To expect my son to wash his hands when he gets in?

Well from your original post you sound like a germ phobe so………….

Do you expect people who work in cafes, bakeries, deli counters etc to wash their hands after travelling on public transport, before going near the food or crockery?

Everyone insists on daily showers whenever a thread comes up about personal hygiene

Or a recent one where people were saying they wash school uniform every day or every two days - including ties and skirts. Or another one where people were horrified at the thought of a family sharing towels.

I take hand sanitiser for when I get off public transport but I wouldn’t wash my hands when I get home unless I’m about to eat.

Depends what it is and what I’ve been doing. If I’ve just come in the house from day to day life and was grabbing a snack then no. If I’ve been walking the dog then more like.

Well from your original post you sound like a germ phobe so………….

This is a rule we have in our home just like taking shoes off. Mine are little so don't often just slip their shoes off their feet, instead they use their hands so yes I do expect them to wash their hands having come inside the house. They have to be reminded and yes they may moan but we lead by example.

What I would take umbrage to is him shouting at you. He's 16 and you are still the adult in the home.

We all wash our hands when we get in especially after being in public transport.

It really doesn't matter, and I'm inclined to agree with your son, OP. A few "germs" are good for us, after all.

So joe blogs has his hands down his pants and picks his scabs... Touches the handrail on the bus. You touch the handrail. You go home. You will transfer the germs over from Joe blogs disgusting habit.

People are gross.

Well I was going to post but you’ve said everything that needs saying!

YANBU OP.

This is why I really hoped that covid would change people's horrible lack of hand-washing.

Son has always washed his hands on coming into the house, because I always did. It is simple good hygeine, as much as washing after going to the toilet. This is not being germophobic, it is common sense that clean hands carry less germs.

OPs son has been at school, where infections are common. But it's good to have the routine anyway - wash your hands when you come in, wash them when you go to the loo and wash them when you change task will keep your hands a reasonable amount of clean.

I am far from being competitively hygeinic, so I wonder how many infrequent hand washers on this thread take great joy in telling people how they over-wash their clothes, bedding and towels. Yet apparently have dirty nails.

People are grim. Everyone insists on daily showers whenever a thread comes up about personal hygiene but basic hand washing routine is not seen as necessary.
There are many people who don’t wash their hands after going to the toilet, scratching their balls, picking their nose and all sort of nasty habits. They touch supermarket trolleys, door handles, public transport surfaces which we all come in contact with every day. We carry their germs into our houses and somehow it’s not seen as disgusting as long as you wash your hands after going to the loo ?

In your opinion. Clearly not a universal one or this thread wouldn't exist.

I always wash my hands when I arrive home, if I have been on public transport or in shops where I will have been touching holdrails, trolleys, etc that will definitely be covered in germs. I always carry hand sanitiser when I’m out and about too and if I’m eating in a cafe or restaurant I will always sanitise my hands. Just normal good hygiene practice.

What disgusts me a lot more is that several pet owners I know will happily touch or stroke an animal/put pet food in a pet bowl, etc whilst preparing a meal in the kitchen, without washing their hands, which turns my stomach.

Exposure to normal everyday germs is crucial in building up a strong immune system so that when you are exposed to nastier germs you are able to fight them off.

Its not necessary to wash your hands just because you've been outside your home.

My family never do this and we are almost never sick. The people I know who do this seem to get sick more! Maybe that's why they are more anxious, they naturally have a poorer immune system.

I'm not sure why you've posted on AIBU.

You obviously don't believe you are being unreasonable. You obviously think you are right and as its your home you can request he follows theae rules but you are giving short thrift/rudely replying to the comments from people who dont agree as in 'you are all in the wrong', 'dirty', 'ignorant as to how germs spread' etc.

We don't wash as we come in unless obviously dirty, we don't take our shoes off at the door and we've all remained pretty damned healthy.

Yes that could be down to chance - who knows?? In the same way we won't ever know if your good health is down to hand cleaning or chance??

Yanbu.

I agree this shouldn't be the hill to die on. FOR HIM. He knows it's important to you, it's your house, it's easy to do, and on balance (and I appreciate the impact may be minimal) I don't see how it can be argued that it isn't a factually good thing or doing any harm. If you were asking him to wash and anti bac his whole body, that would be different.

We can all tell anecdotal stories about our handwashing (or not) and our amazing immune systems.

Maybe I am biased because I have worked with nurses in the past (I'm not one) and hand hygiene is seen as important with evidence of it's effectiveness (although appreciate this in settings with vulnerable people). I just see hand washing in general as good sense, and a world away from constant anti bac use etc.

Exactly - just because someone might have a cast iron stomach doesn't mean that the people they pass their germs on to has one too - they could be passing germs on to someone who has health issues

Why?

No I never do or ask my kids to. Even my germ phobic mum didn’t ask us to do this. Only ever did this during Covid.

I am shocked at the amount of people that don't wash their hands when they have been out for the day - especially when they have been on public transport or at work/school all day - gross!

This thread is also why I never let colleagues make tea for me. I'm fond of my office friends but do not trust them to have clean hands to make me a brew.

I think your son shouting at you is your bigger problem.

This is actually a really interesting thread to me!

I always wash my hands after the loo and before/in between food prep, so yes I would wash my hands if I was coming in and getting food straight away, especially things like fruit etc that I might pick up then put back. We have animals so I always wash hands after handling/cleaning them out etc too. Or if I've been to the bins or something.

But if I'm honest I don't wash them as soon as I get inside just from being outside or if I'm just coming in and sitting down/pottering about.

So I guess I wash my hands if I've been "doing something" that makes me specifically stop and think "oohh I need to wash my hands after that". But just being out and about generally wouldn't fall into that category for me. I'm a bit weary of getting ott about things like this though after watching my old nan devolve into obsessive behaviour about it (amongst other things) Obviously that was a whole other level, I won't fully go into it here but it was extreme and very hard to watch/live with. I know it's different and a lot of people just have different habits and all that but honestly when I do see people constantly using sanitiser or talking about how everything is covered in poo just from pottering about in the world or whatever it makes me cringe or have like a weird flash back type feeling.