Some people in the office might tell you I am a germaphobe. I just don’t like touching things lots of random people have touched like public restrooms or elevator buttons. It does not stop me from going places or being around people. I simply adapt my behaviors to suit the environment. Like I wash my hands after pumping gas, and yes, sometimes I use a paper towel to open public restroom doors.
I am not alone in my fears. Antibacterial products account for $1 billion dollars in annual sales. Seventy-six percent of all liquid soap on the market currently is antibacterial. Germaphobia has changed our day-to-day habits.
High Tide Burrito Co., a restaurant down the street from our office, has created a hand-washing safe haven for me and the millions like me. The faucet is touchless and they have the Dyson Airblade hand dryer. The Cadillac of hand dryers, the Dyson Airblade actually cleans the air through a HEPA filter before blowing it onto your hands. And as an added benefit, it uses 80 percent less energy than warm air hand dryers.
Our society is increasingly changing habits to calm the nerves of germaphobes like me. Now if only someone can find a way to make antibacterial gas pumps.
