<Ashamed> to avoid using hand towels in other people's bathrooms?

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

It occurred to me that I always do this - just let them drip dry instead, because I never know how recently the towel was changed. Anyone else have any ridiculous hygiene obsessions? (Oh, I also use my little finger to open doors when out and about, rather than sacrifice my whole hand to The Germs)

I have vomited 6 times in the last 44 years. Once through too much alcohol. 3 times when my dc were very young and getting bugs at nursery/school. Once at Uni when everyone had a bug going round in halls. Once quite randomly in my mid 20s.

I dry my hands on other peoples guest towels. Use the air dryer or paper towels in public loos when available. Always wash my hands when coming in for the day, before preparing food or eating.

Just recently I was out Christmas shopping all day then met a group of 12 friends in a restaurant for dinner. Everyone had come from work or commuted in to London. I was slightly surprised that I was the only one to leave the table after we'd all said hellos and made our orders to go and wash my hands before eating.

I don't worry about any of this stuff and never seem to catch these lurgies.

The thing that makes me laugh about threads like this is that people seem to think they’re so much more hygienic than anyone else.
We are careful with personal hygiene, but so are lots of other people. For me it’s partly an irrational mental ‘yuk’ thing and partly that bugs you aren’t acclimatised to are more likely to make you ill.
The norovirus thing is interesting as some people do seem to be more prone than others to catch it at low level contact, though if you get a face-full that’s a slightly different matter. Also there is evidence that immunity to noro only lasts about 4 months for some reason.

have vomited 6 times in the last 44 years. Once through too much alcohol. 3 times when my dc were very young and getting bugs at nursery/school. Once at Uni when everyone had a bug going round in halls. Once quite randomly in my mid 20s.

Really? Oh wow. I’ve vomited so much more often... (Not that it’s a competition. I’m just... idk, surprised, I guess. It seems like a kind of normal thing to me...)

I vomited 8 years ago with norovirus. I vomited for the first 20 weeks of pregnancy with DD2. Otherwise never in my living memory.

But I vomited whenever I got my period as a teen, a few times when I was pregnant, was once ‘trapped’ with the rest of my class on a ski trip, pretty much all of us got sick / vomited...

I do not have the time or motivation to worry about this. I cannot ever remember having any illness other than a common cold.

I do keep a hand sanitizer in the car which I use if I've touched the pin machine at McDonald's drive thru . I think that's just good sense though.

I'm assuming people are trying to avoid vomiting bugs by not using guest towels in their friends houses. obvs. Otherwise, what is the issue?

Amongst people I know, it seems people either get a bout of norovirus (or similar winter vomiting thing) once a year or not at all. I'm not convinced the difference is down to hygiene habits either.

I've never had anything like norovirus as an adult, never had food poisoning but I'm not fastidious about hand washing, I.e. after the toilet yes, before food prep for others yes, but before eating no unless visibly dirty. I've never come in from outside and washed my hands just because I've been out in public which on another thread was described as basic hygiene.

I now have a basket of freshly washed face cloth squares and a longer 'guest' towel in the guest wc. If anyone washes their hands they can use the face cloths (as many as they think they need, which is usually only 1 or two) or they can use the guest towel. They all get washed regularly.

Yes, totally agree OP, the smells on some hand towels make me wonder what else has been dried on them, and as a previous poster said you don't know how many people haven't washed their hands properly.

If there's a pullcord light too, I always reach up high to a bit of it that doesn't get touched.

This! And even worse - a pull cord toilet flusher

Also yy to not touching the door handles in public toilets (I use my sleeve). I also avoid touching the taps (use a paper towel) and if I do accidentally touch them after washing I wash my hands again. The soap box is also disgusting, especially the spout and if I touch it i have to wash my hands about twelve times. This all goes triple for airplane toilets which are rank.

My most hated thing in other people's houses is sink plugs, especially the ones with the chains attached because they give me the boak.

You wouldn't want to come to our house then...I was towels as and when they smell like they need a wash! And I must say, I can't recall the last time either myself or my DP were ill, so it doesn't seem to be doing us any harm.

If there's a pullcord light too, I always reach up high to a bit of it that doesn't get touched.

This! And even worse - a pull cord toilet flusher

Also yy to not touching the door handles in public toilets (I use my sleeve). I also avoid touching the taps (use a paper towel) and if I do accidentally touch them after washing I wash my hands again. The soap box is also disgusting, especially the spout and if I touch it i have to wash my hands about twelve times. This all goes triple for airplane toilets which are rank.

My most hated thing in other people's houses is sink plugs, especially the ones with the chains attached because they give me the boak.

YANBU, I let my hands air-dry in my own house because I know that my DC are lazy and mucky creatures who just run their hands briefly under the cold tap and then dry them. I have taught them how to wash their hands properly, and if they know I'm watching/checking then they do it right but otherwise they don't.

Oops I posted twice just in case anyone missed the crazy the first time

Me a year ago: YABU
Me now, after the threadworms:YANBU

This! And even worse - a pull cord toilet flusher

Why are these worse than other flushing mechanisms?

I'm not really getting this thread. I haven't vomitted since pregancy and happily use other peoples towels. You tend to catch coughs and colds by people sneezing or coughing near you, not from the process of drying hands.

I open toilet doors with my elbow

I thought you needed to build up an immunity to a bit of muck?
Gosh, we'd eat all sorts of crap as children and were exposed to lots of germs.
So do those who live in sterile conditions catch lots of bugs when they are out?

I'm the same op.

I don't use towels in bathrooms.

I either use a paper towel to open toilet doors or wait for someone.

No point as dh has fucking appealing hygiene and the dirty cunt passed a d&v bug to me yesterday. I hate him.

I think hand towels are grim! I don't use them anywhere and don't have them in my house at all 🤢

I always take a good look at the towel... I've got real towel issues! It's amazing how many people in "naice" houses have such grotty towels. I always change a hand towel in downstairs loo before guests come and after they leave (as well as frequently throughout the week - I know how my 3 year old likes to wipe her bogeys so my obsession is justified!)