To wonder why you cant wash you hands in the kitchen

[lollylaughs]

What is the problem with washing hands in the kitchen sink? Dd's friend was here and they were playing out in the sandpit. I called them in to eat so dd washed her hands in the kitchen (where we have proper handwash and handcream). So her friend said she isn't allowed to wash her hands in the kitchen, only the bathroom.....

I asked her why, she doesn't know - its just her mothers rule.

Aibu to not understand this?

I use either but the DCs tend to use the bathroom (downstairs) as it is lower and easier to reach, also just before meals I am often using the sink to strain stuff etc. If my hands are filthy, say from gardening, I use the bathroom. i also use the bathroom after cleaning the cat litter tray.

We have a handtowel and soap in the kitchen. My mum was funny about using the kitchen sink for handwashing, I could never really see why.

Curlew Yes, I'll go up and down the stairs several times especially as I cook a lot with meat, onions, flour. It's just one of those things that you never consider until someone, usually MN tells you you're doing it wrong! I did grow up in a house where the bathroom was right next to the kitchen so that's probably why I never just thought to move soap and a towel into the kitchen in my own house.

We always shut our loo lid when flushing so a faecal free hand towel for us.

Not sure faecal-free is a fair assumption but I'm sure there's less than if the lid were left up

I try to get people to put the lid down but lots of visitors don't and children are unreliable.

Nude - well your way is good on the exercise front!

I've always washed my hands in the kitchen sink, never thought about why I shouldn't, growing up and now we have always had a tea towel and a hand towel in the kitchen.

When my DC were little I would hold them up and wash their hands under the tap. The kitchen sink has a mixer tap, the downstairs cloakroom is pokey with hot and cold taps which are really difficult to turn on and off (but they look good!).

I've always used the kitchen sink - even coming from gardening etc. I clean the sink itself a lot, though - I don't see a problem.

Hmm, cant think why its not hygenic tbh, I was my hands in the kitchen if needed, the older dcs would as well, but I guess ds uses the bathroom as he cant reach the tap in the kitchen and the water pressure is quite fast so it would be watermageddon if he did.

Yes to watermageddon with the DCs, the pressure is really high on our cold kitchen supply, you can't switch the mixer tap fully on in the cold setting, as adults we have the knack of it but the DCs can barely reach and certainly don't. It catches visitors who want to fill kettles etc out!

I always wash my hands in the kitchen sink if I'm downstairs. Why would I go all the way upstairs? I only have a tea towel to dry hands on too, they only get used for drying hands as I don't dry dishes.

I cooked bacin wrapped chicken with cheese inside, roasted veg (carrots onions potatos) leeks and peas last night, i washed my hands about 10 times in the process!! No way and i traipsing upstairs everytime. I have a hand towel and tea towel in the kitchen. We also wash the cat foid bowl, dirty garden veg, muddy hands etc at the kitchen sink.

We also CLEAN it!!

I wash hands in the kitchen and dry them with kitchen roll

When i was about 6 i got very badly burnt whilst washing my hands at the kitchen sink. Mum was dishing up diner and called me in to wash my hands. Unfortunately i tried to do so at the same time as she was straining the boiled potatoes.

yanbu
we use the kitchen sink. but we also have a proper towel in the kitchen (downstairs loo doesn't have a sink so needs must)

Probably just habit, or with small kids, it's easier, as the kitchen sink can be higher than a hand basin in a bathroom/ downstairs toilet. Or, as others have said, it may be to prevent splashes to kitchen floor, or keeping smallies out from under feet, whike cooking.
I wash my hands in the sink when preparing food, or generally working in the kitchen. I always keep a hand towel in the kitchen anyway, and clean the sink regularly, so, from a hygiene perspective, no issue, IMO.

I wash my hands in the kitchen sink if I'm cooking, but if DH comes inside with dirty hands or changing cat litter etc I ask him to use utility room sink, which I do if I've been doing something 'dirty' . He doesn't get it though or remember off his own bat and we end up arguing even though it's 2 meters away. Even more annoying is when he tries to push in kitchen sink while I am using it when we have utility room so close! I can't afford to be too anal about it as in laws will change DN nappy then go straight to our kitchen sink to wash their hands. I don't say anything as it's not that often but I just think it's gross when that is where fruit & veg and dishes get washed.

oh and we have a stepstool in the kitchen so the dc can reach and I can reach ino the top cupboard

We discouraged the kids when young from washing their hands in the kitchen because they just make a mess and splash water over pots on the drainer/ get mud over things, plus no towel just tea towel. Now they are older and more careful they'll sometimes use it, especially if helping with cooking. If grubby hands then bathroom with nail brush etc is better.

I encourage my children to wash their hands before eating, so kitchen is fine with me unless I'm preparing something over the basin. I wash my hands there as well- anti-bac soap and towel available, even better than going in a bathroom with a toilet in it if you ask me.

This is truly the first time I've heard of this.

I think it seems reasonable to avoid washing hands in the kitchen if there's poo on them but otherwise, I don't understand. You clean your sink, what's the problem?

Yes, I didn't like people changing nappies and then washing their hands into the washing-up bowl when mine and my friends' children were babies.

The only reason I go to the bathroom with garden dirty hands is because there's a nail brush there and not in the kitchen. I do scrub dirty veg in the kitchen sink.

It's a sink with a tap.

Why on earth would you not use it?

Some people are bonkers.

I don't understand this either. I don't use the kitchen sink if, say, I've got ink on my hands but if I'm cooking then that's the obvious place to do it. Have just done it now in fact as I was preparing chicken. To get to the bathroom I'd have to put my chickeny hands all over at least a couple of door handles which I'm sure is far less hygienic than using the sink. Similarly, I don't want flour all over the house, or blood from chopped kidneys, or fish juices on surfaces they shouldn't be.

I always rinse the sink out with very hot water, and bleach it regularly too. And if it is unhygienic to use a sink for washing then I'm at a loss to think what we may have "caught" by doing so.

Never mind hands, I can remember being bathed in the kitchen sink as a toddler, then laying on the worktop and draining board and dangling my head over the sink when I was a bit older so my mum could wash my hair there .

Weird.

I always wash my hands in the kitchen sink, I have a bottle of soap and a handtowel handy.

As long as they wash their hands before they eat I don't mind, they do splash water everywhere,but at least they don't leave a mess in another room.Perhaps her friends mum keeps her kitchen sink for food prep only?!