Do you wash your hands before preparing food?

[Darkdiamond]

My mum was a nurse and it was drummed into us to always wash our hands before preparing food, even if it was just a piece of toast. Now I do it every time I go to prepare food without thinking.

However through the years, being in other people's homes and living with flatmates, I noticed that I'm very much in the minority. I even saw a friend change a nappy, clean her hands with a wipe and then put the kettle on the make me a cup of tea. I declined!

I did read on mumsmet previously that lots of people don't wash their hands after changing a dirty nappy (and don't see the point). I mean, that really shocked me, so I'm expecting to hear that lots of people don't clean their hands before preparing food.

So, what about you? What's your policy when it comes to preparing food and hand washing? And what's it based on?

Yes, always. Basic hygiene. But I am always surprised at the amount of people who will do something like wipe a mark off their car, push something down into a litter bin, fiddle with the sole of their shoe etc and then not wash their hands. Yuck.

I always wash my hands before preparing food. My parents always did and it's just natural instinct I guess. The thought of changing a nappy, or going to the loo and then preparing food is decidedly nasty in my opinion. I suppose if your own family don't mind then that's your choice but don't inflict it on visitors. I also hate double dipping with food.

Yes always. The fact we needed a campaign about hand washing during covid made me feel ill. Surprising that even now, basic hygiene is forgotten again.

Not anymore. When I had small babies I had eczema from washing around nappies and bottles.
I no longer do anything that I consider would make my hands particularly problematic, and wash my hands whenever I do.
So handling shoes, wash hands.

One area I probably haven’t properly considered is dog walk and dog. Probably need to wash after handling his lead.

So do I. It turns my stomach when people use their fork that had been in their mouth to take something from a communal bowl, like hummus or potato salad. I never double dip when cooking, even for my family. I spoon onto another spoon.

I always do yes, minging otherwise 🤢

Before a pile on about being disgusting- I wash before preparing food for other people, events, guests.
And organise so there’s no danger of double dipping!

Sounds like your habits are just fine!

Always. I'm ruthless as I have bowel issues so don't want to flare anything up.

Always, and several times throughout the process.

I'm not even a particular stickler for cleanliness and find some people on here's cleaning and hygiene habits utterly neurotic, but even I think it's grotty not to wash your hands before making food, especially if you're cooking for other people!

I don't always do it for making my own food but always for other people. I will if I've been petting the cats

I'm the same; definitely not a clean freak or have any kind of compulsive issues around sanittaion/health anxiety etc. I just think it's yucky not to wash your hands before preparing food.

Same here. I've always washed hands frequently during the day and especially before preparing food, before eating etc. Likewise, pretty surprised that people needed to be told the importance of such basic hygiene during Covid. And yes, I think people have forgotten again now, or rather just can't be arsed than forgotten.

No, I dont wash my hands that often and am always fine, never sick etc

I went to visit a woman from mother & toddler group many years ago. She was quite "upmarket" and lived in a posh house and really, really wasn't hard up. She asked if I'd like coffee so I said yes please. She took the bottle of milk her roughly 9 month old baby had just been suckling, unscrewed it and poured it into my coffee. I know there's nothing intrinsically wrong with that and it's fine with your own family but would any of you do that with a visitor? I mean, I was virtually a stranger to her.

That reminds me of an old boss we had who decided to bring in a lunch buffet for a lunchtime training session rather than buy it in from external caterers. He was using his hands to transfer food from the containers he brought it in onto the serving plates, which was bad enough (no gloves etc) but even worse was him licking his fingers between containers! Urgh! No surprise that not many of us ate much and he ended up taking most of it home again! Afterwards there was a mini stampede of us staff going out to buy our own lunches to eat at our desks at the start of the afternoon work session!

Ewwwwwww

But at least you are being honest.

I think it’s absolutely vile to not wash hands regularly but you do you and I will do me.

Honestly, food for myself, I don't usually bother unless I've been doing something like say working in the garden. Cooking for others, then yes I do. But then I always wash my hands after "dirty" jobs anyway.

Likewise I would eat something out of date that seemed ok, but wouldn't serve it up to someone else.

I think if you're just making food for yourself, you take your own risks! But not fair to do that to others.

Do you wash your hands before preparing food for visitors though. I mean, it's up to you if you wipe your bum and make a sandwich but surely that's not fair on other people?

I always wash my hands before preparing food. I have seen people I know not wash their hands after going to the loo and I’m not convinced they wash them before prepping food either. Glad I don’t eat at their house!

We do in our house.

I’ve noticed a rise of people working in cafes who don’t wash their hands though.

One week I saw a woman fill an obviously manky dogs water bowl and then serve ice cream without washing hands and the week after a waitress blew her nose and didn’t wash her hands before choosing cutlery and adding food to a tray

Hideous!

Always. Seems pretty basic hygiene to me.

What about when you prepare food for others?

No I don't
Not died yet

But what about passing on stomach bugs etc which don't necessarily kill but can make someone very unwell. Do you know you're supposed to wash your hands before you prepare food? I'm honestly interested why people don't. Is there a reason why you don't? Would you feel guilty if you made someone sick because you didn't wash the germs off your hands before preparing someone's food? Honestly curious! To me it's almost antisocial, like coughing in someone's face.