Recently some friends of mine and I went to one of our favorite restaurants and while awaiting service a gentleman came up to us and introduced himself as he shook all of our hands. We then noticed he had pink eye and was sniffling. With looks of detest and all of us severely grossed out we took turns running to the bathroom to sanitize our pinkeye-snot infested hands.

I have decided I am disgusted with people. It’s the flu season people, have you gotten your shot yet? No, well thank you on behalf of all those you will infect with your germs. When I was first toilet-trained I learned two things – always flush and always wash your hands. Somewhere along the way in life people forgot the second half of this crucial lesson.

According to the Mayo Health Clinic nearly 30 percent of people do not wash their hands after they use public or private restrooms. So pretty much one in three people you came in contact with today chose not to wash their hands after doing their business. Yeah, that makes me never want to shake anyone’s hand ever again.

And it isn’t as if washing your hands is very time consuming. Soap and water, lather and rinse, this isn’t rocket science ladies and gentlemen. Why have people become so lazy that their common courtesies have gone out the window along with please, thank you, and holding the door for other people?

Remember that silly rule your mom had about singing happy birthday to yourself while washing your hands, well it just isn’t that outdated.

Are you too lazy to wash your hands? Grab some 99 cent hand sanitizer from CVS. It’s portable, cheap and healthy. I personally have one bottle in my car, one in my purse and one or two scattered around my home.

I am not suggesting people become germ-o-phobes and go nuts with the Lysol in their homes, but there are so many ways to spread illness why expose yourself more then you need.

After you touch money, or eat food, touch a handrail, or another person, pull out some sanitizer or excuse yourself to the restroom to clean your hands.

This may seem like a silly and pedantic topic to right an opinion piece on, but it’s scary when you think about how many people don’t bother wondering where the hands of other people have been. It’s a good way to protect yourself and protect other people around you.

This is especially true for people living in residential halls. You are in close contact with some 50 people’s germs. And if we follow the one in three rule then almost 20 of those people chose not to wash their hands today.

The bathroom in the resident halls are cleaned only once a day, and if you are in a suite bathroom they are cleaned only once a week, and I have not seen many people cleaning their own suite bathrooms.

Flu’s, colds, mononucleoisis, chicken pox, are all diseases that can be spread by contact with someone already infected. And all this can be prevented with just a 30 second run to the restroom.

So be safe, wash your hands, live happy.

Rachel Carey is a first-year CCPA major. She can be reached at [email protected].