Keyboard Hazards

[anthrobabe]

The mouthpiece of the old bakerlite ABC dial telephones were always disgusting. And the smell of them in public phone boxes enough to kill at seven paces.

Oh I just had a flashback--- oh gross, people with snuff in their mouths--- my grandmothers phone
I have to seriously go lay down now.

[pieces o nine]

I don't remember anything physically  scary about my grandmother's phone. I do  remember that they were on a party line setup until, I swear, the rest of the world had mobiles!

I never got over my astonishment at the decades of flagrant nosiness of otherwise nice people, methodically listening in to all  of each others' calls. Most of them didn't even try to be subtle about picking up/hanging up to snoop on each other.

[Sibling Chatty]

I remember my Grandmother with her smallest crochet hook (tiny thing, for the very fine edging on hankies and for doily-making) cleaning the telephone receiver every week.

That hook and a piece of tattered diaper (from before disposables) and some rubbing alcohol...ear and mouthpieces, then wiping down the rest of it.

My grandmother's concept of material possessions? They're here to be kept clean on a weekly basis, if not more often. Especially ones you don't OWN (like you didn't own telephones back in the 50's and 60's) because if they came to get them and yours was dirty...it would be a scandal!!

To me, a rotary dial phone brings back memories of rubbing alcohol smells.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

...The real bad habit I used to have was when my hair was very, very long and I'd use chopsticks (pencils, pens, whatever) to put it up- but the chopsticks I would then take out and eat with them--- hey most people wash the hair daily but it really gagged people so I quit it.

That is totally cool, actually.  As you say-- most hair is far, far more clean than the hands and faces are-- by a very, very large margin.

Bacteria on "just washed" hands is immense.  And, most times, a good thing, too-- those critters belong there, and are a serious part of our first-line defenses against unfriendly bacteria/viruses.

In fact, if you really want antiseptic hands-- you must literally scrub off the outermost layer of skin.  Ask any surgeon what protocalls she/he goes through before operating.  AND they wear sterile gloves on top of that...

As for faces?  These are at best, washed once a day or less.  And the washing affects the bacteria colonies growing there very little-- again, a good thing. 

But, the face contains the nose and the mouth, both concentrators of "foriegn" bacterias.  By stint of eating and breathing-- cannot be helped.  (NO food is 100% sterile, when actually eaten.  Once it's opened, the bacteria colonization starts immediately from the local atmosphere.... Only in a super-micron specially designed atmosphere is this not true-- like a "clean room" that electronic chip makers use...)

I think that would be totally cool to keep your personal eating utensils in your hair.    If people can't stand it, remind them of the nasty chemicals they routinely imbibe-- makeup anyone?  Skin-applied deodorant?  Leftover residue from laundry detergents?  All of these get absorbed into the skin.....

These are much, much more nasty.....