‘Never Been The Same’: Woman Starts Wearing Gloves To Gas Station After Witnessing What A Customer Did To The Pump

A TikTok video about dirty gas pumps has gone viral after a woman shared a gross experience that changed how she fills up her car. The clip, posted by user KRY, has gotten more than 143,000 views in just one day and has people talking about how clean public places really are.

In the 24-second video, KRY shows why she now wears latex gloves every time she goes to a gas station. She tells viewers that something happened at a pump in front of her that she will never forget.

“I was at a gas station not long ago and I witnessed with my own two eyes a man at the pump in front of me reaching into his pants and aggressively scratching his [expletive] and then using that same hand to grab the pump to put it back,” she said in the video. After seeing this, she added, “Ever since I saw that, I’ve never been the same.”

Science Shows Gas Pumps Are Really Dirty

As per Motor1, studies show the creator is right to worry about germs at gas stations. A study by Kimberly-Clark Professional found that 71% of gas pump handles were loaded with germs that can make you sick. Research by Busbud found that gas pump handles have an average of 2,011,970 colony-forming units per square inch. That is about 11,000 times dirtier than a regular toilet seat at home, which only has 172 CFUs per square inch.

Healthcare workers agreed with the video and said hand washing is really important. A user named Vanessa, who works in healthcare, said that people do not wash their hands nearly enough. She said she will never pump gas without a glove or wipe. KRY replied by talking about her own job in finance, saying that after handling cash and washing her hands, the water turns grey in the sink even though the money and her hands look clean.

People in the comments also talked about other dirty public places. They mentioned door handles, elevator buttons, and handrails that have the same problem. some said that mailbox handles are 68% dirty, escalator rails are 43% dirty, and ATM buttons are 41% dirty. 

A scientist from the University of Arizona named Dr. Charles Gerba said in the comment that germs on your hands can move to other things up to seven times before they come off your skin. Just like simple mistakes can lead to big problems, like when a man destroyed his new Porsche GT3 just 20 minutes after buying it, not paying attention to basic cleanliness can hurt your health.

Other people suggested different ways to stay clean besides gloves. Many said they use hand sanitizer and paper towels. During COVID-19, people were needed to use cleaning wipes on pump handles, hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol after pumping gas, and wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. One person in the comments said their coworker got cellulitis, which is a bad skin infection, after hurting his finger on a gas pump.