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Original poster

Are these things strange

90 replies

Newuser75 · 27/03/2024 20:18

I'm just wanting some other opinions as to whether people find these things appropriate or not.

So my son will often have a quick drink of water out of the tap in the kitchen instead of getting a cup.

He also will sometimes wash his hands in the kitchen sink using washing up liquid then dry them on the tea towel. This may be after being outside or just after eating or whatever.

Are these things disgusting? My husband seems to think so, I'm struggling to see the problem.

OP posts:
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Allfur · 28/03/2024 22:28

I'm not sure being a germphobe particularly protects you

FluffyFanny · 28/03/2024 22:23

Some people have a totally irrational fear of 'germs'. This is apparent on the other thread about home baking and people scared of having food poisoning- what on earth can you catch from baking- it's full of sugar and baked in a hot oven so what sort of food poisoning bacteria is going to survive in it?

NeedAdvice2024 · 28/03/2024 22:20

MattyJones · 28/03/2024 06:39

It's very unhygienic to use tea towels but I can't see any problem with drinking from taps. Tea towels 'can cause food poisoning' www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44401330

This research was conducted on tea towels that had been used for a MONTH! I don't think many people are using a tea towel for that length of time.

Redlarge · 28/03/2024 21:27

When im cooking i constantly wash my hands with wul and use a tea towel.

Pixiedust49 · 28/03/2024 21:24

Siblings and I used to drink from tap and hose pipe as kids … we lived to tell the tale 😂

Allfortheloveofabiscuit · 28/03/2024 21:23

If you have washed your hands with soap, what's the problem with using a tea towel??

PixieLaLar · 28/03/2024 21:21

I agree with DH about the drinking from the tap being disgusting - water getting mixed with saliva and splashed into the sink/potentially around the sink too.

CinnamonJellyBeans · 28/03/2024 21:17

I couldn't come in from outdoors and use the kitchen sink. No way would I touch those taps before washing in the toilet sink first.

JustlikeEllie · 28/03/2024 21:05

It's fine.

We have handwash in the kitchen and dry our hands on tea towels.

Do people really not wash their hands in the kitchen?

CinnamonJellyBeans · 28/03/2024 21:02

It's not "disgusting", but not very hygienic in terms of bacteria control.

Hand hygiene is very important to reduce infection rates. We only use the kitchen sink for washing food off hands and dishes and use paper towels.

uncomfortablydumb53 · 28/03/2024 20:53

@FluffyFanny
I totally agree, and as I said upthread I have never had D&V in my life

FluffyFanny · 28/03/2024 17:17

I've been drying my hands on a tea towel for the last 30 years at least, I also use my tea towel until it looks a bit grubby- probably a week! Never had D&V induced by germs or food poisoning! Then again I do lots of things that MN deem disgusting- not rinsing the washing up, having a toilet brush, changing bed sheets once a fortnight, sharing towels and only washing them once a week, reheating rice, having pets, gardening without gloves etc. People have immune systems for a reason- we weren't designed to lead a sterile existence- doing so causes problems with your immunity.

Rowen32 · 28/03/2024 16:57

We have a hand soap dispenser and towel in the kitchen, I'm baffled people would use tea towel to dry their hands!

Drinking from tap okay but wouldn't actually touch tap!

WoodBurningStov · 28/03/2024 16:55

I do both of those things

Notreat · 28/03/2024 16:55

Washing at the sink and drinking out of the tap is perfectly ok. I wouldn't dry my hands on the tea towel used for crockery though. Better to have a hand towel in the kitchen

NearlyBritishSummertimeYay · 28/03/2024 16:54

uncomfortablydumb53 · 28/03/2024 00:37

I've never had a separate hand towel in my kitchen, but I do have handwash as washing up liquid is too harsh for my hands.
It's all detergent so it doesn't matter
I remember drinking from the tap too, like a drinking fountain
I must admit I really don't see why people get so worked up about a perceived threat of " germs" nowadays
Medical reasons excepted of course

@uncomfortablydumb53

I must admit I really don't see why people get so worked up about a perceived threat of " germs" nowadays

becsuse I'm not a fan of having D&V

NearlyBritishSummertimeYay · 28/03/2024 16:52

ExcitingRicotta · 27/03/2024 22:54

People saying they change their tea towel multiple times per day… how many times are we talking? What are you using it for? And how do you possibly have time to do this

Show quote history

@ExcitingRicotta

ss many times as I need to.

using it to dry some dushes
rest some draining dishes on
dry down the worktop
hold hot dishes.

how do I have time to get a clean t towel and put the other one in the wash (a few seconds??). What???

FacingTheWall · 28/03/2024 07:03

BobbyBiscuits · 27/03/2024 22:03

Washing hands with w/up liquid in the kitchen sink if that's the nearest place from outside is normal. And efficient.

If you worked in a restaurant, as one person said, there's a hand washing sink, and hand washing generally is a great habit for food workers.

Drinking straight from the tap isn't the best, as obviously you could catch something from the tap and it's impolite at others homes/publicly. But saying it's disgusting is a bit of a stretch!

Edited

How can he catch anything from the tap?! The exact same water would just be pouring into a glass instead of directly into his mouth, it’s not touching anything else!

Janehasamane · 28/03/2024 06:47

Can’t see the issue and stunned anyone would think drinking from a water flow is unhygienic, he clearly won’t be sucking from thr tap. I also don’t see an issue with using the tea towel either.

MattyJones · 28/03/2024 06:39

It's very unhygienic to use tea towels but I can't see any problem with drinking from taps. Tea towels 'can cause food poisoning' www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44401330

WiddlinDiddlin · 28/03/2024 05:01

Definitely did both of those things at that age.

Using a glass meant having to wash and dry and put away the glass. Using my gob under the tap meant I had to do none of those things, just wipe up any spilt water.

We didn't have hand soap in the kitchen, and to get to a bathroom via either entry door you'd have to walk through a hallway or upstairs meaning mucky hands would likely touch walls/bannisters... so hand washing in the kitchen (first room you came to after the back porch) was encouraged.. and using as little dish soap as possible was also encouraged (And using Daddys Swarfega was absolutely forbidden no matter how pretty it looked!)..

I do not recall if we had a hand towel in the kitchen, probably not. I do now, but I wipe my hands a lot out there and don't like the feel of the dish towels much.

So.. perfectly normal, not disgusting, not even a 'boy thing' just a 'child thing'.

Rosindub · 28/03/2024 03:06

bloodyeffinnora · 27/03/2024 22:58

yes it is the same thing, the outcome is clean hands

Show quote history

I wouldn't bet on that with an 11yr old boy.

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 28/03/2024 02:46

Mangoandbroccoli · 27/03/2024 22:11

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles why would her son have picked this up from her husband, who she stated in her first post finds it disgusting?

And why hope the son never works in a restaurant as a result? He's 11 years old! Pretty sure most 11 year olds have various habits that wouldn't be welcomed in a work environment because, funnily enough, we grow and learn a fair bit between childhood and adulthood...

My mistake - I read it as 'husband didn't find it disgusting'

uncomfortablydumb53 · 28/03/2024 00:37

I've never had a separate hand towel in my kitchen, but I do have handwash as washing up liquid is too harsh for my hands.
It's all detergent so it doesn't matter
I remember drinking from the tap too, like a drinking fountain
I must admit I really don't see why people get so worked up about a perceived threat of " germs" nowadays
Medical reasons excepted of course

grinandslothit · 28/03/2024 00:11

Is your son actually putting his mouth on the tap?

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