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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think washing hands before emptying the dishwasher is unnecessary

219 replies

OhNoooooooooooooooo · 15/09/2026 15:21

Well now I've heard it all... I was emptying the dishwasher at work, cuz I'm nice like that . and my colleague was there, making a cup of tea. And she remarked and wondered why I didn't wash my hands before emptying and said dishwasher.

Who washes their hands to empty the dishwasher?

OP posts:
nomas · 15/09/2026 18:26

OhNoooooooooooooooo · 15/09/2026 16:05

Yes, but how would you know whether she's washed her hands or not?

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I wonder if your colleague would have asked a male colleague why he didn't wash his hands.

Isn't it mostly mugs in there, which would be picked up the handle?

Edinvillian · 15/09/2026 18:26

I always wash mine.

Ilovemyfam · 15/09/2026 18:26

Cleosinsttropez · 15/09/2026 15:31

I always do, I just feel if I’m putting away clean dishes and cutlery I should ensure my hands are clean first! My husband would say I’m OTT with cleanliness, so maybe it’s unusual? Interested in the other replies!

Edit- in an office I would always wash any shared cutlery or dishes/cups before I used them as I definitely witnessed colleagues not washing their hands after going to the loo, I wouldn’t want to eat or drink from anything they had touched first!

Edited

I would keep my own stuff in my office cupboard if I worked in your office.

Tupperwarelid · 15/09/2026 18:25

Do people also wash their hands before they get the plates and cutlery back out of the cupboards and drawers ready to serve dinner and set the table? I don’t.

Pause4thoughts · 15/09/2026 18:25

OhNoooooooooooooooo · 15/09/2026 18:04

Our family are never sick. DD is 7 and has been poorly twice in her life. Never vomited.

We don't wash hands when we come in etc unless visibly dirty

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@OhNooooooooooooooooHow many coughs and colds have you all had?

Buildingthefuture · 15/09/2026 18:25

I do, because I have a lot of dogs. But then I let them lick my face so….🤷‍♀️
I am literally never ill though, I think there is something to be said for allowing your immune system to develop and do its job.

SerendipityCat · 15/09/2026 18:25

concertinacornflake · 15/09/2026 17:13

How do you know your judgement is correct?

What blows my mind really is the certainty people have their way is the one true way.

I do what I do out of habit picked up working in kitchens - wash hands going into the kitchen.

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I don’t, any more than you can know your judgement is correct. It’s simply based on experience gathered in 60+ years of existence. I wouldn’t dream of saying my way is the One True Way, but it works okay for me.
I’ve been on Mumsnet long enough to have seen the near-hysteria surrounding everyday hygiene matters (Ohmigod, my husband farted in bed, I need to change the sheets!!!), and it does no harm to aim for a more balanced view now and again.

ShesRunningOutTheDoor · 15/09/2026 18:25

My furniture is just made of jam at this point.

MajorSamanthaCarter · 15/09/2026 18:23

ShesRunningOutTheDoor · 15/09/2026 15:54

Yeah, I don’t do it for the germs. I don’t want plates smeared with jam or gravy. I’d rather have a visibly clean plate. My husband does leave jam and gravy on clean plates. It’s v v v annoying

Are his hands covered in jam and gravy at the same time or on separate occasions?
If he hugs you or strokes the cat/dog/budgie does he leave jam prints?

MarzipanAngel · 15/09/2026 18:22

SerendipityCat · 15/09/2026 16:38

Once again, I’m reduced to shaking my head in wonderment at the way some mumsnetters willingly make life more complicated for themselves. Who has time for all this handwashing - or indeed, time to be wondering if everyone else you interact with in your daily life has washed their hands?

Then again, my standards are shockingly low anyway. I own a toilet brush and I’m not afraid to use it (I do wash my hands afterwards, though), and now I have to admit that I’ve never washed my hands before emptying the dishwasher. God, the shame.

I’ve spent more time reading the thread and posting about handwashing than it takes to wash my hands.

Original poster
OhNoooooooooooooooo · 15/09/2026 18:21

Where does the hand washing and cleaning end????

Did we clean the dishwasher door before we opened it? What if somebody else had touched the dishwasher door and they hadn't washed their hands? Now your clean hands are dirty.

Are we wiping down every cupboard and drawer before we put the cutlery in Etc? Otherwise, we've just hatched a dirty cupboard door and now we've gone to pick up some plates.

OP posts:
Original poster
OhNoooooooooooooooo · 15/09/2026 18:17

Covid wasn't caused by people not washing their hands when they come in from the garden.

And I am setting a good example, by not insisting we all wash our hands every 10 minutes. Yes, wash your hands. But we don't need to be doing it all day everyday. Our bodies are very very very good at fighting off minor infections.

If we over sanitise we don't develop the immune systems we need.

OP posts:
Bonkers1966 · 15/09/2026 18:16

OhNoooooooooooooooo · 15/09/2026 18:04

Our family are never sick. DD is 7 and has been poorly twice in her life. Never vomited.

We don't wash hands when we come in etc unless visibly dirty

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You are setting a bad example. This is how we ended up with COVID. I know this is rage bait because no adult could be this obtuse unless they spent lockdown in a coma.

madamegazelle1 · 15/09/2026 18:09

Always wash hands before emptying!

Original poster
OhNoooooooooooooooo · 15/09/2026 18:04

Pause4thoughts · 15/09/2026 17:55

I always wash my hands before I empty the dishwasher. I wash my hands a lot though. They do get sore in winter.

I am surprised how little other people wash their hands. I was well prepared for COVID as I was already handwashing regularly.

It is a good idea to wash your hands when you come home. It would prevent a lot of illness if more people did that.

Our family are never sick. DD is 7 and has been poorly twice in her life. Never vomited.

We don't wash hands when we come in etc unless visibly dirty

OP posts:
Pause4thoughts · 15/09/2026 17:55

I always wash my hands before I empty the dishwasher. I wash my hands a lot though. They do get sore in winter.

I am surprised how little other people wash their hands. I was well prepared for COVID as I was already handwashing regularly.

It is a good idea to wash your hands when you come home. It would prevent a lot of illness if more people did that.

RitaIncognita · 15/09/2026 17:45

Foolish1984 · 15/09/2026 16:55

Next you’ll be saying you sterilise your cutlery & plates and then saying on Mumsnet “It’s basic hygiene I would have thought.”

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Well, my dishwasher does have a hot water boost feature for the rinse cycle so probably pretty close to sterilize.

I'm really not obsessed about it and I don't particularly think about what other people do, but I do wash my hands before I empty the dishwasher.

beaglescurleduplikebagels · 15/09/2026 17:42

Nope, would genuinely never occur to me.

Deeandwizzy · 15/09/2026 17:37

At home, no. At work, yes.

dizzydizzydizzy · 15/09/2026 17:35

So does your colleague wash
their hands when they make a cup of tea? If not, demanding you wash your hands before you unload the dishwasher is nonsensical. I am assuming of course that you haven’t just sneezed or emptied bins or similar. I am also assuming you don’t work in restaurant.

ThatLilacTiger · 15/09/2026 17:23

I always wash my hands before emptying my dishwasher because otherwise I'd be getting whatever minging crap is on my hands all over the clean crockery other people eat and drink from. But I do wash my hands more than the average person to be fair.

EmeraldShamrock000 · 15/09/2026 17:16

It depends on when I last wash them. I don’t have a dishwasher. My hands get washed, washing the dishes.

beetabeatrix · 15/09/2026 17:14

I do! Otherwise getting all the germs on the clean plates!!

concertinacornflake · 15/09/2026 17:13

SerendipityCat · 15/09/2026 17:05

@concertinacornflake

I think you know that I’m only using handwashing as an example - I didn’t suggest that I find it complicated, only that it’s often not quite as necessary as some mumsnetters would have you believe.

How do you know your judgement is correct?

What blows my mind really is the certainty people have their way is the one true way.

I do what I do out of habit picked up working in kitchens - wash hands going into the kitchen.

RosesAndHellebores · 15/09/2026 17:13

I had never thought about it, but yes I do. On reflection I have realised I wash my hands whenever I'm in the kitchen and before doing jobs in there.

I take a flask and packed lunch to work with my own mug and cutlery, to avoid the grubby kitchen and filthoids who use it and never wipe or clean anything.