Do you wash your hands before going to the toilet, after, or not at all?
That was the question by posed by Mumsnet user 'mallorcanmummy' recently after her husband convinced her that her toilet habits were unusual.
"He insists that it doesn't make sense for females to only wash their hands after going to the toilet. They should wash them before too," she said.
"This is, according to him, as we will be transferring germs to our lady bits if we don't wash our hands before."
Cue mass discussion on toilet hygiene.
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Jutta Klee via Getty Images
The confused wife said she told her husband that as women use toilet paper we "don't actually come into contact with our bits".
"His response to that was why do I bother washing my hands afterwards then? I had to think for a bit," she said.
She went on to muse that hand-washing after the toilet may just be out of habit and asked other women what they do before and after using the loo.
"Never occurred to me to wash hands before. Unless I've just been elbow deep in the garden and am wearing my white jeans or something ... Otherwise it's a bit pointless," user 'KateLivesInEngland' said.
"One of my friends says she never washes her hands after going to the toilet because she never touches herself, and only she uses the toilet so only her 'germs' are on the toilet handle," user 'bilbul' added.
But user 'anyname123' said she has been adivised to wash her hands not only after using the toilet, but also before.
"My midwife told me last week to wash my hands before and after loo whilst pregnant. Maybe it's a thing now. Must admit I haven't taken any notice," she said.
So, what amount of hand-washing do doctors advise?
"We need to balance our awareness of bugs and germs and keeping clean, with being too over-the-top and forever washing our hands (which of course has implications for the environment with water, soap and heating)," Dr Helen Webberley, GP for Oxford Online Pharmacy told The Huffington Post UK.
"Use your common sense. If you have been in contact with anything that may be infective such as diarrhoea and vomiting, then I would suggest being extra careful with your hygiene practices and in considering the person who will use the toilet after you.
"Otherwise, sensible hand-washing after the toilet should be enough to keep us all clean and safe."
14 Cleaning Hacks
Use a lemon to clean stainless steel(01 of14)
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Annoying water stains on your tap and sink? Halve a lemon and use it to scrub stainless steel. It will also make your kitchen smell fresh and citrusy. (credit:Monkey Business Images via Getty Images)
Steam clean microwave(02 of14)
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Had a baked beans explosion? Clean your microwave the easy way by mixing two tablespoons of white vinegar and a few drops of your favourite essential oil with water and blast it for 5 minutes. You’ll be left with a shiny clean microwave that smells amazing with zero scrubbing required. (credit:Whit Preston via Getty Images)
Use a cotton bud for cleaning keyboards(03 of14)
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Instead of a wipe, take a damp cotton bud and use it to clean the difficult bits in between your keyboard. (credit:Partha Pal via Getty Images)
Fold and stack clothes vertically not horizontally(04 of14)
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Organise your t-shirt drawer by folding them and stacking vertically not horizontally. This way you can flip through to find the one you want easily and minimise creasing which means less ironing, always good. (credit:Chad Mcdermott via Getty Images)
Cover fridge shelves in cling film(05 of14)
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Fridge spillages can be disastrous but easily cleaned up by simply covering the shelves with cling film or plastic wrap. That way when something leaks or gets sticky, you can peel it off and start fresh, no cleaning necessary. (credit:Fabrice LEROUGE via Getty Images)
Store sheet sets in pillow cases(06 of14)
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Finding matching bed sets can be a huge time waster but solved easily by organising your linen. Fold matching bed sets into the corresponding pillowcase so they are all kept together. (credit:Prasit Rodphan via Getty Images)
Stop your bin smelling of rubbish(07 of14)
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Even after a bin is emptied, often a nasty lingering smell can remain.To avoid this, sprinkle some baking soda or vinegar into the bottom of the bin to reduce the odour and lay down some clean newspaper to absorb any leftover moisture. (credit:Image Source via Getty Images)
Clean toys in dishwasher(08 of14)
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If your mucky pups’ toys are looking a bit worse for wear stick them in the dishwasher for a short cycle. (credit:Emma Bailey via Getty Images)
Make your bathroom smell constantly fresh(09 of14)
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Add a few drops of essential oil to the inside of your toilet paper roll to keep your bathroom smelling lovely. (credit:ep_stock via Getty Images)
Refresh plastic containers(10 of14)
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Get the leftover curry stains out of plastic containers by putting a solution of washing up liquid, bleach and water in them and microwaving until boiling point. Once cooled, pour away and rinse. (credit:Cultura/BRETT STEVENS via Getty Images)
Deep clean shower head(11 of14)
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After having a shower, fill a sandwich bag with baking soda and vinegar and tie it around the showerhead using an elastic band. Leave this to soak overnight then any debris will come off easily with an old toothbrush. (credit:sophie adams, cardiff, uk. via Getty Images)
Microwave sponges(12 of14)
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If you’ve only got one sponge to do all of the spring-cleaning with, disinfect it quickly and easily by putting it in your now spotless microwave for two minutes. Just make sure your sponge doesn’t have any metal on it obviously. (credit:Alexandra Grablewski via Getty Images)
Use a pastry brush to get crumbs out of toaster(13 of14)
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Toast crumbs are notoriously difficult to get to but using a pastry brush can help sweep away the annoying trapped bits. (credit:ozgurcoskun via Getty Images)
Put a cup of vanilla extract in the oven(14 of14)
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Sounds a bit crazy but by putting a few teaspoons of vanilla extract into a mug and baking for an hour, your whole home will smell gorgeous and inviting. This is a trick estate agents swear by. (credit:Monika Adamczyk via Getty Images)