AIBU - Handwashing

[Lolipoplady]

Not sure who's being unreasonable here so opinions very much appreciated!

DP this morning got out of the car (we'd been out early), came into the house and made himself some toast. He didn't wash his hands first even though we'd been out and he'd just had his hands on a steering wheel, car keys, etc. I said 'hey, you forgot to wash your hands' and he got huffy saying that lots of people don't.

He started to make me a sandwich for lunch and again he didn't wash his hands even though he'd been on phone, using TV remote, etc.

Who is being unreasonable here? Am I being obsessive about hygiene? Or id DP being grubby? I thought that everyone washed their hands before preparing food?! I've never particularly noticed before that DP doesn't... maybe I've just not been paying attention.

I don't wash my hands when coming into the house. I don't wash my hands before making ie toast. I'm sure there are germs on phones and keys etc but generally they are my germs.

I'm very rarely ill and neither are other people in this house. Think DC (12 and 10) have had sickness bugs less than 5 times in total for both of them. Maybe we're just lucky.

Personally I wash my hands when i get in from work or shopping. I also wash after the loo and before preparing food and after stroking an animal.

I often don't bother if I've just had a wee.

I wash them after using the loo or changing nappies etc or when I've been on the bus but not before preparing food unless I have been doing something to get them dirty.

I never get stomach bugs. I've had norovirus twice in my life. They never seem to affect me badly though. I see others floored for days with it but I will puke once, have runs and aches for about 12 hours and then be fine. I'll usually be up to eating by 6 hours in. I've come to the conclusion that my immune system is a beast. Apart from colds I just don't catch stuff and if I do, it clears with a day.

I now need to clinnell my car keys...

I only wash them after using the loo/taking the bins out or if they feel grubby.

I don't wash them to make a sandwich

I wash them if preparing food for other people or if my hands are grubby. If I'm slicing bread I'd wash them but if sliced bread and just food for myself then I don't see the need unless I've been gardening. Always washed after toilet.

I wash mine after loo/nappy changes, if they are actually visibly dirty (gardening or make up residue etc), when I get in from work (travel on tube which is generally considered a hotbed of germs but main reason is newspaper on hands) and I'm going to handle raw ingredients. I probably wouldn't bother specially for other types of food prep unless hands feel dirty.
I've had one day off work sick since 1998. My husband and kids are pretty hardy too. Germs are good for the immune system.

Well, I dunno. I studied microbiology at uni and we did an experiment swabbing banister rails in lecture halls, people's phones, regular-use handbag handles...all the things we're told are swimming with germs and when they do it on telly they say these things are infected with E COLI! ANTHRAX! DEATH GERMS!!!

All we managed to cultivate was perfectly harmless skin bacteria that you really ought to have on your skin / be in contact with. Because - lifespan of bacteria on a non-living surface.

Anecdotally I've never noticed any difference in the health of chronic hand washers vs les mings. So do whatever makes you happy but I can't get wound up about it either way really.

Really shocked at the amount of people who don't wash their hands before preparing food.

I'm with your husband on this. I wash my hands after the loo, nappies, nose blowing etc. If I am preparing food I will wash them in between (after chopping meat etc)

I never get tummy bugs, ds is 11months and is thus far unscathed. h pissed me of with his incessant Hand washing. He will come in, wash hands, go to loo, wash hands, feed cat, wash hands, eat crisps, wash hands. He spends more time washing hands than doing anything productive.

People actually wash keys?

Whatever the fuck for?

No I only wash my hands if they are dirty or after the loo.
I remember going for dinner at friends house when I was kid where I was told to 'wash up' before dinner. I thought it was weird.

I would have said I wash my hands before "food prep" but actually like the OPs husband I wouldn't wash my hands before putting some toast on just for myself.
I am very very rarely sick and can't remember the last time I had d&v.

I wash my hands as soon as I come in the door. I hate the thought of the number of germs on buses, the tube, money,etc. I also always wash them before getting food out of the fridge, preparing food, after the loo and after using the computer keyboard/laptop..

My house isn't pristine by any means, but I do think hands get very dirty just doing ordinary day to day things.

I have 3 DC - all grown up now - and they had very few tummy upsets as children.

My sister OTOH was always very lax about hand washing and her family seemed to be constantly having D&V "bugs".

I wash my hands very frequently at work, but always use hand lotion and my hands are fine.

I think it is just common sense to wash hands before preparing food.

I had severe OCD whilst pregnant and I was constantly washing my hands out of fear that germs might harm my unborn child. My hands became so dry and sore that my midwife though I was washing them in bleach, which I wasn't, but the constant washing had actually bleached my skin. It was terrible and ruined the entire pregnancy. Now that my daughter is almost a year old and is constantly exposed to germs by putting everything in her mouth, touching the dog and so on, I am a lot more relaxed about germs. I always wash my hands after the loo and before food preparation for my daughter,, but in terms of food preparation for myself, I don't bother. I never did this before pregnancy and I don't do now and never have I become ill as a result.

I think a lot of people don't understand that there are vast numbers of bacteria all over the place (including inside of us) and most of them pose no risk to us at all. In fact some are essential. Some things 'swarming with germs' is normal and not scary unless there is exposure to harmful strains. Most E coli for example is needed for our guts to work properly.

Handwashing is a very important infection control procedure, especially when there are infectious diseases around or someone has reduced immunity. However overuse of antibacterial products is also a significant infection control issue. We all need a certain amount of exposure to build up our immune systems as we do not live in sterile environments (nor would that be at all good for us).

So wash your hands carefully when you need to, and stop with all of the rest of it (especially using antibacterial wipes and sprays) unless there is a specific reason to be careful.

Always wash them before I start cooking, DC have to wash hands before eating (and we all wash hands after using the loo, or stroking the animals). I also wash the hand towels on a hot wash every couple of days too.

To not too!

I wash my hands before prepping food but wouldn't prompt someone to do so if they were just making food for themselves.

I quite often put my car keys in my mouth when I have my hands full I do realise this is minging though
Wash hands after loo, wiping bums, after bin changing, after raw meat but that's it . Since DC have been at nursery/school I have upped my game slightly on hand washing but we very rarely get ill.

God how do you wash your hands every time you stroke an animal?? I used to sleep with my dog as a child & nothing terrible happened!

I wouldn't have washed my hands either. Not for a sandwich anyway.

I have to wash them constantly at work, I like to give them a break.

I don't wash them after touching my animals, I would be washing them every few minutes.

I am rarely sick, no harm has came to any of us.

I sanitise my hands when I get back in the car at the supermarket as I feel dirty, and DEFINATELY don't touch the steering wheel. THEN wash my hands as soon as I get it.

i forget, a lot
but I tend to do a lot of washing up therefore I think my hands are clean enough