Incident Record Concerning Comb Cleaning Avoidance
The comb is cleaned on a schedule determined by the minimum visible evidence of it needing cleaning.
Incident Summary
Date: Recurring; no single incident date
Location: Bathroom, primary
Object involved: Personal comb
Nature of incident: Partial maintenance performed; full maintenance deferred
Timeline
The subject used the comb. Hair accumulated in the comb's teeth at the rate standard for regular use. At some point, the subject removed visible hair from the comb by drawing their fingers along the teeth and discarding the result.
The comb was not otherwise cleaned. Thorough cleaning, requiring the comb to be held under running water for approximately thirty seconds, did not occur. The subject returned the comb to its location.
This sequence has been repeated on multiple occasions.
Contributing Factors
Factor 1: Proximity of performance threshold to completion threshold
The subject removes hair when the visible accumulation is large enough to notice. The maintenance is simple. The timing of it becomes a negotiation between comfort now and effort now. The subject consistently selects comfort.
Factor 2: Establishment of precedent
Comb cleaning avoidance received a preferred place in the routine after the first occurrence. This was not a decision. The partial cleaning was performed, the comb was used successfully afterward, and the full cleaning became, by default, unnecessary.
People start planning around comb cleaning avoidance before the triggering situation occurs. The subject now performs the partial cleaning as a matter of course rather than response. The comb is not assessed for whether it needs cleaning. It is cleaned partially and returned.
Factor 3: Behavioral defense
The routine defends comb cleaning avoidance as necessary evidence of competence, courtesy, or control. This was observed when a second household member suggested the comb needed more thorough cleaning. The subject responded that they had just cleaned it. This was accurate and not responsive to the substance of the suggestion.
Status
No corrective action taken. Incident is classified as ongoing.
Actions
None recommended. Under the governing rule, a workaround for comb cleaning avoidance outranks the inconvenience that originally created it. The comb is functional.