You shouldn't be touching any handles upon exiting a bathroom.

The door should be push to exit, so you can open it by pushing with your elbow.

I would bet good money that both door handles are equally filthy, by nature of it being a school. Kids are walking talking germ incubators. We all are, but kids especially. And that's before we even get to the kids who are intentionally malicious little bastards -- I guarantee you, in some school districts, with some kids, signs like these would just be asking for an aspiring Poo-casso to smear their shit on the door handles.

If they’re going to break the rule about washing hands they’re not going to follow the door handle one either.

Here's an idea:
The sinks should be outside the bathroom.
That way, you can wash your hands after touching the dirty door, and everyone in the hallway can see if you don't wash your hands.

I recall there was a story from Predictably Irrational where the experimenters were trying to figure out how to get participants to avoid double-dipping tortilla chips.

Along with a control condition, they tried setting up a sign that said "NO DOUBLE DIPPING", and I think they also tried paying people or getting them to promise not to double dip, stuff like that.

The thing they found most successful was to set up two bowls of dip: One labeled "For double-dipping", and one "Not for double-dipping".

They supposed that once they had to do a physical action where they sorted themselves according to "what kind of person they are", they wanted all of their visible actions to be consistent with that.

I still wouldn't trust either handle. People are assholes.

Literally scrolling while pooping at work and someone came in, did their thing and left without hand washing. These idiots walk among us.

there should be a guy in every bathroom who body slams you into the pavement if you don’t wash your hands for 20 seconds with ~~warm~~ soap and water

Me: grabs both handles

This problem is solved by having paper towels (air dryers suck) and placing the paper towel trash bin next to the door so that you can use your hand-full of towels as a barrier between the handle and throw the towels away as you leave.

I don't believe there is good in human nature, so I'm going to remain grossed out by both handles.

They should put 110V through the top one.

Someone who's too fuckin lazy to wash their hands isn't gonna take the time to read anything in public.

first off, the clean handle should be on top. the nasty handle shouldn't drip onto the clean handle.

second, as you are leaving a public bathroom, reach under your shirt/jacket (hopefully something untucked. ) use the fabric as a barrier for your hand and grab the handle with the front of the shirt/jacket.

Paper towel, always. No paper towels? That's why you enter the bathroom with a napkin in your pocket.

I saw shit smeared on a bathroom door the other day, hand dryers only, no paper towels, it was so gross.

Which handle is for opening the door with my (washed) prehensile pp?

At least I know the top one is sanitized.