How frequently do you wash your hands?

[minwage]

I got back from taking to the GP this morning, having touched all the surfaces, handles in there etc. I totally forgot to wash my hands and have since made snacks and put our washing away and the likes. I was thinking back to COVID times when I would always use hand sanitiser religiously but don’t really do that anymore. Was it too lax of me to not wash hands having come back from the doctors? I’m hoping they don’t get sick!

That's pretty lax but I doubt they will get ill.
I wash my hands frequently during the day and always before food prep. I have cats and wash my hands when I do their food, if I put dirty plates in the dishwasher, if I touch the bin, etc.
My hand hygiene is pretty high.

I wouldn't but rather at a doctors I won't touch things with my fingertips but side of hand or knuckles

I'm the same as Beamur, high hand hygiene even pre-Covid so it's instinctive. Also agree that you're unlikely to get sick.

It's like going to public toilets.
You wash your hands afterwards...then open a door that other people have used ( some may have not washed their hands).
I carry little handy wet wipes for occasions like this..at home l do wash my hands a lot.. and go through loads of hand cream too.
Have cream is one of my guilty pleasures.

I'm very careful about washing hands after a visit to the GP surgery just because you know there'll be people in there with infectious diseases. Having said that, it's far from certain that you'd make yourself ill by not hand washing. Chances are that you'll have some immunity to most of the germs anyway, especially if you're not prone to over washing...

I know I'm on the more careful end of the scale re hand hygiene.

I always wash hands when I get home if I've been in shops, handling money or whatever and I always wash my hands before preparing food or before eating anything with my hands. I make DD wash her hands when she gets in from school mostly to protect us from D&V bugs but I don't make her wash them before eating if she's just been playing at home, unless she's been making mud pies or similar.

I dread to think how many times a day I wash mine, definitely too often for it to be good for my skin! I have pets and am home all day so I expect that's part of why it's so frequent but I've always been quite careful/conscious of it even pre-covid. I've always washed my hands pretty much first thing after I get home, especially if I've been to the doctors or hospital and would definitely have washed them before preparing food or eating so you were certainly more lax than I would have been OP. That said I wouldn't now be fretting about whether I would be ill if I hadn't washed my hands, I would just shrug and remind myself to do it next time 🤷🏻‍♀️

Before I eat or prepare any food.

When you feel you should. But you can easily overdo it and dry your hands out from being anxious about germs. Just use common sense and your best judgement.

I always wash or sanitise with gel before eating or preparing food, and always wash hands when I get into work or the car or back home after having touched door handles/buttons, handrails, money, etc. I carry a small hand gel with me all the time and have a bottle of it in the car.

After using public loos, I always use hand gel straight away after touching the door handle to get out as it's easy to observe just how many people don't wash their hands after using the loo and then touch the door handle!!

It's basically a habit that I do automatically. And that's nothing to do with Covid, I was very aware of hand washing/sanitising long before 2020!

I wash my hands a lot and certainly before preparing food or drinks. So even if I hadn't done so after getting home from the GP (which I normally would do), I certainly would have done before making snacks.

I can’t remember if I did or not now, but I know I was definitely rubbing my eyes in the car (hayfever). Can germs get in through your eyes? I’m in a silly worry spin about it all now

Nothing to do with COVID either here, but over 40 years nursing. Barrier, reverse barrier, isolation. Toilet, food prep, animals, shopping , which was always on the floor,wash hands, shopping away, proper nurse scrub. Not had so much as a cough,cold, Covid, vomitting,even when looking after the grandkids. Until last September,3 weeks after getting a puppy, forgot the shop scrub, Covid first time ever (5 jabs) everyone assured me it was just like a cold. I was laid out for almost 2 months. No underlying health issues!

I wish I could live in a town with all you we'd all stay nice and clean

Oh gosh please don't worry yourself. I'm sure you will be fine - that's why we have immune systems. If you do catch something (a cold or whatever), there are many place you could have got that from, not just the GP.

Honestly, hardly ever. After the loo, before I cook, if they are visibly dirty.

I wash my hands several times a day, dirty hands goes through me. Always after using the toilet, getting home from the supermarket, and before preparing food.

I am completely the other end of the spectrum. I always wash my hands after going to the loo (although not particularly if I get up for a wee in the night).

I do wash my hands if I'm preparing food for for others but not if I'm just making something for myself.

I shower daily and my hands go into water if I'm washing dishes etc.

I wouldn't bother washing my hands if I'd been to the GPs/supermarket/shops etc

My practice didn't change during covid either, I've always been relaxed about germs/bacteria.

I'm never ill, I can't remember the last time I had a even a cold. I didn't catch Covid.

I might not be so relaxed if I didn't have such a good immune system.

I wash my hands regularly during the day as they often feel a bit grubby, especially in warm weather. I've always washed my hands as soon as I get home, even if just driving home from work, and especially if I've been shopping as so many shop displays are dusty and grubby. I have also, way before Covid, kept wet wipes or antibacterial wipes in the car which I use frequently after shopping or hospital and doctor visits. Years ago when the kids were young I used to make sure that I had wet flannels in the car on picnics as I couldn't bear having greasy, sticky hands in the car after eating. I think I've always been a bit fussy and just don't like the feel of grubby hands.

I always wash my hands, pre Covid too. I don't know if it's because I'm a nurse but I am pretty certain I was always like this, because my mum made us wash our hands fairly often.

Whenever I come back into the house, but would scrub longer if been at a doctors or on public transport, anywhere I have to touch something that lots of others will have touched.

Before cooking or prepping any food.

After using the bathroom even if it's the middle of the night.. how does time of day dictate whether they need cleaning or not?!

After touching certain items like washing powder, shoes, etc.

Maybe it's excessive but I have a pretty strong immune system so it hasn't seemed to have affected that (perk of work in a hospital I suppose). I do get through rather a lot of hand cream though

I have always washed my hands when I get home and then wash before I prep food.

My hand hygiene is high. I wash everytime i go to the loo. And i wash before i eat or prepare food

That should be the basic standard level of hygiene but so many people don’t bother. It’s not a coincidence that the focus on handwashing during Covid resulted in a big fall in touch spread stomach bugs. There are so many dirty people out there!

First thing in the morning when washing
After using the loo
Before cooking or preparing food
Last thing at night going to bed

So several times a day usually

When I’ve done anything in the garden, before and after cleaning something, before preparing food, when swapping from preparing meat to preparing other food, before eating. Obviously after using the toilet.

Also after using public transport. Buses and trams are manky!

Pretty much this. Washing hands after toilet & before prepping food is like putting on a car seatbelt - feels weird not to, like muscle memory.