E-cigarette...

[MaineShark]

I wear gloves to protect me from the harsh chemicals I use to get that "sparkling clean" effect...

Drain the bowl (plunger to push most of the water out, then wet/dry vac or a rag to sop up what's left, dry it, and apply Rain-X.

No, I'm not kidding.

What if people used mouthwash with germ killing stuff before kissing, wouldn't that help?

The nastiest of the critters will survive mouthwash.

A related factor is how recently you brushed your teeth last.  You should not kiss anyone who might be carrying something (even a cold) within 30 minutes of brushing your teeth, as the bristles open tiny cuts in your gums which can allow diseases to get in easier.  Obviously, that's not much of an issue with your husband, for example, because you're going to be exposed to anything he has in sufficient quantity that such small factors won't matter.  For those who are dating, however, it can be important.

Joe

[Raineyrocks]

What do you mean about an increased risk for diseases spread through the oral-fecal route and stuff?   Do you mean if someone literally kissed someone's butt?

Analingus does count, but the much much more common way is by improper hand washing. Everytime someone wipes their butt, there's some level of bacterial contamination, compounded by improper hand washing. This guy or gal then grabs the doorknob or munches a bag of chips later and ingests some level of fecal matter.

Now, it should be warned that it really takes a germaphobe or a surgeon to really care about that level of contamination. The human body is amazingly resiliant when uncompromized. It might sound a little gross, but if you think about anything long enough, it's really sick. (Opening scenes of Dexter, anyone?)

Why would you take the toilet any day, kissing and the toilet sound equally gross, don't they?

Toilets tend not to have wastes build up in them. You crap and flush. Did you brush your teeth since the last time you ate? Most people don't brush after ever meal. Toilet water is cold, which inhibits bacterial growth. Your mouth is warm, like an incubator. If you look at the level of bacteria on various things, it's alarming. On average genitals are cleaner than the mouth, your toilet is cleaner than your kitchen sink and your floor is a safer place to prepare food than your countertop. Again, those are all "averages" and deal with the changes of bacterial contamination. I'd not personally eat food off the floor that had cat fur on it, and the floor is more likely to do that than my countertop, for instance.

Jeremy did hit on something. A toilet is more likely to have a harmful bacterium in it. or more specifically, it's more likely to have higher levels of them. E. Coli is in the average person's body already, but the levels are so low it doesn't matter. Allowed to grow out of control in a toilet bowl, this could be signifigantly more harmful than a kiss. There are outliers for the kissing thing too though. But the fact that you have to compare all of the variables to make a comparison between "toilet" and "kiss" should be telling right there.

And, as a homebrew I can attest to this one.

Most food doesn't rot by itself. I've taken grains, soaked them in water for several hours, drained out the juice, boiled it, made some hop tea in it, and then put it in a bottle and had that bottle sit for several months without going bad. There are two keys there. Firstly, all of the equipment was santitized and the wort (grain juice) was sterilized. Secondly, I covered it in a manner that prevents the dust from settling. Why?

Because all of the moldy yucky crap that you see if you let food rot is not in the food, it's in the AIR. It's on dust, and pet dander. It's on the backs of tiny little buggers that are in most people's homes. And yet, the greatest part is that our bodies have mechanisms to deal with almost all of that crap.

Wow, thanks for all of the information!  I do feel a little sick now but hey I wanted to know. 

Here's what I don't understand regarding the grains you soaked that didn't get moldy.  I tried to make raw fermented cabbage one time and I followed the directions to the the T and kept it covered totally.  Well after a few days I opened it up and there were tons of bugs in there and it stunk horribly, what do you think happened?

I also soaked grains before too and they got moldy after 2 days but I guess that was because I didn't seal them totally.

[Raineyrocks]

I wear gloves to protect me from the harsh chemicals I use to get that "sparkling clean" effect...

Drain the bowl (plunger to push most of the water out, then wet/dry vac or a rag to sop up what's left, dry it, and apply Rain-X.

No, I'm not kidding.

What if people used mouthwash with germ killing stuff before kissing, wouldn't that help?

The nastiest of the critters will survive mouthwash.

A related factor is how recently you brushed your teeth last.  You should not kiss anyone who might be carrying something (even a cold) within 30 minutes of brushing your teeth, as the bristles open tiny cuts in your gums which can allow diseases to get in easier.  Obviously, that's not much of an issue with your husband, for example, because you're going to be exposed to anything he has in sufficient quantity that such small factors won't matter.  For those who are dating, however, it can be important.

Joe

Wow and I always thought it was better to kiss someone right after brushing my teeth, very interesting, thanks Joe! 

I use peroxide to rinse my mouth out is that a good thing to do?   I have a long "teeth regimen" thing that I do every morning and night but someone just told me that flossing is bad for your gums, do you know if that's true?   I have a Water Pik too but the dentist said not to use it everyday because it's too harsh on the gums. 

I hope everything is going good! 

[MaineShark]

Wow and I always thought it was better to kiss someone right after brushing my teeth, very interesting, thanks Joe!

Technically, no.  Of course, oral disease transmission (except things like the common cold) is low-probability, so making it slightly higher or lower doesn't do much.  Just depends upon how safety-conscious one is.

I use peroxide to rinse my mouth out is that a good thing to do?   I have a long "teeth regimen" thing that I do every morning and night but someone just told me that flossing is bad for your gums, do you know if that's true?   I have a Water Pik too but the dentist said not to use it everyday because it's too harsh on the gums. 

I doubt one can get firm answers to those questions.  I expect one should follow the old rule: all things in moderation.

I hope everything is going good! 

So far, so good.  A little crazy with two little ones around the house, but Kaelan is utterly infatuated with Mina, so that helps.  I let him hold her on his lap while he was sitting on the couch this morning, and that made his whole day...

Joe

[ByronB]

Eeewww, you can get all of those things from kissing?  What do you mean about an increased risk for diseases spread through the oral-fecal route and stuff?   Do you mean if someone literally kissed someone's butt?  I'm being serious even though it might sound funny. 

Why would you take the toilet any day, kissing and the toilet sound equally gross, don't they?
I figure at least I get "something" good from kissing though, excited!  What if people used mouthwash with germ killing stuff before kissing, wouldn't that help?   

Sorry for all the questions I have some germ phobias and would love more info on this kind of stuff. 

I was mostly making the point that it is MUCH easier to pick up a disease from your face area then from your hands, if you are close enough to be kissing them you have skin contact, you could be ingesting some of their saliva, blood, and bacteria in their mouth, as well as whatever is on their skin (fecal matter possibly), and you probably inhale a lot of "droplets" they exhaled... so technically by kissing them you could potentially be exposing yourself to pretty much every communicable disease in existence.

I would make a good germ-o-phoebe, but I say if you are going to try to eliminate all possibilities of picking up an infectious disease to protect your life from harm you probably don't have a life worth living anymore.

[ByronB]

Drain the bowl (plunger to push most of the water out, then wet/dry vac or a rag to sop up what's left, dry it, and apply Rain-X.

No, I'm not kidding.

That is freaking awesome, I am going to give that a try, I don't know why I didn't think of that... it's so genious, yet so simple.

[MaineShark]

Drain the bowl (plunger to push most of the water out, then wet/dry vac or a rag to sop up what's left, dry it, and apply Rain-X.

No, I'm not kidding.

That is freaking awesome, I am going to give that a try, I don't know why I didn't think of that... it's so genious, yet so simple.

I'd love to take credit for it, but I don't know the original source.   It popped up among the trades when the low-flow toilets came out, as they have trouble cleaning themselves properly with each flush.  It's a wonder that some manufacturer hasn't come up with a permanent surface treatment for the bowl, to be included with their new toilets, applied at the factory.

Joe