Does this seem inconsiderate and unsanitary to you?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Last edited Wed Mar 17, 2021, 04:28 PM - Edit history (2)

I took my Kia into the dealership for service. I have to use the restroom to pee. I want to wash my hands in the only sink in the restroom and some guy is brushing his teeth. Of course, I can't wash my hands. I did use some sanitizer that was available outside.


Especially during a public health crisis, i.e a pandemic.

ON EDIT-As it was I had two choices- wait in a closely confined restroom with poor ventilation with a stranger who could give me a virus that could literally kill me or not wash my hands. I chose the latter.

You can't brush your teeth with a mask on

Under Mayor Eric Garcetti's “Safer at Home” order, individuals who don't wear masks can face up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.

https://www.latimes.com/california/sto

If a stranger is in the same space, everyone should be


.

[Cracklin Charlie]

1. Yes, it's inconsiderate.

And kinda gross.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. I was going to say something but decided not to.

Like WTF?

It would be different if it was a one- person restroom.

[woodsprite]

3. We have this happen at work, especially if someone has a meeting or dentist appt.

Now my son's dentist has a rule that everyone brushes their teeth after they check in. They actually have little stations set up for it. I really like that.

[Kali]

4. other than the fact it is a stranger, how is it more unsanitary than a home bathroom?

where else should teeth be brushed? in an office or waiting room?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. Strangers aren't coming in my home bathroom pooping and peeing while I'm brushing my teeth.

Especially during a pandemic.

[RussellCattle]

12. I agree with Kali. Someone publicly brushing their teeth in a public restroom seems fine.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

5. Some people are really particular about brushing their teeth right after eating ...

Was it maybe an employee i.e. someone with less freedom to go brush their teeth somewhere more appropriate?

I really don't think it's any more unsanitary (for the next user) than using a sink to wash your hands in after you pooped.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. Not an employee

There is a non zero possibility he is living out of his car.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

11. Okay well I agree the dude should've stepped back and let you use the sink, but ...

I don't see how it's any more unsanitary (for you) than if he was washing his hands in the sink after he took a big dump. Less so, in fact.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

14. The thing is he saw people couldn't wash their hands because he was brushing his teeth.

He put his comfort above the common good.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

15. Like I say, I agree on that part ... bit of a dick move (nt)

[marble falls]

6. I try to wash Mr Weasel before I go out so I don't have to wash my hands ...

... the only way your situation gets worse is if that dude was a salesman. But you're right, that whole deal was unacceptable. He was a jerk, too. He shoulda just stood back and let you in.

[Kali]

13. maybe tooth brusher was there first, then OP should have waited.

if only one sink, it seems like there should be some way to have privacy for a few minutes by either party. I don't brush my teeth in public restrooms but I could see the need if it was a day job or there was a need for dental health reasons etc.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

16. Kant said

Kant said when weighing if an act is right or wrong you should ask yourself how you would feel it was made into a universal law. What if everybody went into public restrooms with only one sink and brushed their teeth while others couldn't wash their hands after relieving themselves in a once-in-a-generation pandemic?

[Kali]

23. guy was at the sink before you

wait your turn. like you would have had to do if he was washing his hands. why should your needs take priority over his? it's not like brushing teeth takes all day.

it ain't deep philosophy, wait your turn.

[brush]

27. This exactly. The guy brushing was there first.

Brush teeth is over quickly. Wait your turn.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

63. This poster articulated my thoughts better than I could

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1018&pid=1483884


Have a nice day.

[marble falls]

17. If I were an employee of the dealership I'd have used an employee's restroom. The brusher should ...

... have stood back to wash his hands either way. Stepping back wouldn't have stopped the brushing. And if it's a small room (as it appears to be), one less galoot taking up space.

[Kali]

33. agree, brusher could have moved out of the way

if the room is that small perhaps an "occupied" lock on the door and one person at a time rule? otherwise if it is a multiple person restroom, stuck with sharing and waiting turns like we learned in kindergarten.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

37. If there wasn't a pandemic I wouldn't give a hoot.

As it was I had two choices- wait in a closely confined restroom with poor ventilation with a stranger who could give me a virus that could literally kill me or not wash my hands. I chose the latter.

Maybe I should have acted like a COVId denier.

[Kali]

40. maybe you could have found a dealer that did pick up and drop off and stayed home?

you asked if the situation was unsanitary. it wasn't any less sanitary because of tooth brushing vs any other bathroom activity, no. was he inconsiderate? possibly, but from your somewhat overly dramatic take on it I would be skeptical.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

42. Two points

1) The dealer where I have my service agreement is twenty three miles from my home and is a forty-minute drive

2) There is a mask mandate in Los Angeles:

Under Mayor Eric Garcetti's “Safer at Home” order, individuals who don't wear masks can face up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.

https://www.latimes.com/california/sto

[Kali]

50. well, you could do any number of things couldn't you?

instead you would rather whine and get worked up over a guy brushing his teeth. glad you have the energy to flip out over NOTHING. next time call the cops or stay out of the bathroom, have someone watch the door and not let anyone else in until you are finished, get a friend to give you a ride and drop your vehicle off. pay somebody to take it in for you. wait until things are in better shape with more vaccinated. service it yourself. pay a different dealer for this one time. not really into helping solve your own problems much are you?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

53. Please see Post 51

[Harker]

20. Mr. Weasel? n/t

[marble falls]

21. Option #2 was 'Bob'.

[Harker]

22. Can't miss with either.

Of course, had you opted for #2, I might still be wondering how washing Bob before leaving home was such a good idea.

[marble falls]

34. Just so long as it isn't 'sleepy'.

[WA-03 Democrat]

9. I have seen this

In airports and other countries. Used to live in Guadalajara and after lunch what seemed like an endless parade of coworkers with tooth brushes and paste lined up to get the junk out after their lunch meal. I’d of course just use the things other than the sink and then to wash my hands in the special customer bathrooms. Was it strange relieving ones self in a brushing contest...yes. In terms of sanitation a public restroom for me would rank low. Brush your teeth after every meal was what I heard the dentist say. I thought that lunch brush was optional

[empedocles]

10. Have seen isolated public flossing

[EarnestPutz]

18. It doesn't seem inconsiderate or unsanitary to me. Brushing your teeth is personal hygeine.

Waiting a minute to use the sink would be no big deal.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

19. I'm going to wait a minute in a...

I'm going to wait a minute in a poorly vented enclosed space with a stranger during a deadly pandemic?

Given the size of the restroom, I would have literally made it difficult for others to use the two urinals or commode.

He is literally putting my life and the life of others in danger.

[Kali]

24. !

[DemocratSinceBirth]

26. I would respond in kind but since I'm such a sweet guy.

[unblock]

28. I would have waited until the bathroom was empty and locked the door.

I've been in bathrooms in car dealerships. Basically single-person bathrooms even if there is both a urinal and a commode. Just treat it as a single-person bathroom and there's no problem.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

32. Two urinals, one commode, and one sink

All within four feet of one another.

[unblock]

35. Well if anyone is inconsiderate here it's the dealership that wouldn't spring for a proper setup

I can't fault someone for using the only sink.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

36. It's a pandemic.

Washing hands, wearing a mask, and maintaining social distance is the best way to keep yourself and others safe.

[Fla Dem]

60. So would you have felt the same way if he had just been washing his hands.

What if he was a fastidious handwasher and took a minute or two to wash his hands? If you were that concerned re the virus, you could have stepped out and gone back in after he’d finished.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

61. This poster articulated my thoughts better than I could

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1018&pid=1483884

Have a nice day

[unblock]

25. Brushing teeth is a perfectly normal bathroom activity.

It might be polite to allow others to use the sink first, because brushing teeth is about 2 minutes vs. 20 seconds for hand-washing; but it's still no big deal.

Not sure of the sequence of events here, but peeing doesn't give you first dibs on the sink. Wait your turn. Or do what you did, leave and use the hand sanitizer. You can then of course go back in when the sink is free if you still want a proper hand washing.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

29. If it's perfectly normal why isn't there mouthwash, toothpaste, and floss in public restrooms?

[unblock]

31. Hey and a full make-up kit as well! I'm sure businesses will be right on it.

[brush]

30. This exactly.

[Danmel]

38. You can't brush your teeth with a mask on

If a stranger is in the same space, everyone should be 😷

[DemocratSinceBirth]

39. I never thought of that.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

43. There is a mask mandate in Los Angeles to protect everybody.

There is a mask mandate in Los Angeles:

Under Mayor Eric Garcetti's “Safer at Home” order, individuals who don't wear masks can face up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.

https://www.latimes.com/california/sto

I follow the law and expect others to. Do you think the mask mandate should be lifted?

[MichMan]

44. Did you call the authorities and demand he be arrested?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

45. Do you think the mask mandates should be lifted or enforced?

Do you countenance not wearing masks or public spaces?

[MichMan]

46. If no one enforces them, might as well not have them

[DemocratSinceBirth]

49. I can only speak to my personal experience.

It's not hard to wear masks around others who you aren't related to and most Angelenos extend that courtesy.

[EarnestPutz]

59. Just an observation - You first asked "Does this seem inconsiderate or unsanitary to you?" and.....

.....then take issue with anyone who says "no, it does not". Why did you ask the question in the first place?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

62. This poster articulated my thoughts better than I could

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1018&pid=1483884


Have a nice day

-Earnest DemocratSinceBirth

[RussellCattle]

64. You didn't answer Earnest's question about why you asked the question in the first place.

It does seem that you do take exception to many responses to your question, replying over twenty times on this thread.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

65. I asked the question

I asked the question because I thought it was axiomatic one shouldn't deliberately expose others to a virus that has taken the lives of over 500,000 fellow Americans. Once you saw the unmasked person brushing his teeth in a poorly ventilated and closely confined restroom with one sink you were already exposed with his spittle flying everywhere. It's not as if I'm in a store and I can see him at a distance. I would add an unmasked person in a store in L A is going to get a lot of pushback, a lot...

COVID-19 has decimated Los Angeles, especially our most vulnerable citizens, and we Angelenos take it seriously.

[RussellCattle]

66. Kant would tell you to seek "perpetual peace" by getting rid of the Kia, buying an American....

....made car and protecting the environment by servicing it yourself and not driving over 40 miles to and from a dealer to be exposed to "spittle flying everywhere", which, I've got to tell you, is hard to envision. The spittle that is.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

67. I bought it used. I was going to buy a used Ford Fusion but there were none in my price range.

This should be a sign. It's humbling to have somebody articulate your thoughts better than you can:

Taking off your mask, brushing your teeth, and spitting out your potentially virus-laden swill in a public restroom sink during a pandemic is inconsiderate and dangerous to the other people trying to use that bathroom. And it deprives others of the use of the sink for washing their hands. Hand washing is crucial in a pandemic. Teeth brushing in public is not. It's akin to him washing his socks in the sink. It is rude, gross and deprives the bathroom users of the sink for the necessary function of handwashing. People have no choice when they gotta pee. When they gotta pee, they gotta pee, and must use the bathroom, even in a pandemic. But you don't have to brush their teeth; that can wait until you get home, especially during a pandemic, and especially when there's only one sink. And no, people should not be expected to stand there next to you, waiting and breathing the germs from your unmasked face as you stand there brushing your teeth. That is dangerous and rude.

Now that we got that little bit of housekeeping out of the way...

If a benefactor offered to pay the difference between my used Kia and a new American car I would have taken him or her up on the offer. Maybe I should have started a gofund me or ask for the money here. I don't know if the administrators would have allowed it.

I also don't think given my advanced age and paucity of experience I could "service" my own car. It seems axiomatic that a little consideration of a virus that has taken the lives of over 500,000 of our fellow Americans would have been easier than for me to go back in time and buy a used car I couldn't afford and service it when I lack the physical ability and experience. Not intentionally exposing others to a deadly virus doesn't seem like much of an ask. The gentleman in question put his convenience and comfort over the safety of others. I'm flummoxed anybody could countenance it.

[Kali]

47. well call the cops then!

bet taking two minutes to attend to personal hygiene in the bathroom doesn't violate any orders, however. good luck!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

48. Here is the mask mandate from the California government website

Masks prevent people from getting and spreading COVID-19. Every Californian must wear a mask or face covering in all public and workplace settings where there is a high risk of exposure. This is more important than ever with new, more easily transmitted variants of COVID-19 on the rise.

https://covid19.ca.gov/masks-and-ppe/#:~:text=You%20must%20have%20a%20face,you%20to%20wear%20respiratory%20protection.

Can you please show me in my citation the exception for "taking two minutes to attend to personal hygiene in the bathroom" is ?

Thank you in advance.


I would add anti-masking is a strange hill for somebody to die on.

[Kali]

51. you are the one afraid of dying yet using a car dealership public bathroom.

ndividuals are excepted from wearing a mask when:

In a car alone or solely with members of their own household.
Working in an office or in a room alone.
Actively eating or drinking. You should maintain a distance of at least six feet from those not in your household.
Outdoors and maintaining at least 6 feet of social distance from others not in their household. You must have a face covering with you at all times and must put it on if you are within 6 feet of others who are not in your household.
Getting a service to the nose or face for which temporary removal of the mask is necessary.
Your job requires you to wear respiratory protection.
You are specifically exempted from wearing face coverings by industry specific guidance.

I suspect either of those bolded exceptions may apply. Just because it doesn't specifically mention brushing teeth in a public bathroom doesn't mean ANY REASONABLE PERSON wouldn't grasp the simple concept that you can't exactly wear a mask while brushing your teeth. Hell maybe the poor guy didn't realize you were there and is off somewhere ranting to a discussion group about the rude asshole in the bathroom while he was trying to brush his teeth.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

52. That would be impossible

Hell maybe the poor guy didn't realize you were there and is off somewhere ranting to a discussion group about the rude asshole in the bathroom while he was trying to brush his teeth.

That would be impossible because I didn't disturb him. I respect the space of others even when they aren't respecting mine, to a point.

you are the one afraid of dying yet using a car dealership public bathroom.

I would add anti-masking and COVID-19 threat minimization is a strange hill for somebody to die on, especially a person who holds himself or herself out as a progressive.

Just because it doesn't specifically mention brushing teeth in a public bathroom doesn't mean ANY REASONABLE PERSON wouldn't grasp the simple concept that you can't exactly wear a mask while brushing your teeth

There is no need to become vituperative, hurling epithets at me and what not.. We are all part of a progressive community here.

[Kali]

54. LOL

reasonable behavior is my stand, not whatever you are trying to project. this did have some potential for becoming a fun lounge classic, I will give you credit for trying. have a nice day

[DemocratSinceBirth]

55. DU is a beloved community and every member of it deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

That's the hill I am willing to die on.





P.S. All kidding aside I'm the only person who drives in my household. I can't hide in my home. I have to weigh the costs and benefits of leaving it. All I ask is for the people around me to take the most basic precautions.

[SunSeeker]

56. Brushing your own teeth is not "service to the nose or face," nor is it "eating or drinking."

Taking off your mask, brushing your teeth, and spitting out your potentially virus-laden swill in a public restroom sink during a pandemic is inconsiderate and dangerous to the other people trying to use that bathroom. And it deprives others of the use of the sink for washing their hands. Hand washing is crucial in a pandemic. Teeth brushing in public is not. It's akin to him washing his socks in the sink. It is rude, gross and deprives the bathroom users of the sink for the necessary function of handwashing. People have no choice when they gotta pee. When they gotta pee, they gotta pee, and must use the bathroom, even in a pandemic. But you don't have to brush their teeth; that can wait until you get home, especially during a pandemic, and especially when there's only one sink. And no, people should not be expected to stand there next to you, waiting and breathing the germs from your unmasked face as you stand there brushing your teeth. That is dangerous and rude.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

57. If there wasn't a pandemic I wouldn't give a hoot.

Not washing your hands after using the bathroom in normal times is nasty and unhealthy. Not washing your hands after using the bathroom during a pandemic is dangerous.

[SunSeeker]

58. Exactly. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

68. Could you elaborate please?

It seems to be a violation of California's mask mandate. If there's an exception for public restroom teeth brushing I'm not aware of it.


Thank you in advance.