Is it me or has anyone else notice that a lot of people here do not wash their hands after going to the bathroom?
I see it every day mainly at the gym (fitness factory in xinyi). Also, is it rude of me to ask them to wash their hands after use? I did it a few times and they all washed without wanting to kick my ass.
It’s not like there’s no place to wash hands.
Is this a Taiwan problem? I feel like everyone doesn’t wash their hands after taking care of business.
Glad to say I hate having the feeling of dirty hands so I tend to wash them often.
I notice it here, yes, but I don’t think it’s a Taiwan issue. I’ve seen (or rather, not seen) it all over the world.
I’ve noticed it a lot among young adults.
Wash hands first --> urinate --> leave bathroom.
At least they’re not handling themselves with dirty hands.
Well, there’s that theory that classifies people depending on when do they wash their hands (before or after urinating). Washing them before makes some sense, since you don’t want to manage your good stuff with dirty hands. Washing them after also makes sense, specially if you will go out later and use your hands to grab the MRT poles or handles, or greet someone with a handshake (I guess that’s why people here only wave instead of handshake).
On the other hand, I’ve seen some people here with antibacterial soap dispensers on their desks that are washing their hands every 5-10 minutes, bordering on OCD.
Juice Stands and 7-11 coffee. I hate it when they are mopping the floors and you come up for your juice or coffee and they don’t wash their hands. It irks me when I order something like carrot juice where the vegetables must be handled by hand.
Sometimes they say “I did”. But that was before the mopping. That holds true when they are preparing a cold coffee drink as well.
A couple of times, being exasperated, but remaining polite, I take the drink, go around the corner and drop it in the waste basket. Too add a little spice, the 7-11 guy last week was dripping from his nose and coughing, and he was still making coffee. I said to him “You’re sick.” He said, “Duai”. There were other people in the store, but I did not know how to politely say in Chinese, if it is possible to be polite on this issue… “You, please don’t make my coffee, you are sick. Ask the girl to do it” I accepted my coffee and dropped it into the nearest waste bin.
I really do cath germs more than other people so, for me it’s self preservation.
6 year bump.
i’m not a germ freak or anything, but it does concern me a little that i’ve never once seen another man in any restroom use soap. is the soap just there for foreigners? and often at the mrt too, where people are going and grabbing the handles, etc. i’m not trying to be bigoted in any way, i just thought maaaaybe with covid people would consider it more, but no.
it used to gross me tf out though when people cough or sneeze directly into their hands on the train in japan and then just grab on like it was nothing. haven’t seen that here thankfully (yet). i know different culture, etc.
who here washes their hands? genuine question. i can’t be the only one.
I definitely do. With soap…if it’s available.
I have very good hand washing skills.
It’s also something that I notice whenever I go out. Hand washing here appeared to peak early last year, when I actually saw a lot of people use soap.
Now…it’s probably 2 of ten get fingers of the hand not holding their cell phone wet, perhaps one rinses with cold water and, statistically, zero of ten use soap.
if i do see a younger gent wet their hands, it’s so they can fix their hair 
hygiene be damned
Well, as long as they only touch themselves…
Maybe Taiwan girls like the smell of urine.
I wash my hands excessively these days making my hands dry.
Do you use cold water?
Put Vaseline on your hands and slip them into some cloth gloves before sleeping.
This sounds very naughty.
I use warm water, it’s too cold in the British winters for me and most of the time is when return home.
I got some hand cream and it helps. But it’s still a bit dry.
Not just males. I very very rarely see females washing their hands with soap in public restrooms. I guess they really think they can get rid of germs with just a little water and sometimes only on one hand.
Or they just don’t care much about hand washing hygiene…
my partner said about as much when i asked her… i was hoping she was wrong.
Unfortunately not. I thought COVID would change peoples’ hand washing habits but it doesn’t seem to have had any effect.
During Covid, I started to notice habits more. I’d say roughly 1 in 10 men wash their hands after the bathroom, 1 in 100 use soap, and 1 in 1000 wash their hands for more than 10s with soap.
I’m glad this is not a handshaking nation 
If Covid won’t convince people to wash their hands, what will? I think they need some shameful cartoons like a girl getting grossed out by a guy that has poop on his hands. Since hand washing stations are often outside, the shame pressure may do justice?