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?

Before preparing food, yes. After the loo, changing a nappy or putting the rubbish in the wheelie bin absolutely! But.. no I don’t wash my hands before getting a drink from the fridge or making a cup of tea.

Always, it was drilled into me by my home economics teacher (showing my age!), who incidentally was/is Helen Baxendale's mum!

Food for others? Always. Food for myself? Usually. And I wash them after handling bins / shoes / pets/ chemicals regardless of if I'm doing anything food-related after.

I wash my hands pretty regularly throughout the day but absolutely always before I even touch food, even if it's just a biscuit. Never realised I do it, but I've also realised I wash my hands before making a cup of tea and touching teabags, but not if I make a cup of coffee.

"you do you and I will do me."

I had thought 'you do you' was probably the smuggest MN phrase in regular use but I have to say adding 'and I will do me' gives it that certain edge of extra-smug super-virtue. Good work!

Topics like this will mostly attract people who can't wait to say that they always do X, wouldn't dream of not doing X, and how disgusting it would be not to do X. You do get the odd brave soul daring to say they don't but there must be many more of those who keep quiet, and it seems an obvious conclusion that our own immune systems are what's keeping us (mostly) safe, and not relying on other people's hygiene practices, or lack thereof.

Well yes...

Pretty much yes. We have pets so always touching them. Always when I get home I wash my hands. But if I had just been say sitting at the table reading and I went to make toast, I wouldn’t wash my hands.

I never get sick, haven’t yet had Covid, can’t remember how many years since I’ve had a cold or tummy bug. Only ever had the flu twice in my life, the
ast time was 2012, so must have a good immunity.

Before, during and after because I'm not a savage.

Depends, if for guests and served uncooked then yes, if it's to be cooked no probably not but will wash after prepping food. Obviously if I've being doing something unhygienic I'll wash them

Of course I do, that's just basic hygiene 🤷🏻‍♀️ Even my three year old knows to wash his hands before eating.

Always before preparing any kind of food, regardless of who I'm cooking for - it's how I was brought up and also taught in Home Economics. It's a pretty basic thing, isn't it?

Also naturally after being to the loo, I like to wash them after coming home and taking my shoes off/putting rubbish out/cleaning and anything else which risks them being contaminated with possible nasties.

I've seen in my line of work too many people suffering from really bad tummy bugs (including once a patient who had D&V so severely that they nearly ended up in Intensive Care due to how badly dehydrated they'd gotten with it before being brought into hospital) and feeling absolutely rotten with it.

I think we have a sort of joint social responsibility to try and keep each other safe from illness outbreaks and just being considerate of other people's health where possible. It's not a complicated process and it doesn't take very long to do.

Mostly. Definitely if cooking for others. I do think people massively exaggerate the risk of actually getting ill in this way though. I'm in my 50s and have been sick from food 3 times in my memory. All 3 from eating seafood in restaurants. If I'm out and about and buying food on the go, eating a picnic etc and not near handwashing facilities, it wouldn't remotely bother me not to be able to wash my hands before eating. I don't carry hand sanitiser (only did during the pandemic).

I live alone so don’t often do it. But I suppose if I’m cooking for others it tends to be more of a big feast so then yes I would wash before and during as I’m handling different/messy elements

Always before preparing food , obviously post going to loo , gardening etc .Do still have alcohol gel in my car for post shopping etc.
Retired nurse and habits are well ingrained. Don't get anyone in my family started on double dipping huge no no .

Oh my god I’d have had to say something 😷

I’m generally minging by mumsnet standards but I always wash my hands after changing a nappy and before preparing food.

I always wash my hands before preparing food and often while preparing food.
I also never taste a dish or sauce with my finger or by licking the stirring spoon.

I do have a few friends that are lovely, but have medieval hygiene and oddly, all the “IBS” sufferers I know are of the medieval hygiene group. I don’t have the heart to tell them that their “IBS” is more likely to be persistent low grade food poisoning from poor hygiene than caused by a dodgy gut.

I do if I’m making a meal though not if I was having a biscuit or a piece of toast. I have a new puppy and am washing my hands much more, after walks, cleaning up invited puppy accidents and generally handling him.

I do remember wondering what the hell people had been washing with before Covid when there was a sudden run on hand soap.

Depends. Making toast for myself - probably not. Making proper food for others - definitely. Wouldn't even consider it before making a cuppa though, and I've never seen anyone else specifically wash hands before making me one either.

Always before preparing food, but not if I'm just taking a biscuit or snack. I also keep sanitizer by the sink too as my dog comes over begging when I'm making meals and I usually slip her a little something and often pat her on the head without even realising, to be honest I caught myself a few times touching food after touching her so I keep it there now to remind me.

Yes.

Interesting someone mentioned washing hands before eating. I think if you're just sitting down to eat, with a knife and fork, do clean hands really make a difference?

Also I have been out to eat with various groups of people, in London so generally all getting public transport. There's never been a group of people rushing to the loo before the food comes so they can wash their hands. The odd person might use the loo before as maybe they just need the loo. But I don't know anyone who specifically goes to wash their hands.

One reason I don't stress too much about hand washing is that I have the potential to become a bit obsessive. And if I really thought about it, I feel I could end up being one of those people that wash my hands 50 times a day and I wouldn't want that. So I deliberately don't think about it.

I think I wash my hands enough. I did have an obsessively hand washing ex which was quite sad to see, it was part of other obsessive behaviour.

I wash my hands all the time both before and after prepping food etc. I'm actually a bit OCD about it!!

Honestly?

never.