AIBU to think washing hands before emptying the dishwasher is unnecessary

I do tend to ask myself are my hands clean, eg if I've just been stroking our dog, then I'll wash them. Otherwise no.

I wouldn't usually wash my hands at home before taking out and using something from a cupboard, to eat or drink from, if I knew it had been put away by someone me who had clean hands. I wouldn't worry about the germs on my hand at that level. I still don't want other people's though!

Another good reason for washing hands before emptying a dishwasher is that people don't only take cutlery out to use straight away. They do things like dunk spoons into jars of peanut butter or mayonnaise, or use them to get buttercream onto a cake - places where germs might have hours or weeks to multiply.

There’s a teenager in my house. Teenagers are not known for good hygiene.

Plus, like I say, I’ve often been touching rubbish (such as a used tissue - not necessarily mine) or something generally seen as dirty beforehand. So of course I wash my hands.

Depends what you've been doing with your hands just beforehand surely?

I unloaded the dishwasher after stretching and yoga earlier - my hands had been all over the yoga mat so of course I washed them.

But they're just mine and DH's germs - what possible harm are they going to do to me?

Well your house (and devices) must be a lot cleaner than mine 😂

It has honestly, genuinely, never occurred to me to wash my hands before getting a biscuit or making a slice of toast in my own house. Ever.

Because I usually do more than one activity when making a cup of tea. So I might tidy up and put things in the bin, wash my hands, make a cup of tea and get a biscuit or a slice of toast (which I eat using my hands, so they need to be clean). As I said earlier, I use devices all day, most of which are not that clean, and so it’s a habit to wash my hands.

And regarding just touching the handle, have you never had someone give you a cup of tea with their hands all around the rim? People don’t just stick to handles.

Interesting I’m usually rolling my eyes at mumsnet hygiene threads - particularly the people who feel the need to wash towels and pjs after one use and, god forbid, wash undies with tea towels. But handwashing is a necessity for me.

Exactly, I find it weirdly fascinating what some people think is necessary, lol.

And what exactly will happen if you ingest some germs from dishes?

We are surrounded by bacteria all the time, our bodies include trillions of them and our immune systems keep us safe most of the time. This seems like a very very low risk for contamination.

I go on public transport every day - now that is germy - but touching clean dishes with unwashed hands seems v v minor in comparison. (I’ve had d&v maybe once in the past 20 years so even if I am a slacker it’s not making me ill).

Why, though? I genuinely don't understand it. Your hands only touch the handle of your cup/spoon so unless you lick both, what germs do you think will actually get into your system?

As I stated earlier, this is something I do.

I wash my hands before I do anything in the kitchen.

Exactly - I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single person wash their hands before making a coffee or bowl of cereal for example 🤔

Don't start muddying the debate with logic, now!

All you people who wash your hands before emptying the dishwasher, do you also wash your hands every time you get a piece of crockery, cutlery, pan etc out of the cupboard? Presumably you do otherwise it renders the original process redundant 🤔

With the combination of dishwasher chemicals it's enough to minimise bacterial load. There's also evidence that pasteurisation is effective at lower temperatures.

Dishes are dry and almost too hot to touch when I empty my dishwasher so I think it's sufficiently clean.

As an aside. I attended a presentation once about irradiation as an effective sterilisation for food products. Very interesting. It was noted that the UK public would be unlikely to accept it.

Most dishwasher cycles are 50-60C. So not getting there.

Yes soap will drag some of the bacteria and germs off and into the water. But it’s not 100% effective and that’s not it’s primary job. The dishwasher cleans food and debris and oils off the plate… it does not sterilise them of all microbes. It isn’t a steriliser which kills 100% of all microbes.

Some dishwashers have a high-heat "sanitize" cycle that kills about 99.9% of common bacteria but even that that’s not all of them. And that’s also not very common. True sterilization requires higher temperatures or steam pressures (like an autoclave or dedicated boiling/steam sterilizer) that home dishwashers do not reach.

Otherwise people wouldn’t need baby bottle sterilisers and surgeons wouldn’t need an autoclave. Everyone would just use a dishwasher.

Well yeah, I have my knives forks and spoons mouth end up, so I wash my hands because am touching them. But if I was just letting platesz, bowls etc I wouldn’t

I wouldn’t be putting the cutlery away with unwashed hands.

At home probably very few. At work though I would say you need to wash your hands first. You have no idea if you’ve touched a surface someone who is sick, may have not washed hands after using the loo etc… has touch and now spreading on the dishes.

I suppose I do wash my hands before putting dishes away (no dishwasher sadly...) It often puts me off putting them away because I can't be bothered to wash my hands yet again. I'm glad to know people don't and happily survive, I might stop doing it! It just seemed natural to me to wash first.

Yes. I’m not arguing with you. I’m too busy for arguing wit random strangers.

Do you have any experience of working in hospitality or in a food service environment, out of curiosity?