To expect guests to wash their hands on arrival?

YANBU, people completely underestimate the importance of what should be a routine hygiene practice in reducing the transmission of common infections

No

Same…

What?!!!! I've never been asked this is in my life!!!! And I've never asked this of others!!!

Is this a joke!!?

I have lived all over the world and it's not been a thing Anywhere!!!!!!

😱🤣

It's a cultural norm in some places and UK families with links to those places might still do it

I would do it if you asked but I would think you were very rude and very odd and would be very uncomfortable for the rest of the visit. I would wonder what else I wasn't allowed to do (breathing - that's a very germy thing to do) and what you secretly thought I was too dirty to touch. I would make my excuses and leave very soon after I arrived. I would ask a child to wash their hands if they were actually dirty - e.g. mud, paint - and if I was giving them something to eat but not just because they were entering my house. As for adults, I would never, ever be so rude.

I wash my hands when I get in from work, but then I'm handling money all shift and I've SEEN what some people do with cash (and where they keep it). The rest of the time I only wash my hands after the loo, after cleaning up after the dog or before I eat.
Other people I wouldn't even notice whether or not they washed their hands. But then I don't care if the dog licks me, and I'm certainly not jumping up to wash my hands every time I touch her, so I'm taking my chances here. Didn't get ill despite working through the whole Covid thing, so I reckon I'm good.

Basic hygiene isn’t “poor” in the U.K. or else we would have experienced spread of covid and continue to experience spread of other viruses worse than other countries.

I wash like a proper person (wtf 😂) AND use antibacterial sprays and wipes on surfaces. I think just “washing” is filthy. (I don’t really, just using your own silly example!)

It’s absolutely fine if somewhat wants to do this. It’s verging on inhospitable to ask an adult to wash their hands before entering their home because of “germs” unless the person is undergoing chemo or recently had an organ transplant or is otherwise very vulnerable. I am immunodeficient so I am way more cautious than others but I cannot imagine asking someone to wash their hands just to enter my home.

I was brought up to wash my hands when coming home, so I have always done it. Also removing outdoor footwear. It seems pretty basic to me. I don't expect people here to do it, but I think basic hygience is pretty poor in the UK. So many people coughing and sneezing everywhere. Not washing their hands after using the toilet or changing nappies or fiddling with animals. Not wiping gym equipment after sweating all over it. Wearing healthcare uniforms on public transport and in supermarkets. There's robust exposure to germs (healthy and appropriate) and then there's just filth.

I don't use sanitiser or antibacterial sprays/wipes. I just wash like a proper person.

I wouldn’t ask kids or adults to wash their hands upon entering my house. If someone asked me to do that I would find it very odd. I’d do it, but I wouldn’t go back for a second visit.

We were invited into a home for a cup of tea, the family were Turkish. They asked us to wash our hands when we arrived as is custom in their country? We happily obliged. I thought it was sensible, thoughtful and respectful to do this when entering a persons home and I’m pleased they felt comfortable to ask.

No hand washing but I do hose visitors down on the front drive before I let them in.

No. I'd refuse. I don't think too much hand washing is healthy. I don't like Covid hand sanitizer either.

I wash my hands if I've been on public transport particularly after my work commute (2 trains and tube). I just do it automatically and I think it's practical rather than because of germs because I've often been reading the Metro and have newsprint on my hands!

I'll also wash my hands if I've stroked a dog/cat while out. I do notice my hands smelling "doggy".

But otherwise no. The outdoors isn't something I consider dirty/germy per se though we are a shoes off house - that's mainly to stop gravel and earth being tracked around though. I've read some threads on here where people have said they can't sit on their sofa or bed before changing out of clothes they've worn outside because germs. Astonishing. I frequently do both those things in my "outdoor" clothes and guess what has happened ... absolutely nothing!

Not unreasonable if a newborn baby or someone in the household is immuno compromised.

It is unreasonable on just entering the house without these things.
Everyone washes their hands before food in our house - adults do it to set a good example for children.

Nope, their choice. I didn't change the way I washed my own hands during covid and never caught it, wouldn't expect anyone coming to mine to wash theirs either.

I've never come across this at all.

I would never go to someone's house and go off and wash my hands. That would be really weird to me. No one who has ever come to my house in 50 years has ever washed their hands - apart from my mum who has poor MH and I think has OCD.

It's something we all ought to do (thought about it more during covid) but its not an expected norm. So I wouldn't be offended (if you said sth like, worried about winter flu etc, if you just looked at me like I was drty I might be 🤣) but I wouldn't do it automatically.
However I nearly always go to the loo when arriving home so hand wash is default, and although I rarely go to people's houses if I'd been eg, on a dog walk I would ask to go wash my hands.
I would always wash my hands before a meal though. And most the places I eat have pets we have been fussing so washing hands is normal then.
I was brought up to always wash hands before a meal or after using the toilet. They are absolutely ingrained and people who don't do those horrify me.

That doesn’t mean someone is unreasonable, just because you don’t do this.

I wash my own hands.

I wouldn't ask another adult to wash theirs.

Contamination OCD?

Wow all the comments who think it’s rude, not normal, it wasn’t that long ago people were regularly sanitising and routinely washing their hands.OP it’s your home, if visitors get offended, to do something that takes a minute then, that’s actually rude of them, because it’s your home.
Personally when l get home, it’s the first thing l do it’s second nature and with all food prep.

We always wash our hands when we get home as a general thing and always have. However the only time I would ask guests to wash hands is if my children have friends round to play straight after school. I’ve found generally when we have been to friends they’ve asked kids to wash hands when we get in from school too.