Despite our sometimes neurotic tendencies, most of us don’t really qualify as germaphobes. Truly germ-fearing souls — those who refuse to touch door knobs or go a day without a shower — deserve some serious respect. It takes a lot of dedication to avoid the dirt and grime present in the life of a college student. We at the Daily Clog have heard a few concerning germ-related theories from our fellow peers over the past years, so we decided to expore (and debunk) the most common misconceptions below:
1. Everything is sanitary if alcohol’s involved. It’s common party wisdom. If we had a dollar for every time we were offered plastic handles of vodka with no cup in sight and, in response to our skepticism, were told, “Don’t worry, the alcohol kills the germs,” we’d be rich. Vodka does NOT kill the germs.
2. Oh come on, I am not going to get an STD. Casual hookups usually only raise concern when the couple seems like a particularly scandalous matchup or when there is talk of sexually transmitted diseases circulating. Maybe it’s the feeling of being caught in young lust that makes people forget to be concerned, but the health of your temporary significant other should be a pretty major factor in determining whether or not his or her lips touch yours.
3. You don’t have to worry about beer pong being unsanitary. We’re here to tell you that beer pong is, in fact, very unsanitary. Our advice to all you party-goers: If you’re going to play, play in the first game of the night — those cups will be emptied more than a few times by more than a few individuals. As environmentally-savvy Berkeley students, our desire to recycle is definitely understandable and even admirable, but there comes a certain point when those red Solo cups need to be swapped out for a fresh batch. And it doesn’t always happen.
4. It’s fine; I’ll wash my dishes later. When living in the dorms for the first time, both parent and dishwasher separation anxiety soon set in. Reality usually hits when you realize that you actually have to wash your own plates and bowls immediately after using them — unless you want to spend 20 minutes in the hall bathroom the next week trying to scrape off the dried oatmeal or macaroni and cheese gunk that now appears to be permanently glued on. If you do happen to be the only one on your floor freshman year who actually uses dish soap and a sponge to clean your dishes, you will likely receive some strange looks from your floormates who preferred the “rinse with scalding hot water and hope heat is sanitizing enough” method.
While it is easy to put cleanliness on the back burner when faced with all of the other important challenges that are thrown at you in young adulthood, we urge you to maintain your sanitation proudly. Being clean is cool! Getting sick is the last thing we all need when there are quite literally a thousand things we would rather be doing on a sunny summer afternoon than laying in bed congested and cursing the world. So take care of yourselves! Wash your hands, take your vitamins and remember: Vodka does NOT kill the germs.
Image source: arvind grover under Creative Commons.
Contact Sarah Branoff at [email protected]