Are you here to see if you do any of these disgusting things without realizing how nasty it is? You’re not alone. These are the top 16 gross offenses going on daily without people realizing the depth of the nastiness they entail.
1. Not Closing the Toilet Lid Before Flushing
Do you close the lid on your toilet before you flush? Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder conducted an experiment. Smithsonian Magazine reports: “Airborne particles ejected from the toilet traveled at speeds of up to 6.6 feet per second and reached 4.9 feet above the toilet within eight seconds, the scientists found.
And, once airborne, smaller particles measuring less than 5 microns hung in the air for more than a minute.” Your toothbrush, hairbrush, towels, everything…yuck!
2. Urinating on Public Toilet Seats
WOMEN! I understand the logic of not wanting to sit on the seat because it is gross, but YOU are the reason it is always so nasty. Stop hovering above and soaking the seat. It never fails to disgust me, and the number of unflushed toilets in the public restroom is equally alarming.
3. Loud and Open-Mouthed Chewing
Loudly chewing your food, especially when your mouth is open, is a disgusting habit many people do not realize they have. Throw in some slurping and lip-smacking, and it’s irrationally infuriating.
4. Spraying Cologne or Perfume Over Your Stank
Spraying perfume or cologne over your funk doesn’t do what you think it does. I can’t tell you how often people would come in from their smoke breaks when I worked in restaurants smelling like stogies and Bath and Body Works or Axe sprays attempting to mask the stank.
5. Spitting
This isn’t baseball; stop spitting all over sidewalks! Ugh, it is so gross, and nobody wants to walk through your nasty fluids. The worst is hocking loogies. YUCK!
6. Sniffling Instead of Blowing
Constantly sniffling instead of just blowing your nose is a disgusting habit and an obnoxiously distracting sound. Please do us all a favor and grab a Kleenex and blow!
7. Not Washing Your Hands
Are you one of those people who doesn’t wash their hands after using the restroom? How about after blowing your nose or coughing into it? You’re not alone. While it’s challenging to gauge numbers, it is estimated that 1 in 4 Americans do not wash their hands.
That is 25% of the population walking around touching doorknobs, elevator buttons, escalator handrails, and items put back onto grocery stores daily.
8. Not Wiping Down Gym Equipment
Are you one of those nasty people at the gym who doesn’t wipe their sweat off the machine? Stop it! Ugh, it is a disgusting habit and against the membership’s rules. Is anyone else thinking of the Seinfeld episode where George gets caught urinating in the gym shower? “I was there. I saw a drain! It’s all pipes!”
9. Finger Lickers
Licking your fingers as you pass out papers or even opening those plastic produce bags at the store is a nasty habit many people don’t realize is so gross.
10. Clipping Nails Publicly
OK. Fortunately, I have never had the experience of being in public while someone clipped their finger and toenails. However, I’ve read this is a common occurrence on airplanes. Which one of you is out there cutting your toenails on a plane? Please, stop!
11. Passing Gas Publicly
Burping and farting openly in public, school, or work is a gross practice. Not even attempting to suppress your burp or saying “excuse me” makes it even worse. I’ll never forget when I was serving, and this elderly man walked to the cash register with me to pay his bill.
He was put putting little farts with every step he took and even told me: “At my age, you just stop caring.” That was pretty funny, but save that for your family under normal circumstances!
12. Not Washing Your Legs and Feet
Do you remember that Twitter debate a few years back about people not washing their legs? Not washing your legs and letting the water run down them does not clean them.
Soap doesn’t automatically get rid of bacteria. We wash our hands because the rubbing creates bubbles, which pick up the bacteria that the water rinses away. You have to scrub your legs and feet!”
13. Biting Your Fingernails
Did you know that your fingernails are twice as dirty as your fingers? They are hotbeds for bacteria, including Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas. So, biting your nails is a disgusting and risky behavior.
14. Picking Your Nose
Nose-picking is a widespread habit. In fact, some surveys indicate that it’s a universal practice, with people picking their nose on average about four times a day.
15. Bringing Food or Drink Into a Bathroom
YUCK! The idea of eating or drinking in a bathroom, let alone a public one, is disgusting! Yet, many people take their drinks at the bars into the bathrooms with them. I understand that, unfortunately, women can’t leave their drinks lying around. Still, it doesn’t negate how nasty it is taking it into the bano!
16. Wearing Your Shoes Indoors
Think about all the places your feet have been and then ask yourself, “Why would I want to walk inside my home with those shoes on?” Nonetheless, it’s a nasty habit many indulge in without thinking about it. Similarly, wearing clothes outside your home and then sitting on your furniture without changing them first.
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Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and Jesus.