More and more I have been seeing people depress the fuel grade button with the nozzle end. More so guys than females. Becoming good reason to wear the nitrile gloves while refueling the car even though the evaporation rate is high. I wipe my hands with those hand wipes following pumping because the pump handles are dirty and I don't want that on the steering wheel anyhow. I can think of a handful of guys I know that pump gas then during the process of waiting begin to chew on what little fingernails they have left. Hygienic practices...

 

I rarely get sick, and I don't wipe my hands with sanitizer wipes after shopping carts, etc because i just don't. More important stuff going on lol.

 

In Switzerland. Stations are very clean and I never got sick from that, but I will always look out for residual gas on the handle ; that only happened twice. I also know stations where the pumps are cleaned by some personnel in the day, like some toilets or the floors.

 

I think we need to man up a bit, we can touch things out there in the real world. It isn't like you're gonna select a fuel grade, then put your hands in your mouth or eyes? There's a whole army of guys that don't even wash their hands after using the facilities (I work with them), and I know who they are. Sure I prefer not to shake hands, but if I did, it's not like I'm going to die. lol (the funny one is people who don't wash hands in a restaurant)

 

never seen that at a gas station, but for the first time ever the pump did not auto shut-off when I was gassing up - luckily I was standing right there watching it and not cleaning windshield or something. I told the idiot inside and he seemed to care less about it.

oh and yes people are nasty and I DO clean the grocery cart handles BEFORE I touch it....not worried about getting sick, its just nasty to me that people don't wash there hands after using the bathroom.

 

I've also seen people do this, I don't get it.

Also don't assume people who don't wash their hands don't use hand sanitizer or something like that. I quite often don't wash my hands but I always use hand sanitizer after I use the bathroom. So lots of people probably think I don't wash my hands either lol

 

While I agree that washing hands is important (especially after rest-room use), it's impossible to clean everything that your hands touch (including everything in the grocery store LOL), so I would just eat healthy to try and maintain one's immune system, clean ones' self regularly, and just not worry about the rest. There are enough things in life to concern one's self with....and you cannot control what other people do.

 

That's one reason why some states (I don't know exactly how many) ban the pump-locks on self-service pumps that allow one to stop holding the pump and walk away while the gas is still flowing. You must stand there and physically hold the trigger down, with your fingers (or try and stick something in there to hold it until the cut-off, which is not recommended and probably illegal). And, of course, it may not cut off properly if something is jammed in there and blocking it. Inconvenient, maybe......but probably avoids a number of klutzy gas-spills and/or pump-trigger malfunctions.

 

 

Oh I take a paper towel from the station and wrap the handle of the pump for use, and also use it for selecting the grade. Im a bit of a germaphobe, can you tell? lol. This is a bit off topic, but every blood test I have had so far tells me I have a low white blood cell count. This obviously prevents my body from fighting off the tough stuff. I am also a pretty clean person in general, so I do not know what came first. Did my hygiene lower my WBC? probably not. Anyway, I get sick maybe once every two years and stick to leading a pretty healthy lifestyle. food for thought

 

 

I do the exact same thing!

 

Goodness gracious, using paper towels at the gas station? I could see using them when fueling with diesel, but only to keep the oily diesel smell off my hands.

Certainly the skin is slightly permeable to chemicals, but even spilling liquid gasoline on yourself isn't going to have much of an effect. I wouldn't soak my hands in the stuff, though.

As for bacteria, as long as you don't have lesions on your hands, your skin does a great job of isolation. Don't touch the corners of your eyes or your mouth or nose and don't breathe in particulate matter. And hand washing is better than using sanitizer gels, in some cases MUCH better. Certain critters can be immune to sanitizers, including (if I recall accurately) CDiff, a very nasty bug.

As several Mythbusters episodes have demonstrated, contaminants and pathogens are everywhere, from door handles and faucets to ballpoint pens at restaurants. Natural selection has provided you with pretty effective response mechanisms. Just keep your hands cut-free and away from your face.

 

^^ that is true, except its a handle that a lot of people touch, And then you go back into your car and touch your steering wheel and other dash buttons. If you remember to wash your hands the first time, you aren't guaranteed to remember it later when you reenter your car and touch everything again. I do the paper towels for germs, not gas smell or anything (who gets gas on themselves when refilling?). This is also why I only go to Chevron for gas. Not only because I like the brand and product, but because they consistently have paper towels, unlike cheaper stations like Arco.