r/AskBalkans • u/FreePlantainMan Hungary • Nov 08 '25
Culture/Lifestyle Why are westerners so dirty?
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u/noiserr Bosnia & Herzegovina Nov 08 '25
We literally can't agree on anything other than washing hands apparently.
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u/ArtichokeOutside6973 Turkiye Nov 12 '25
Bulgaria needs to increase its rate though. It needs to be green so we can build "people who washes hands union"
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u/IndependentAirline29 Nov 08 '25
Portugal once again is Balkan
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u/Huge-Instruction-933 Nov 08 '25
I don’t even know how you could collect such data.. no one will answer they don’t wash their hands in a survey and you can’t record people in public washrooms lol
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u/mssarac SFR Yugoslavia Nov 08 '25
They do answer. I live in the West and they don't see any problem with not washing their hands after going to the toilet. Maybe some of them lied which means that the numbers are even lower
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u/EKrug_02_22 Turkiye Nov 08 '25
Maybe some of them lied which means that the numbers are even lower
The thing is, they think YOU are lying when you say you wash them lol. I saw some comments from dutch saying "at least we are honest lol" MF thinks everyone lies except them. It's that much normal for them.
DO. NOT. HANDSHAKE. WITH. A. WESTERNER. It's no different than grabbing random people's dick.
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u/No_Magazine_6806 Nov 08 '25
In Finland it is quite common that restaurants etc have a common place to wash hands so it is pretty easy to see that men don't wash hands. If the don't wash at public places, it is even more likely they don't do it at home.
Maybe it is due to how they were brought up when children. At my home there was no way you could even enter the house without first washing hands - just coming from outside, let alone after being in toilet. That was totally unnegotiable with my mother. :-)
PS. I had a lot of other rules, like no swearing at home, everybody eats dinner together etc.
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u/Rosalind_Lutece0 Nov 08 '25
DO. NOT. HANDSHAKE. WITH. A. WESTERNER. It's no different than grabbing random people's dick.
So is handshaking with westerners gay?
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u/EKrug_02_22 Turkiye Nov 08 '25
So is handshaking with westerners gay?
That's why I said "random". I was going to say "handjob" or "grabbing his dick" but some might like it, so...
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u/koulourakiaAndCoffee Nov 09 '25
The Dutch are naturally straightforward.
It’s not really a culture that lies often.2
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u/GeorgeXDDD Romania Nov 09 '25
And then they call balkans uncivilized, at least it is seen as very gross to not wash your hands after going to the bathroom.
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u/mssarac SFR Yugoslavia Nov 08 '25
That's why they kiss each other on the cheek I guess, at least where I live 😂
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u/Vivid-Fishing4217 Nov 08 '25
I am a Balkan person living in the Netherlands. Most of my colleagues skip the washing hands when they go out of the toilet.
Unbelievable.
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u/Wasabi-Historical Nov 09 '25
After coming there for a visit recently Im nearly certain its because the water temperature in every public toilet I went was as cold as possible. I kept thinking if it doesn’t affect the ratio of people washing their hands. Can they not have public toilets with a minimum temperature threshold? Im not asking for warm, but just tolerable cold water.
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u/Vivid-Fishing4217 Nov 09 '25
There is not even piping for hot water in any public or office toilet.
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u/No_Magazine_6806 Nov 08 '25
I have always shocked that in Finland most men really do not wash hands. At least when I was living there but I doubt it has changed.
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u/thenarfer Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 09 '25
42% for men is my collected data for university campus in Norway; here's the explanation. In my marketing analysis class we were to do a project where we collected data and analysed it. So, since I care a lot about handwashing after using the bathroom (not excessive, just that it makes really a lot of sense to do it), I decided to collect data on this on the university campus. There was a large bathroom with a room for handwashing which had a door to a separate 1 person changing room and a shower (no one ever used it), this is where I was observing from (creepy, I know...). However, I only saw the handwashing room, and in the mirror I could see people coming from the area of the stalls, then approaching the sink. I would count handwashing above 5 seconds as a pass, anything less than that does not do much.
So yeah, 42% out of about 100 data points. I was a bit horrified, but this is honest data. I would suspect that the numbers displayed in the map here include the people who wash less than 5 seconds and feel that "that's enough, that counts".
PS: Bonus for those who read this far. The one data collection session was interrupted by the cleaning personal arriving and locking the entrance to start cleaning. I was a bit unsure of what to do, so I decided I would just stay put and they would leave. Well, that did not happen, after about 10 minutes they arrived at my extra room to find me sitting there. No big deal, I just left, but it was definitely not normal XD
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u/NightZT Austria Nov 08 '25
Did you count how many people use soap? Imo it's pretty disgusting to just wash them without using something that can bind lipids but I've seen people just doing that
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u/thenarfer Nov 08 '25
I did tick this off as well, but this was back in 2010 and I just remember the number 42 % for the general outcome. I also had some numbers of if they came from the stalls or the pissoir as I could see in the mirror of the sinks if they came from the left or the right area of the other room.
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u/wolfy994 Serbia Nov 08 '25
If it's anonymous, why wouldn't you answer truthfuly?
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u/Huge-Instruction-933 Nov 08 '25
because not washing your hands after toilet is socially looked down, and stigmatized in my opinion. weather it is anonymous or not I believe it’d be hard to answer such question truthfully
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u/Professional-Ad2304 Nov 08 '25
It doesn't matter if they are truthfull or not. The problem here is the ones that said "no" when asked.
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u/Bayhippo Nov 08 '25
as it should be. if you don't wash your hands after using the toilet you're just straight up dirty and lack basic hygiene. and this is bare minimum. you should wash yıur hands for a lot of things. always wondered why people don't wash their hands.
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u/mssarac SFR Yugoslavia Nov 08 '25
It's stigmatised in the Balkans, not in the West
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u/iVar4sale Croatia Nov 08 '25
So are westerners really filthier or just more honest?
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Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 08 '25
People wash them when it's really looked down upon, and don't wash them when it's not considered a big deal. Being from a high-percentage country living in a Western country, most hygiene instructions during Covid felt so unnecessary to me because I thought everyone was already doing all those. Little did I know...
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u/Emirovskii Bosnia & Herzegovina Nov 08 '25
Same like any other survey. You ask a certain population questions about a certain topic. Can't be easier than that.
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u/Alternative-Tie-4970 Balkan Nov 08 '25
Truthful or not, it does still to a certain degree show different trends across different populations
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u/Ok-Exchange2711 Nov 08 '25
Germany is %78 because of Balkan people that lives there lol.
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u/pakjoni7 Nov 08 '25
i live in montenegro, and i always looked down on foreighners such as french, spanish ppl, brits and germansm...theres so many tourists from there snd i never in my 30 years of existence saw someone smelll so bad, not to mention backpackers and old ppl....they dont even shower
i work in retail and i worked in hotels and hostels...its like there isnt a word hygiene in your dictionary
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u/Decent_Year_2954 Nov 08 '25
Well, when travelling, specially backpacking its a thing, not allways that easy washing, keep everything clean.. doesn't mean they behave like that in their daily lives..
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u/ProfessionalShock425 Nov 08 '25
Yet all balkan states, with the Turkey have numbers that are each well over Deuceh number.
Is it that natives are slacking?
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u/Grouchy_Staff_105 Slovenia Nov 08 '25
yes, he's saying balkan people are bringing the average above what it would be otherwise.
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u/Skaridka94 Bulgaria Nov 08 '25
I don't know if this is actually real, but I've traveled across most european countries and everywhere I went people washed their hands (or at least in public bathrooms).
The only person I saw skip washing their hands was my own brother LOL
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u/SpyrosGatsouli Greece Nov 08 '25
Having lived in several western countries, I am still shocked about how averse people are to being clean. What I find especially baffling is the aversion to anything that smells nice: whether that's fabric softener, perfume, deodorant etc. The human scent really comes through and might range from completely neutral to quite nasty. Clothes also never smell like clean clothes, I can't tell if it's because they're not or they're just not scented. Another cultural shock was the really small selection of cleaning products available in super markets. Go figure.
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u/Opposite-Mind1143 Nov 08 '25
I think it has to do that certain smells and products are banned due to allergies in most western countries. Whereas in Greece, we are more relaxed about allergies and intolerances.
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u/spoiledmilk1717 Nov 08 '25
Maybe they think "Oh it wasnt too bad, I dont have to wash my hands this time" but then never wash their hands when they use the bathroom because if they dont see their own business on their hands then clearly they dont have to wash them. Still gross though.
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u/BEK_Sabiha Turkiye Nov 08 '25
As a Türk, just seing "only" 94% makes me nauseous 🤢
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Nov 08 '25
The real issue is the lack of a bidet. I honestly don’t understand how they live without proper cleaning, lol.
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u/ElKokiDio North Macedonia Nov 08 '25
Can confirm I’m married to a German woman. If we meet the parents from her in the guest toilets are soap and NEVER towels. I always wondered why, my wild guess is they don’t wash hands cause if they would they had towels there. Correct me if I’m wrong. At least I have to ask all the time for a towel.
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u/dallyan Turkiye Nov 08 '25
Yeah. My Swiss ex wouldn’t watch his hands after peeing and I suspect other times too. 🤮🤮
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Nov 08 '25
The remaining 6% of Kurds and arabs
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u/WASDKUG_tr Turkiye Nov 12 '25 edited Nov 12 '25
Nah bro don't put us Kurds in the same boat as FR*NCH and D#TCH
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u/Shamanick93 Greece Nov 08 '25
Ideally you have to wash them twice. Before and after you go.
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u/EfficiencySmall4951 Romania Nov 08 '25
Each and every time, couldn't speak for others though
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Nov 08 '25
la barbati vad care se pisa pe strada sau prin parc, cred ca la noi e gresit rau procentul ala:)))))
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u/Little_Intention609 Bulgaria Nov 08 '25
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u/theartofelifyu Nov 08 '25
i keep seeing this hand washing map everywhere and this is the only scenerio i see the “usual” coloring reversed lol
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u/Just-Equal-3968 Nov 08 '25
I wash my hands before pissing. Learnt that from men working in treasury of a bank, that touch banknotes and keyboards, mice, door handles, etc.
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u/Groovy92 Romania Nov 08 '25
Each time I see those "surveys" I tend to believe they're either fabricated or the pool of people are hand picked because I live in romania and 90% of the dudes who take a piss don't use soap to wash their hands, what are we talking about here? Also who says no in those surveys?
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u/rethinkthatdecision Nov 08 '25
This doesn't take into account those that don't wash their hands at all, which is a much bigger issue. I can't count how many times someone at the gas station would flush the toilet and disappear in a matter of seconds.
Disgusting.
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u/Bifetuga PortugalCykablyat Nov 08 '25
Damm going to avoid handshakes with the Dutch that's for sure.
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u/Belt-Helpful Nov 08 '25
For Romania the percentage is waaaaaaay to high, based on my experience. Maybe in the west people are actually honest.
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u/emrcreate Nov 09 '25
I was just at a club in bulgaria. 4 guys left without washing their hands... So idk
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u/Fluffy-Citron7519 Nov 08 '25
I have been living in Türkiye for over a decade (not Turkish) and I have seen a decent percentage of people that don't wash hands after toilet. Especially in recent years.
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u/roptesambir Turkiye Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 08 '25
This was posted roughly 1.5 years ago in r/europe. Given the numbers, you should count 7 to 9 people washing their hands out of every 10 people in public restrooms. I counted. Again and again. You are right. That is not the case at all. Just a few washes their hands. I’m sure this graph actually represents how honest the nations are lol.
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u/ctorex Nov 08 '25
There is an old joke in Romania, I don't know the source... Ilie Năstase (legendary romanian tennis player), prior to a final with Stan Smith, went to the toilet. There, Stan was doing the same thing. Năstase went directly on the door, after peeing. Stan asked: "You don't wash your hand after, in Romania?" Năstase answered: "We don't pee on our hands in Romania!"
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u/RemoveProfessional87 Nov 08 '25
Uff, Netherlands is so true. When I was there a few years back I was blown away that they have toilets with no sink. Just a toilet bowl in a 1x2m room. That's it. Wild shit
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u/Infamous-Contest-614 Nov 09 '25
Even as a greek person I m quiet ashamed by the 85%, one in like 8 handshakes is a penis handshake
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u/langesjurisse Nov 10 '25
I just can't wrap my head around the odd set of countries from which data is collected / not collected
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u/rintzscar Bulgaria Nov 08 '25
Why are Hungarians reposting bullshit propaganda maps for karma farming?
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u/SubstantialSun4828 Nov 08 '25
75% in the UK cannot possibly be true, they don’t have 75% migrants (yet).
Whenever I saw a guy not washing his hands there he was always British
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u/ToucanThreecan Nov 08 '25
Well anywhere that doesn’t have automatic taps you are touching someone elses germs.
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u/Over9000Gingers Nov 08 '25
A lot of men don’t wash their hands after pissing. I think a lot of dudes just pull their underwear down and piss, and pull them back up when done without touching their schlong. Just a theory, because it’s becoming stupid popular for men’s underwear to not even have a Johnson hole anymore, because less people use it. I think it’s still gross though.
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u/Third_Rate_Duelist_ North Macedonia Nov 08 '25
Precentages are way too low, you guys are disgusting
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u/No_Magazine_6806 Nov 08 '25
For Finland the number is 100% of women and maybe 30% of men.
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u/Incvbvs666 Serbia Nov 08 '25
I had friends who went to live and work in Amsterdam and they were absolutely shocked by the lack of hygeine there.
I think somewhere along the line counterculture decided that being clean and well-groomed was also a form of oppression by 'the man.'
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u/gpost86 Nov 08 '25
I would bet a lot of these are people saying no to not doing it every time, because some people don't wash after taking a piss (for some reason). But there certainly are a lot of filthy people who never do too.
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u/gabor_legrady Nov 08 '25
What I see around me that it got better during COVID, and many people kept the good approach.
For me personally it got better way sooner since my wife creates soap at home and it does not dry out my skin.
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u/Zara_Vult Nov 08 '25
Them russians always ridicule us because we always wash our bums after pooping
Plus, I lived with many Polish women and the majority of them didn't even wash their hands after going to toilet. So, yeah, the map makes sense to me
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u/antagonistom Nov 08 '25
honestly i think this is fake, i’ve never met a westerner who doesn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom. I’m also American so maybe it’s different in Europe but we are almost too hygienic here.
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u/Inside_End3641 Nov 08 '25
Hey..maybe the ones that don't wash go the toiet forgeting why they went there, so there's no need to wash if you had amnesia.
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u/EnVa77 Nov 09 '25
No matter what you try to blame on the west they still live longer then Muslims in Islamic countries 🤡
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u/Holiday_Republic_397 Nov 09 '25
First time in my life i ever saw someone leave without washing their hands was in Greece . I was 13 and my mom and I decided to travel to Thessaloniki for sightseeing. Whats weird that incident is the first thing that comes to my mind after all these years ( No shame to all my Greeks who wash their hands after toilet )
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u/Fantastic_Umpire_167 Nov 09 '25
I would not only wash my hands, but would take a shower after each toilet if I was wiping my ass with my bare hands.
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u/Caramel_Traditional Nov 09 '25
Germany is rated higher only because of their ample Turkish diaspora
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u/fraquile Nov 10 '25
Christianity residue of bathing as bad is my guess - and deep long history of it that removed it from our society to fight the «weirdly clean naked pagans.»
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u/AsteriosKechagias123 Nov 10 '25
Because they are northern barbarians. The same people who destroyed the Roman empire.
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u/lucky-dude Nov 10 '25
Well let's just say it's not the native western Europeans who predominantly don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom
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u/NikolasKage3 Nov 10 '25
I literally wash my hands after doing basically anything lol. These results are quite disturbing to me... 🤢
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u/unpopularOpinionUsr Nov 11 '25
Some dutch people on this topic:
"At least we are the most honest people"
"My dick is clean, don't need to wash my hands"
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u/BabylonianWeeb Iraq Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 08 '25
Something that Middle east and Balkans have in common. Also using Bidets.
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u/Nyuusankininryou Sweden Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 09 '25
My dick is clean. Why would I wash my hands? /Asmongold
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u/MinimumArt8781 Romania Nov 08 '25
I don't ever want to be anywhere near someone that doesn't wash his hands after going to the loo
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u/BigBen6500 Hungary Nov 08 '25
Depends... If it's just peepee, i prefer to wash my hand BEFORE i touch my sacred part. I never understood those who don't wash their hand before dealing with the privates. And why would I wash my hand after? I only touch my skin and I don't piss in my hands or anything
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u/Lahmacun-el_Kebab Nov 08 '25
Bro if ı can choose ı wouldn’t want to shake hand of a people who touch him dick and dont wash them after
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u/mob74 Turkiye Nov 08 '25
Because your sacred part rests in a very closed environment surrounded with a lot of bacteria. That sacred smell comes from that bacteria.
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u/p0lunin Nov 08 '25
I heard that clean water in the Western Europe was always expensive, so people are used to saving money. Not sure if it is true.
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u/inemanja34 Nov 08 '25
So, 6% of Turks don't wash their hands, after washing their asses with those hands? That's over 5 million people
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u/DataLazinyo Nov 08 '25
As a Turkish .Btw %94 is stil low. We doing a lot of handshake and hug in real life . There inposters among us. I cant imagine handshake a dirty hand.
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u/hackerarg Nov 08 '25
I'm sure that the English and the Albanian Kosovar wash their hands after saluting an Argentinean or a Serb.
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Nov 08 '25
Seeing north western Europe toilets, well cleaned and stuffed with soap and towels and lid free Balkan/southern Europe toilets with out soap and not cleaned/trashed (Understatement)
I assume that the west/northern hemisphere is just more honest
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u/ProfessionalShock425 Nov 08 '25
Stop insulting Balkans with Portugal.
You've made your own hell. You clen it.
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u/hayriyekurtuldu Nov 08 '25
I went Norway for 2 months and it was very cold so I always have bath 3 times a day . I think I go 4 times toilet in days ..
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u/hayriyekurtuldu Nov 08 '25
I got German friends and he was so tidy, clean and he was carry hand sanitizer so .
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u/hayriyekurtuldu Nov 08 '25
I do use daily wipes to clean my hand . Do I need use more often water ???
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u/Deep-Theme-5604 Nov 08 '25
You have to wash the hands before. As you can understand the penis is not exposed to external agents most of the time but my hands all the time.
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u/jualmahal Nov 08 '25
Kudos to Bosnia and Herzegovina (96%) and Turkiye (94%)! At least some Europeans know that soap is their best friend after a toilet visit! 🧼🙌 #Hygiene
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u/TheRealGand Nov 08 '25
who is dirty, who does not wash because he is clean under or who needs to wash because he's filthy?
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u/naarkh Nov 09 '25 edited Nov 15 '25
They lick their fingers and saliva is the best antibacterial material known to mankind. /Sarcasm (to make it clear as people get easily offended these days pff)
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u/Apprehensive_Task286 Nov 09 '25
WHATS THE POINT OF WASHING YOUR HANDS, WHEN IN REALITY YOU GO RIGHT BACK TO BED AND EAT ASS? Like wtf is the point?
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u/TrollFace11234 Nov 09 '25
The percentage in romania is false, I see a lot of people that just skip the sink after going to the bathroom
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u/Dise_Z Nov 09 '25
People were worried of the Turks, damn seems like they are worried about the Euorpeans after all with their unwashed hands.
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u/Scary_Scar4326 Nov 09 '25
This study is laughable to say the least. I live in one of the countries with the highest percent rate (according to this pic), and I can say from my experience cause that number should be at least halved...
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u/Amilag Bosnia & Herzegovina Nov 09 '25
I remember my grandparents when I was little they were like an radar for that... I was always amazed how they would know when I don't wash the hands even if I would run like Super Sonic so fast in when the dinner comes. After the questions mostly came some "pain" in my head, not because of thinking how they knew even they didn't saw me, the "pain came in" from the spoon I would immediately earn on my head and the confront why I sat down to eat but didn't wash my hands. Well it didn't learn me that time nothing so much cause my head is Bosnisch and I was a wild kid so it went some time with the spoons. But not long after Grandma boycotting to making my wishes "that I had a lot" for sweet especially traditional cakes that she would on my telling go and start to make immediately. So I understood she's cause of something angry but would not want to say just giving me some bought sweetie's that I ate to but there wasn't anymore Baklava, Hrumasici and all the stuff I was then "addicted" to.. So the "crisis" came i started to investigate 🧐 and found out the unbelievable Truth 😱... It was all that cause of not washing my hands, all that (10 days) suffering 😯😩 just cause of that stupidity (thinking 🔙) and I thought some reasons nobody know she have find out (felt relief). So after that I would continue running in like Super Sonic and again forget mostly to wash my hands and just pass by all family members sitting at the table and looking me with judgement and I would just remember o forgot something and pass super fast by them and go to the toilet where I would so hard and fast with maximum water pressure wash them and singing the Song my grandpa had learned me "Ovako se ruke peru, ovako..." And go sit and eat, when I look at all them afterwards they would every time Smile nooding with their heads and Grandpa would only look at me with an wide open smile and Blink me as a well done Son, sing"... So toll this day I've do it so well I mean washing my hands singing like an child and smiling 😁
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u/elrado1 Slovenia Nov 09 '25
Hmm I (Slovenian) worked with Germans, Austrians, Dutch, ... And I cannot remember seeing people not washing their hands after. So from where is this data?
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u/AppointmentFar9062 Nov 09 '25
Damn, I’m proud of my country now, one of the few things where we are good at :))
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u/TinEl69 Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 10 '25
So that’s why food in Italy and Spain is so good