To expect guests to wash their hands on arrival?

I wash my hands when I enter my own home (started in covid but carried on) and also ask my child to wash his if we have come in together (because he will almost inevitably be eating a snack with his fingers fairly soon after getting home). I don't ask my husband or guests to do so, or notice it if my child comes in with other people and doesn't.

Always wash my hands when I get in the house and when I arrive at other people’s homes, my kids do also. However I don’t ask adults to wash their hands. Children yes before eating.
Went to a mates last night and she had done a picky tea, cheeseboard meats etc, I was the only one to wash my hands before eating. Didn’t bother me but I noticed it.

We are all exposed to numerous germs everywhere so washing my hands on getting home doesn't mean I'm living in a sterile bubble!

I agree with this. I don’t know why people say that. When I lived in America I noticed hand washing especially before meals was much more commonplace and this was way before covid . A lot more in the Uk seem to be more resistant to basic hygiene practices such as hand washing.

I’m already breathing in a zillion germs on public transport ( the last two times I had covid or a bad flu were shortly after a train journey) and there’s no getting away from that but no way is food going in my mouth with the same hand that’s touched a handrail or bus seat etc without washing it first. Hardly the same as wearing a hazmat suit!

No

The vast majority of 600+ said they wash their hands here, so makes sense to asks guests to do it to:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5105422-to-wash-my-hands-every-time-ive-been-out

I’m sorry but I have never ever done this. Ever🙈

Since covid I am far more fussy and so I do wash my hands when I come back into my house. When I go to my friends/family I have usually travelled quite a distance so on arrival I use the toilet and wash my hands. I wouldn’t ask an adult visiting me to wash their hands but I would ask children to before they eat.

As part of a general gathering together before a meal, yes.

Children coming from playing outside, or indoors doing whatever messy thing. Adults coming in from farm or garden or workshop or home from a manual job or via public transport. Or even from a pristine office in a private luxury car.

For a quick visit not involving food, no, not unless there was a specific reason.

I think it has value as a wee ritual, cleansing away one part of the day and moving to another. I also think it's unwise to abandon basic hygiene practices that were once essential to maintain the health of a population just because life is currently more privileged. That can change, fast.

So I'd definitely teach children to wash their hands before food, and have casually told lots of other people's kids to do so as part of a general instruction!

I always wash my hands when I come in from outside, get to work etc, I find I get less germs. I also wash my hands during the day sometimes too. I used to before covid too, and everyone would laugh at me, and then everyone was washing their hands....

I am not a germ freak by the way.

I wouldn't expect someone to wash their hands when they come to mine, but I also don't expect to be laughed at if I want to wash my hands when I want to!

I do as I get the bus and it's habit but I wouldn't make anyone else. It's a hang over from covid.

Only if I had a vulnerable family member whose life was dependent on avoiding germs and bacteria as much as possible.

Otherwise, no. Health anxiety?

I wouldn’t ask them to but it would be nice if they did.

If I am visiting others, I usually just put a bit of anti-bac on my hands OR sometimes I may wash my hands because I travel by public transport and it’s visibly dirty in this country so I feel better afterwards and it mean if I get offered a biscuit or something I don’t need to go wash my hands then.

I would never ask, expect or think about this, not even before a meal. I let my kids play in the garden and then eat their food. It’s good for them.

I do prefer people to do this due to my weak immune system. We do as a family but other people coming in don't tend to.

I would never ask anyone else to do this (except, as others have said, small children before eating or if visibly muddy etc) but I usually wash my hands on getting home or if I travel by public transport to a restaurant. My hands usually feel a bit grubby or sticky after travelling. And quite often I need the loo when I arrive somewhere so I wash my hands then anyway. We are all exposed to numerous germs everywhere so washing my hands on getting home doesn't mean I'm living in a sterile bubble!

@SillyFillyDress When you visit friends and family do they ask you to wash you're hands? I would hazard a guess of no unless they have a newborn or are immunocompromised .

Not so much about catching anything, but my hands always feel a bit sticky after strap hanging on the tube 🤣🤢

Very weird. If you want to wash your hands every time you come home knock yourself out. Not reasonable to expect others to love by your OTT rules.

Sounds very OTT germophobe and not a normal request at all!

Anytime I’ve got a cold in the last couple of years it’s been after a trip on public transport. Yeah hand san after the bus is a good idea.

I never worry about this stuff, I don’t routinely wash my hands after getting public transport and I almost never get bugs or colds.

And I have a chronic illness, so I don’t take health for granted. I just don’t think it’s healthy to obsess about being around germs when they’re everywhere anyway.

I don’t have a rule that expects visitors to my house to wash their hands, because I’m chill and certainly not unhygienic.

Actually the world recently got very ill and a lot of people died.

Welcome to life in the 21st century.

No harm in asking people, perhaps have a tub of disinfecting hand wipes or gel to offer.

I always use the gel in hospitals, both going in and out - also carry sachets of wipes in my bag for when I'm eating out.

There's a difference between being fastidious or OCD about it and taking precautions.

If someone asked me to wash my hands on arrival I would assume they had OCD or similar.

I’d ask children to wash their hands before eating, otherwise no, and I’d never ask adults. I’d think it very weird and frankly a case of an OTT hygiene-obsession* if anyone did.

*not exactly unknown on MN!