to show symptoms of a cough or cold, I dose him up with elderberry extract and we carry on.

 

[rinnythepooh]

we are getting flu shot, we use hand sanitizer before eating and always wash when using the rest room. I also make sure I use hand sanitizer each time after I go up to a buffet... seeing hundreds of people touching the same spoon and ladle and watching the CM change out the pans of food but keeping the same spoon and transferring it to the new dish

We avoid buffets for this reason. Also, this last trip, I made a point to wash my hands very well before eating anything, instead of using hand sanitizer before eating. Also remember to wash off the hand sanitizer container once in awhile. We have not gotten sick at all the last few trips. Before we did all these things, I was sick every trip.

 

[disneysteve]

If, as some of you say, hand sanitizer is so bad for you, why is it required at hospitals and Dr. offices?

It sure makes me feel better when my Dr.'s and nurses, not only wash their hands, but use sanitizer before tending to me.

I think hand sanitizer at the hospital makes sense because there's no practical way to have everyone who comes in and out of a room wash their hands. Hand sanitizer isn't as good as hand washing but at least it's better than nothing.

As for the doctor's office, that makes no sense. Every office I've ever worked in had a sink in every exam room so washing my hands has never been a problem.

There's definitely no reason for anyone to ever use hand sanitizer if they've already washed their hands. That's just a total waste and, as others have said, just contributes to resistant organisms. Nothing beats hand washing.

 

[BarbieGal457]

We wash our hands after all bathroom usage and use sanitizer before every meal or if we touch something gross accidentally. I push open all restroom doors when leaving with my elbow, or if that's not an option I use a paper towel. That's about it. We touch whatever we want, and as I am accident prone, handrails are my best friend. I also make it a point to touch my face as little as possible, but I do that in daily life as well because the bacteria on your hands can make your skin breakout and such.

I know I've heard before that people often blame their vacation destination for their illness, but that it's much more likely they picked up something on the plane since it's much dirtier. Therefore, on the plane I am a bit more cautious with using sanitizer and I never ever put my face on the seat if I want to get some sleep. Instead I will either purposely wear a hoodie and put that up around me, or take a travel pillow. I also agree with PPs who've said that a lot of the illness felt or caught after might be made worse by the fact that people often don't eat as well as they normally would and don't get enough rest as usual, so by the end they feel really run down once they get home, which seems especially true with Disney.

 

[princess_ariel_85]

Wow...after reading this thread I now realise I am totally ignorant to germs ha ha.

I take the approach of doing exactly what I would do at home. However I am a nail biter, always have been and I'm always touching my face. I think this thread might possibly have cured that so cheers!

I have never been ill during a trip at WDW, DH got a cold once at the beginning of a trip and I have come home with a poorly chest this time around. We put this down to the experience of travelling via plane. Like a previous poster stated all them people coughing and sneezing in recirculated air. We spent 7.5 hours on a plane Sunday night as we came home and I was seated next to a lady who was coughing all the way.

I've never really given it much thought as to how many people have potentially touched the door handle to my hotel room or whether the person who previously sat in my seat on Mission Space was sick and whether a cast member cleaned it with disinfectant. We were walking through Epcot the other day and DH made the remark about how many people have previous tried on the ears I'd brought.

We take these risks every day. When you go to a restaurant you're happy to except food brought to you by a waitress. You don't know what the chef did to your dinner. For all you know he could have had an itch in an unmentionable place and without thinking prepared your meal without sanitising.

 

[Aurora0427]

If, as some of you say, hand sanitizer is so bad for you, why is it required at hospitals and Dr. offices?

It sure makes me feel better when my Dr.'s and nurses, not only wash their hands, but use sanitizer before tending to me.

To each their own! I have seen women sit their purses on the public floors of bathrooms, then of course go home (and like most of us) sit it on the counter!! I not only wipe my cart handles in stores but also the 'seat' before sitting my purse there - I've seen some of the 'dirty bottomed' sweeties that have been sitting there!!

Sanitizer is not bad for you. It's just not as effective at killing germs, particularly germs like flu and norovirus, as hot water and soap.

Antibacterial soap is what's actually bad for you. Latest studies show using soap that's not antibacterial is the best option.

 

[Dis703]

I'm a little more cautious at Disney because I don't want anyone getting sick on vacation. BTDT and it's awful. Last year one of my boys came down ill our last day there and threw up the entire afternoon and evening including the 5+ hours we were stuck at the airport because of a delay and the flight home. No fun for anyone. Turned out he had hand foot and mouth disease and it spread to the other two boys and my husband after we returned home.

I always clean my kids hands before we eat wherever we are. And I try to teach them to avoid hand rails and such, but that's not all that easy to do as kids their age just touch everything. So we use hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes periodically as well.

My son who caught HF&M, and spread it to the rest of the family, was repeatedly laying down on the floors, caught licking his chair more than once, and even snagged a Disney mug from someone's stroller and was drinking it before I could stop him. It was no surprise to me at all that he was the one to get sick first.

 

[scrapquitler]

If you have small children, they put their hands on the table. Sometimes they drop food on the table and then pick it up and eat it if you don't catch them quickly enough. Besides, those table are gross. They're cleaned with water. Maybe sometimes they're sprayed down, but most quick service tables are cleaned with the same dirty wet rag. I like having a decently clean table to sit at while I eat my $12 cheeseburger meal. If you don't, hey, good for you.

It works for us. I don't have young children, but when I did, they rarely got sick and still don't.

 

[Baklava]

We wash before we eat and we wash after using the bathroom. Disney is no dirtier than the rest of the world and we just don't have the time to get worked up about germs. (I understand that there are people who do not have that luxury. I don't judge anyone for extreme cleanliness, whatever their reasons.)

 

[opal]

I am in the touch as little a possible, wash hands frequently and use hand sanitizer camp and here is what did it for me.....We were getting a snack at Starring Rolls. A young boy (not so young to not know better) at a nearby table, while eating his pastry with one hand, crammed his other hand down inside that back of his shorts and proceeded to scratch his butt-crack with gusto! My s-i-l and I both reached for the hand sanitizer at the same time

 

[RedAngie]

Is anyone here old enough to remember the '3 second" rule. If a piece of candy hit the ground you had 3 seconds to pick it up and still be able to eat it?

Heck, we often extended it to 10 seconds or more. Hmmm, from a kid's point of view, a Tootsie Roll falling on a dirty Philly sidewalk vs. the possibility of germs. Of course the candy is going to win. None of us ever got sick because of it.

I'm on the side of OP's DH. Wash hands after using restroom, rarely before eating. Don't even think about the rest.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Think about it. I don't know of any way to avoid wearing the seatbelt/restraint on every ride that has one. It is as simple as that. Since we don't all have to touch the handrail, it is probably the cleaner object. I don't worry if we do touch it. Mostly we don't worry about general germs, but knowledge is power:

1. We try to wash our hands before eating, especially if it is a food that we eat with our hands- like popcorn or a sandwich.

2. Now when it comes to touching objects in restrooms, we are slightly more cautious. Some blood borne pathogens CAN survive on surfaces for weeks. Hepatitis C can survive on a surface at room temp for several weeks! By my estimation, Hepatitis is far more likely to be lurking on a public bathroom waste disposal box than a ride buckle. So washing after restroom use is wise.

3. Be wary of food borne pathogens. Many folks overlook food safety. Never eat meat that has been sitting out for 2+hours. Pick clean restaurants, and use clean utensils. Be wary of eating food that lands on a dirty table or airplane tray.

4. Hydration! Staying hydrated is one of your best defenses against illness. Your body's own defenses work best when you allow them to flush out pathogens.

5. A strong defense! We defend ourselves best when we eat well. Eating produce is one of your best defenses. Probiotic foods are also great: yogurt, real cheeses, sauerkraut, kimchi, almost any fermented food. (even a some alcohol products!) I don't understand why anyone would think week-long theme park vacation = a good time to live off of fried white starch. Ick!

One thing I find slightly silly is the obsession many folks have with drying their hands. If it is 80 degrees, your hands will AIR dry inside of 20 seconds. Wasting a tree is dumb. So is lining up to use the electric hand blower. Sunshine works very well.

 

[ParrotBill]

I'm with OP. Because when I get sick, it seems to take weeks to get over and often ends in bronchitis.

So I am very careful to avoid touching handrails (hover and grab only if needed), wash hands often, super careful not to touch my face, wash hands before handling food with hands, use hand sanitizer several times through day. Wash hands after "grabby" rides and always after shaking hands.

 

[twojay]

I follow OP's DH's approach, though I do avoid touching things in interactive queues. Because of the incubation period of most illnesses, I don't worry about catching something and then being sick AT Disney.

 

[jahber]

I do this with paper towels when practical all the time. My work environment pretty much consists of cleanrooms and then even cleaner cleanrooms. We were actually taught at orientation to use this method and I still follow it to this day.

I see people leave their stalls and leave the bathroom right after washing their hands and I do not want to touch the door handles they've touched right after I've thoroughly washed my hands and then go and eat a meal. I'm definitely going to stick with this at Disney. Hoping the restrooms at WDW actually are doorless (just those open entrances) and have automatic faucets. Solves everyone's problems!

I always use a paper towel to open the door to the bathroom (when they are available). Disney is pretty good about having trash cans near by for you to drop the paper towel in. The cruise line is the best, though. They have signs asking you to use a paper towel and little trash cans for them at every bathroom door. It's a great habit! I just hate wasting all those paper towels. But then again, they aren't exactly wasted if they serve their purpose, so...

 

[sharadoc]

We do the same as we do at home. I've never believed in hand sanitizer because I'd rather become resistant to germs than "too clean" all the time. I agree if you have small children who put everything in their mouth, or someone in the family with a lower immune system, I would constantly try to keep them and us clean. We've never gotten sick, other than last trip when we ate at a crappy restaurant in South Carolina on the road.

One time I watched a family completely wipe every exposed thing down with hand sanitizer after getting off Toy Story Mania and thought "wow, kind of OCD, how much of a germophobe is that mom?" Then I saw that family on Extreme Home Makeover and realized they had a very sick little boy. I felt like a complete and total jerk. I remember that every time I judge someone using hand sanitizer, there could be a really good reason and whatever it takes to protect someone, do it!

 

[anniemae]

I follow OP's DH's approach, though I do avoid touching things in interactive queues. Because of the incubation period of most illnesses, I don't worry about catching something and then being sick AT Disney.

except if it is a stomach bug. Those spread like wildfire and you can start exhibiting symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea) within 12-24 hours of exposure. Not how I want to spend vacation!

 

[disneysteve]

Hoping the restrooms at WDW actually are doorless (just those open entrances)

Okay. Disney trivia time. One of the four parks has different bathrooms than the other three. Which park is different and why?