You do know that everything you touch is just as dirty....carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer and let it go...

I agree it is nasty in perception, but reality is that pinball (and anything that has constant hand funk applied) is gonna be nasty.

Reality is that your personal hygiene and encouraging others to practice good hand washing is more important if you are concerned with germ transmission.

Wash your hands well with warm water and soap for at least 60 seconds and focus on nail beds and places where germs hide out in creases.
Dont touch your face or pick your nose with dirty hands.

If it is just perception then convince yourself that pinball is already dirty and get over it or bring your own rubber gloves to wear... (I have seen that also amazingly)

What is worse? That or the crop dusters at pinball shows?

I am not a tournament player and rarely play on location because I don't have many opportunities to do so. At homes, I wipe with the underside of my shirt to get the greasy hand/sweat off the game. I do not use any part of the shirt that is sweaty or dirty. It is the part of the shirt that hangs down loosely over the pants that is being used. I also wash my shirts after each use. The games get dirty/greasy quickly and if the shirt is the only thing you have handy to wipe them then it is much better than leaving the games nasty in my opinion.

If I were a tournament player, I would probably bring a towel because it involves a lot of strangers rather than just friends and family.

THE CROP DUSTING!!!!

And BO!

Is this a tote related grievance?

you know what is 20X worse than wiping down the playfield glass, trim, and buttons with your t-shirt....? putting your hands on and playing a game after some sweaty fat disgusting person sweats all of his/her body juices all over the game... YUUUUUUUUUUCK

I suppose it serves the same result as a waitress wiping down a countertop with a rag. The big dirt and spills are gone, but it's not "sanitized".

We have immune systems for a reason, and I've never heard anecdotal reports of "pinball show flu" where everyone got sick afterwards.

So... do what makes you feel better.

Just think of your average door handle. How often do you see businesses cleaning door handles? The average tournament lockdown bar is probably way more sanitary than your average door handle. The owners of said tournament machine likely cleaned it at least ONCE in it's lifetime.

I've definitely heard of sick people still coming to pinball shows or tournaments and passing around the flu.

If you are sick, stay home.

Just bring a towel and hang it off your belt. Im going to start doing this. I do it when I Frisbee golf to wipe off my discs.

Is it better if you step up to a sweat soaked pin? Thought that was the point of wiping the pin down. No telling what germs are already on pins and arcade games out in public. I imagine some on location have never been cleaned in 20+ years.

I'm willing to bet that there are more germs on my hands right now than on the inside of my shirt.

If someone has been running around in a hot arcade all day and their shirt is actually sweaty, I'd prefer they not wipe the game down, but honestly, I believe that most people who would take the time to do that are going to have a relatively clean and dry shirt. Regardless, I'm going to wash my hands after playing the games.

Have you ever been bowling? Use a house ball? What about the shoes? Have you had any food or drink while there?

There's no way that shirt is dirtier than their hands. No way I'm playing a game covered in sweat from the last guy. If it's not sweaty I'm not going to bother though.

No one wants to play a machine covered in sweat but everyone wants to wipe the machine down with their sweat covered shirts??

Take it to tiltforums!!!!!

Classic.

Dam! I'm not playing hard enough!

I'm not breaking a sweat when I play.

Thanks for confirming how bad of a player I am!

I get it that pins are sweaty and gross in tournaments. Wiping down machines with a towel makes a ton of sense. The problem with wiping down machines with your shirt is now all of that filth is on your stretched out shirt and you carry it with you for the rest of the day. At least you can wash your hands. Maybe tournaments should include one towel per player with the entry fee. Generic ones that are used for waxing and cleaning pins can be had for $0.89 a piece. I'd gladly pay that with my entry fee. Tournaments could even have them made with their logo on them as a keepsake. This needs to happen.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/77-PROCLOTH

SFGE has had some of the hand sanitizer dispensers set up around the gamerooms, I think that's a brilliant move.

I don't run into any real sweaty machines, but I am always conscious about washing my hands before eating/drinking or touching my face. Keeping the spread of viruses down is something we all have to take part in.

Mmmm

Pinballgloves?
Pin-gloves

I just made you a millionair i think
Be so kind to share!

Just think all the people who don't wash hands after use of restroom. Then tbat gets on your shirt and on you.

Your alien-manatee should have one in your avatar !!!!

I have flat out heard people in stalls sound like they're lifting weights, with sounds that make me envision that the throat of the toilet just had a goiter, and then they just walk right out wiping their face WITHOUT washing their hands at all.

Makes me gag every time. When I first saw that in 2010, I understood right then and there why people use a paper towel to open a bathroom door handle.

Something like this?

5x2_George_protecting_his_hands.png

I am anti-tote after that thread

What grosses me out is the bowl of mints that some restaurants have. It's bad enough when they're wrapped, but those restaurants that just have a bowl of those chalky mints and you grab a few, . The same guy that walked out of the bathroom without washing his hands stops by the mint bowl on his way out...

I usually bring a urine soaked rag to wipe down games with.

Urine is essentially sterile. . .

Unless you have some sort of health situation.

Bear Grylls

Bring a towel and the towel will just be full of nasty after you wipe down the first game or two. Reminds me of an episode of whatever PI show the guy is questioning a fat dirty sweaty guy in his stuffy hot office, and the guy asks if he'd like to borrow his sweat rag after wiping his sweaty greasy face! Obviosly the PI said uh, no thanks!

I think a Pinball show would really be freaky if we all showed up in bio suits .

Someone beat us to it

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HI!!! I'm here for the pin tournament!

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A lot of the grocery stores have these by the carts now:

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Perhaps some Pin-Wipes are in order?

Im claiming the idea! New leg mount wipe dispenser that bolts to the bin leg bolts. I will 3d print one tonight! lol

How did we ever survive in the arcades as kids? We need Odin to chime in!!

How about gas pump handles?

The best Golden Tee players use towels & regularly wipe down the track ball during competition....

Only solution is to bring your own towel/sanitizer.....or quit pinball

Can we hang a tote on it without repercussions?

I'm gonna start pullin my boxers up outta my pants and wipe everything down with them. TRENDSETTER.

OCD ~ Obsessed with Clean DMD's! lol

Make sure you let everyone see you turn them inside out first!

Self imposed wedgie?

The remote in a hotel.