Was Howard Hughes just ahead of his time?

Maybe Howard Hughes wasn’t so far off base after all. If the world’s richest hermit were alive today, he probably would own the hand cleanser market.

For those of you young enough to ask “Howard Who?” or didn’t see Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Aviator,” Howard Hughes became one of the world’s richest men in the 1930s and 1940s. As he got older, he grew more germaphobic — wouldn’t shake hands, didn’t make physical contact in any way with others, constantly washed his hands and eventually locked himself away from the world, in part, because of his fear of germs.

Well ... he was crazy, too, in later life.

I bring up Howard Hughes and his germaphobia because most of us seem to be developing germaphobia, too. It’s all for good reason. There’s a nasty strain of flu circulating through 47 states (I understand Hawaii not having it, maybe California, but it’s not in Mississippi?) along with the norovirus, which is like flu only nastier.

One of the main ways we’re told to try to avoid getting either of them, or any number of other transmittable diseases, is wash our hands. Regularly. Often. Constantly. And if we can’t wash, use a hand cleanser. Regularly. Often. Constantly. (Excuse while I cleanse my hands ...

... I’m back.)

I suppose it’s good common sense to keep our hands clean since folks can transfer so many things by touch. After all, how many times did our mamas tell us, “Get your hand out of your mouth! You don’t know what’s on it!” And, “Don’t touch that! You don’t know where it’s been!” Or, “Quit picking your nose!” That was supposed to keep us from catching anything. Mamas know best.

Now, we’re getting that kind of advice from the Centers for Disease Control. We’re paying scientists and doctors to tell us, “Wash your hands.” I’ve been a hand-cleansing practitioner for several years now, especially since an infection that laid me low for six weeks a couple of years ago supposedly was caused by me apparently touching something, then touching my dressing from a surgical proceeding.

I’m washing my hands all the time, flu season or not. I’ve been carrying small bottles of hand cleanser for a while so I can clean my hands even if I don’t have soap and water handy.

Washing your hands after going to the restroom, especially a public one, is just plain good hygiene folks should have learned not too long after toilet training and made a lifetime habit. Unfortunately, not everyone does, and if I see someone at a buffet that I earlier saw leaving the restroom without washing, that’s it; I’m outta there.

Sadly, and not meaning to scare anyone, it’s surprising how many men leave public restrooms without getting anywhere near a sink. I can’t speak for women’s hand-washing practices.

I won’t even touch the door handle of a public restroom with my bare hand if I can avoid it. If I have to going in isn’t so much of a problem since I’ll wash before exiting. I use a paper towel, or my forearm, to turn off the water faucet. Then, I use a paper towel to grasp the door knob or handle when I leave.

Which reminds me: What good is having one of those air blowers to dry your hands if you have grab a handle to open the door to leave? It defeats the purpose of washing. If a business is going to have a blow dryer, it should at least have bathroom doors that push open from the inside.

On the “Today Show” the other morning, some woman was showing Matt Lauer things people touch that can transmit the flu or the norovirus (which I think should be called the Chuck Norovirus because it knocks the you-know-what out of you). Forget using wipes on door knobs, this woman was recommending people wipe down public restroom sinks and counters before washing, and wiping the soap dispenser clean, too. She even suggested wiping down the paper towel dispenser, and recommended that people carry their own towels or wipes just in case there’s only a blow dryer.

She recommended not getting lemon with a drink since it may have been touched by someone, wiping down phones — even your own cell phone — avoiding food other people may have touched, avoiding anything other people may have touched. By the time she and Matt Lauer were done, it sounded as if we shouldn’t leave our homes without wearing hazmat suits.

If I hadn’t already had a healthy respect for hand washing (or maybe an unhealthy obsession with hand washing) before, it certainly increased after that. Actually, I didn’t realize how much I do clean my hands until I started writing this.

Maybe Howard Hughes wasn’t so crazy about hand washing, after all. He just may have been ahead of his time. He was crazy about some of the other things, but I’ll give him a bye on hand washing. Speaking of which, I think I need to use some more hand cleanser.