A note of hope: On cleanliness, disinfecting, the usefulness of a little dirt, toilet paper shortages, hand sanitiser, rubber gloves and common sense

Dear Readers,

The world is experiencing challenging times and I thought I’d send you my good thoughts and wishes all the way from Turkey. I hope that, wherever you are, you are managing to stay positive and healthy; and if you aren’t, I wish you a speedy recovery.

Up until today, I had to take public transport here in Istanbul in order to get to work. The local authorities have kindly supplied the ferries, metro stations, public libraries (the latter have now closed) with large containers of hand sanitiser. That is, of course, very nice of them. Citizens who hadn’t managed to get their hands on the product don’t have to worry about dwindling supplies, and those far-sighted enough to have purchased it in advance have something to fall back on, should the need arise. And so, as the smell of sanitiser rose in the air on my morning commute, I started deliberating on the concepts of cleanliness, dirt and not only, which I’d like to share with you below.

Cleanliness is relative

First I’d like to write about the change of the understanding of cleanliness over time. As the simplest example, let’s think of the number of times we shower or bathe in any given day. Most of us in the western world probably shower daily, or perhaps every other day. This is, let’s not forget, relatively new. Some 70 years ago, people didn’t bathe quite so frequently, for many reasons: the shortage of running water, the lack of bathing facilities. The Bulgarian author Aleko Konstantinov, probably Bulgaria’ s most revered satirist, famously started one of his short stories with the words: It is good to come to the baths once a month. My father, who is from the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv – a great city with even greater history, supposedly older than both Rome and Constantinople, founded by the Phillip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, tells me that in the 1950s – 1960s the public baths were open on alternate days for the men and the women; or they would rotate the visiting hours, so the gents and the ladies didn’t run into each other.

We remember, of course, from history lessons, that ground-breaking recommendation of the French microbiologist / biologist / chemist Louis Pasteur to wash our hands, which was and still is, crucial for saving the lives of so many. The importance of this is undeniable. What is, however, questionable, is whether all the disinfecting that goes on around us at the present time, is actually good for us.

Many would remember their grandmothers say A little dirt never hurt anyone, a popular interpretation of the fact that exposure to some dirt helps strengthen the immune system. Children in Australia have been given special dirt pills to this end; and the worries of scientists that we may live in a world that is too clean are nothing new. One might argue that the current situation is different, insofar as that the world is trying to eradicate a deadly virus. I am by no means underestimating the seriousness of the situation; I’d just like to give a few real-life examples of harmless dirt.

Evidence of harmless dirt

My father also tells me that when he was a boy, his group of friends would go searching for worms along the shores of the Maritza river that runs through Plovdiv. (Alert: If you are squeamish, or if you feel strongly about animal rights, you may find the next sentence upsetting.) They’d pinch those unsuspecting creatures and would pack them into an empty matchstick box, a worm per box, and they would sell them to the local fishermen for 20 stotinki a box (1/5 of Bulgarian lev). The business transacted, they’d rinse their hands in the nearest source of running water – i.e. the river, following which they’d continue playing, picking a snack from a nearby fruit tree or a bush. No adverse health consequences ensued.

The experience of my elderly friend Peter is similar. Peter is a truly exceptional Briton, who’d lived all over the Middle East teaching English, notably in Morocco, and he attributes his longevity and his relatively good health to the fact that he’d had some exposure to, let’s say, less than spotless crockery and the like. Peter would regularly invite me (and not only me, but also any number of foreign students and refugees) to regular monthly brunches in his Manchester home. Every so often, I’d pick up a plate that I’d consider, let’s say, less than spotless and, trying to be as delicate as I can, I’d offer to wash it. He would invariably say: Give it to me! I’ll eat from it!  He’d sigh and shake his head, and would re-state with absolute conviction his views on the usefulness of a little dirt.

Horses for main courses; I’ll never be convinced as to the latter, despite the obvious evidence that it’d worked a treat for Peter.

Digression that proves that not all kinds of dirt are acceptable

Whilst I am on it, I cannot not mention the habit of placing a plastic bowl in the kitchen sink, the thought of which can only make me cringe. Luckily my friend was not guilty of it, but I did observe it in quite a few households. Done with the noble aim of saving water, it invariably results in washing crockery and cutlery in what eventually becomes dirty water. This is not helped by the fact that at some point in the 1970s a major advertising campaign ran all over Britain, which somehow managed to convince part of the population that it was OK not to rinse the washing up liquid off the dishes. The advertising slogan must have been something along the lines of And now, you don’t have to rinse! The end result is – my apologies, it is disgusting: washing up liquid drying on what are meant to be clean dishes. Ugh…Should we save water? Yes, absolutely. Should we eat washing up liquid? Didn’t think so. I’d like to add a disclaimer that this does not happen in many households, and many of my friends are obsessively clean, organised and house-proud. So, no sweeping generalisations here, and, I hope, no offence…  

On another (linguistic) note: the kitchen sink

I first heard the kitchen sink idiom on the news, in this exact sentence: The Bank of England is throwing the kitchen sink at the situation… Read: using every available resource. I’d sure hope that, when they’re throwing that kitchen sink, they’re not throwing the plastic bowl with it.

How to address toilet paper shortages

One solution: from the Muslim world

We don’t have to look far for inspiration on how to address toilet paper shortages. Some people use water, for the sake of religion, or for the sake of cleanliness. It was in Egypt where I discovered toilets with in-built washing facilities. Just turn the handle to the side of the toilet bowl and a pleasant stream of water starts running, pointing exactly at the correct place. My backside is happy, as an Egyptian friend put it. (One’s gotta discuss these things every now and again.) A less sophisticated squat toilet in a Muslim country would have a tap and a jug, or a hosepipe. Don’t be quick to dismiss squat toilets – they are physiologically better for the human body, and, as I think I wrote in my very first post Toilets in Istanbul, people who use them, rather than the modern western toilet, don’t suffer from haemorrhoids and other civilisation diseases. Even the Ottoman sultans used marble squat toilets! If they’re good enough for a sultan, they’re good enough for me. The only disadvantage of a squat toilet I can think of is the fact that the floor is usually completely wet, which my experience of living in developed countries immediately equates with a mortal danger. An overreaction, for sure.

Another solution: from the ancient Romans

Have you ever wondered what the ancient Romans did in the absence of toilet paper? In Britain, I went on a most interesting guided trip up to the Scottish border, where emperor Hadrian built the wall that would protect the north-west frontier of his empire for nearly 300 years. Roman forts were also built along the wall. If there’s a fort, there’s a toilet – and the Roman toilets were one of the most impressive highlights of this trip.

Going to the toilet was communal business in the Roman Empire. One could be sitting there along with 30 other men (not sure if the same applied for the ladies’). They’d chat, or mind their own business, and a stream of running water would take the waste away. The business transacted, they’d reach for a stick with a piece of moss or sponge from the sea attached to it, they’d use it, possibly rinse it, and kindly leave it there, so the next person to come to the toilet wouldn’t be left in the lurch.

On hand sanitiser

I don’t know if it’s a common occurrence, but some people, like me, have an adverse reaction to hand sanitiser. It causes my skin to dry, then crack and finally bleed. With some public institutions worldwide now insisting that everyone sanitises their hands, could we be exacerbating the problem rather than solving it? During my fabulous time as a waitress, we were required to cover all open cuts with dressing immediately. Using hand sanitiser could not only cause cracks in the skin, but could also result in dampening the dressing, thus leading to bacteria growing in the vicinity of the part of the skin that has cracked and bled.

On rubber gloves

Over the last few weeks a number of commuters have taken to wearing tight-fitting rubber gloves on public transport. During my fabulous career as a housekeeper, many moons ago, I attempted the same. Geez, was I uncomfortable. Sweaty palms, and the smell of latex alone can drive anyone mental. I had to abandon this idea and purchase sturdy loose household gloves to use for work. But what is the use of rubber gloves, no matter the kind, if my fellow commuters are still touching the surfaces of their mobile phones – commonly known as some of the dirtiest out there – and are bringing the devices close to their face for that selfie that cannot wait?

A final word

Dear Readers, we have come to the conclusion of this post.

We’ve only had this situation for a few weeks, yet we begin to see our fellow human beings as nothing but a source of lethal germs, turning our backs, heads and noses at them. Whilst social distancing may work, making others feel like a threat because of their presence on the same train cannot possibly bode well for society as a whole. Let’s try to show some kindness to one another during these difficult times. I would like to believe that the current situation will soon be resolved. If you are struggling to keep your spirits high, try to find hope in whatever spiritual belief speaks to you. Call a friend, a family member. Speak your fears. Find something- anything- good in the world around you. Don’t forget that our common sense, taking reasonable- reasonable! -precautions and being supportive to one another will see us through.

If you are anxious, if you are struggling, or if you just feel like it, please feel free to leave a message below.

God bless you all.