I do NOT like sharing toilets.....

[JayMadison]

Btw, how many points do you need for a bedroom upgrade? That sounds like a sweet perk

 

[tricia]

Doesn't work for everyone, but if I think I have been (or will be) around someone with a cold or flu, I'll start taking Echinacea for about a week, before I get any symptoms. This has been effective for me for many years

FYI: Echinacea, which revs up your immune system, loses effectiveness if taken all the time. A few days to a week is best, preferably ASAP after exposure to infectious bug. (When I'm not on a train, I grow, make, and sell herbal remedies, including an echinacea purpurea tincture, which I think is most effective when taken in small doses 4-6 times/day for a few days.)

 

[PRR 60]

Btw, how many points do you need for a bedroom upgrade? That sounds like a sweet perk

One Zone: Roomette 15,000 points, Bedroom 25,000 points

Two Zones: 20,000, 40,000

Three Zones: 35,000, 60,000

 

[pennyk]

Then...one needs to open the restroom door! Darn. I haven't quite figured out how to get around that yet.

Paper towel

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Take out a revolver and shoot the latch. Remover to clean and sterile the gun both before and after use. You don't want the gun to get sick.

 

[the_traveler]

Btw, how many points do you need for a bedroom upgrade? That sounds like a sweet perk

BTW - you can not use points to "upgrade" to a bedroom from a roomette. If a 1 zone award, you must redeem and reserve either 15K for a roomette or 25K for a bedroom. You can not just redeem the additional 10K!

 

[Everydaymatters]

Then...one needs to open the restroom door! Darn. I haven't quite figured out how to get around that yet.

Paper towel

...and if the trash container is too far to reach it in order to discard it after opening the door?

 

[Bob Dylan]

I'm not gonna poke fun @ you for your concern about germs, that's something most guys ( a non- sexist comment!)don't really consider a major concern, especially in this country! (Third world countries are another matter but I've seen some really foul bathrooms in first world countries!)

Train bathrooms are no different than any other public bathroom, in my experience they generally are even cleaner ! I totally agree with you and Penny that the toliets shouldn't be removed from the Viewliner Roomettes but the Majority rules and its a done deal!

One thing,not a criticism, IINM Antibiotics do Not cure colds (nothing does except time) so perhaps your doctor gave you something else as medicine? And of course there are all the various herbs, home remedies etc that people swear by but witch doctors have been selling people miracle cures forever!

 

[user 1215]

The only thing I don't like about the toilets in the roomettes on the current viewliners is that your privacy is only protected by a velcro'd curtain that sometimes half works.

Then, after enjoying the scenery, I discovered that the curtains protecting your privacy from the hallway don't work from the platforms in the stations!

 

[Guest]

Also misuse and overuse of antibiotics results in much worse diseases in general. You should not be taking them for a cold. Ideally you shouldn't be using antibiotic anything liberally (including the much overused triclosan in most antibiotic soaps) unless prescribed by a doctor and always take the full course; don't stop when you feel better. Bleach based disinfectants are fine, just don't mix with ammonia.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Then...one needs to open the restroom door! Darn. I haven't quite figured out how to get around that yet.

Paper towel

...and if the trash container is too far to reach it in order to discard it after opening the door?

People here at work will toss the paper towel to the nearby trash can...but miss occasionally (and probalby wonder why the trash can area is so messy the next time they come in). Others take the paper towel with them and toss into another trash can.

 

[PRae_Train]

Tricia, I agree.

A niece told me she will take Echinacea for a full week every month, and it keeps her healthy.

I tend to only take it two or three times a year, for a week at a time. Sorry to say that Trader Joe's discontinued theirs (which a few years ago was combined with Goldenseal).

I'm taking a capsule now, twice a day for a week or so, then will discontinue it when I start my travels a week from today.

 

[BCL]

One thing, Antibiotics do Not cure colds (nothing does except time) so perhaps your doctor gave you something else as medicine? And of course there are all the various herbs, home remedies etc that people swear by but witch doctors have been selling people miracle cures forever!

Some of the next-generation antivirals will probably somewhat work on colds, but they're probably not worth using because of the expense, as well as the nasty side effects.

I have met some supposedly medical professionals from overseas, and their reaction to meeting someone with a cold was to hand over a box of antibiotics, which are extremely east to get over the counter back home. They're also big on the belief that wet hair/feet/skin is the root cause of getting the common cold. The sheer unscientific nature of their diagnosis just astounded me. Is it a wonder that antibiotic resistance is on the rise when it's so easy to get antibiotics in most of the world?

Frankly - I've stopped routinely using antibiotics. Especially the topical ones after I've gotten sensitive to each and every antibiotic ingredient. Now it's just plain petroleum jelly to protect a cut or wound.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Also misuse and overuse of antibiotics results in much worse diseases in general. You should not be taking them for a cold. Ideally you shouldn't be using antibiotic anything liberally (including the much overused triclosan in most antibiotic soaps) unless prescribed by a doctor and always take the full course; don't stop when you feel better. Bleach based disinfectants are fine, just don't mix with ammonia.

^ This.

Letting your phobia help create superbugs through sloppy use of antibiotics is a disservice not only to you but to everyone else as well. Frankly those drugs should probably be taken away from you since you seem to have no clue that you're likely abusing them. This thread reads like a panic attack and doesn't leave me with much confidence in your ability to deal with germs in a calm and rational manner.

 

[yarrow]

Take out a revolver and shoot the latch. Remover to clean and sterile the gun both before and after use. You don't want the gun to get sick.

hey, gml, that was pretty good

 

[jis]

Also misuse and overuse of antibiotics results in much worse diseases in general. You should not be taking them for a cold. Ideally you shouldn't be using antibiotic anything liberally (including the much overused triclosan in most antibiotic soaps) unless prescribed by a doctor and always take the full course; don't stop when you feel better. Bleach based disinfectants are fine, just don't mix with ammonia.

^ This.

Letting your phobia help create superbugs through sloppy use of antibiotics is a disservice not only to you but to everyone else as well. Frankly those drugs should probably be taken away from you since you seem to have no clue that you're likely abusing them. This thread reads like a panic attack and doesn't leave me with much confidence in your ability to deal with germs in a calm and rational manner.

+1

 

[FriskyFL]

I bought some rhinoceros repellent from an online herbal remedies merchant, and so far I've never had a rhinoceros infestation.

 

[jis]

I bought some rhinoceros repellent from an online herbal remedies merchant, and so far I've never had a rhinoceros infestation.

Clearly you have not peered through a Microscope to search for rhinoceroses yet!

 

[Trainmans daughter]

Take out a revolver and shoot the latch. Remover to clean and sterile the gun both before and after use. You don't want the gun to get sick.

I like that! However, I'd rather use my Glock 9mm. Far less bulky than any of my revolvers.

 

[Dovecote]

I'd plan to CLEAN that toilet, myself when first boarding, trust me. I don't trust any cleanliness attempts, at all.

I clean my entire room when I board.

You folks are not alone! My wife follows this protocol as well.

 

[JayPea]

Any bathroom on any train is guaranteed to be cleaner than mine is at home.

 

[Chelle]

This thread reads like a panic attack and doesn't leave me with much confidence in your ability to deal with germs in a calm and rational manner.

By definition a phobia is not reasonable and does not respond to reason. That's also why the person who has it often thinks it's entirely reasonable.

I have a phobia about flying. Nothing makes it better except staying away from the inside of airports and planes. When I am there I am unable to control it or stop myself from inflicting my panic on those around me. So I haven't flown in 20 years, well before the TSA and no-fly lists (which I would be on in no time at all if I tried to fly). The last time I flew it took six valiums and 2 alcoholic beverages to get me on the plane. Under normal circumstances half of a valium will knock me out for 12 hours.

 

[zepherdude]

Its just a toilet. Your dogs drink from the toilet and then kiss and slobber all over the face. So whats the big deal with germs and sitting on any toilet. This issue is not only on a train, what about in the park or on a bus or plane? People still use out houses, think there are not some germs there? How did we survive before toilet paper? What if there were no leaves? National Parks, camping out? The list goes on and very few people die of toilet phobia every year. I think we just need to get over this. Far better using a toilet anywhere/everywhere than not going and really paying the price for toilet fear.

Just my humbe opinion.

 

[BCL]

Also misuse and overuse of antibiotics results in much worse diseases in general. You should not be taking them for a cold. Ideally you shouldn't be using antibiotic anything liberally (including the much overused triclosan in most antibiotic soaps) unless prescribed by a doctor and always take the full course; don't stop when you feel better. Bleach based disinfectants are fine, just don't mix with ammonia.

The Flight Luxe foaming hand soap (technically no soap in there, but I digress) used in Amtrak lavatories contains triclosan. It also has that distinctive floral scent.

 

[user 1215]

Take out a revolver and shoot the latch. Remover to clean and sterile the gun both before and after use. You don't want the gun to get sick.

hey, gml, that was pretty good

I'm worried about someone getting infected by a fatal gunshot wound.