AIBU to ask why you don't wash your hands?

[sadiekate]

People who don't wash their hands after they go to the toilet.
People who don't wash their hands before preparing/eating food.
People who don't wash their hands after changing nappies.
People who don't wash their hands after putting the bins out.
People who don't wash their hands after handling raw meat.
We all know we are supposed to do these things. And yet lots of people don't. If you don't, why? I promise I'm not intending to criticise anyone, I am just genuinely curious to know, given the risks not washing hands entails, why it isn't a habit for so many.

Because sex doesn't, for me, involve piss, shite, bins, nappies or raw meat ... Each to their own, though.

@sadiekate this did make me laugh.

Sex does of course involve bodily fluids though and if these were pure and clean there would never be any risk of stis.

Because sex doesn't, for me, involve piss, shite, bins, nappies or raw meat ... Each to their own, though.
Well I’m pretty sure that sex involves piss and shit just because of the anatomical position of said sexual body parts. I’m not even going into oral sex
It also involves other body fluids such saliva etc... which have been known to transfer a lot of germs.

I mean, how can you even think about kissing or French kissing someone with all those germs for example. No one would be happy to share a glass or with someone licking the spoon and then using it to stir the dish again? Because of all the germs, transmission of illness etc... and then you kiss. Ewwww

Op- so do you make your sexual partner wash their genitals before you touch that body part every time you have sex because it will have traces of urine

Hand sanitiser does NOT kill norovirus or C. Diff so you need to be using soap and water. I say this as a nurse who has studied infection control. As such I'm not surprised how many dirty mingers are saying they don't wash their hands.

EUgh, makes me shudder how many people admit they don’t wash their hands after public loos, knew it would be a fair few as i see many people just up and leave whilst I’m washing hands and yes I do judge, it’s filthy behaviour, regardless of wether you are going to apply hand sanitiser etc- that’s quite selfish as such, as if you don’t apply till out of the loos you are touching the cubicle door, the main door etc so potentially leaving bum germs for other people.
I’m forever nagging my oldest boy as his hygiene is grim and he will happily go for a wee and not wash his hands-seems oblivious to the fact he touched the door handle to get in the bathroom, the flush handle on the loo, the seat when he lifts it, but still thinks he doesn’t need to wash his hands as he only went for a wee

In regards to bins, ours sit in our garden but under power lines and near a tree so when always wash hands as the birds regularly crap on the bin lids and handles and birds imo are germ breeders.

I’m not obsessive about handwashing, more just proactive, I’ve worked in healthcare so we’re taught in our training how to wash properly and given the blue light test to see how well we’d done.

I find It hard to eat out or be served food as often will see gloved hands handle money then food 🤮 or some equally unpleasant practice whilst preparing my food like scratching their nose etc

I conclude, people are grim

I don’t think I’ve done too bad with how I operate as ive not had a stomach bug for 13yrs!

Nice to see that I am not the only person who washes their hands after touching pets. My Grandma always made me do this (she wasn't a particularly germ wary person) and it stuck. Most people I know think I am mad.

I am not a particularly clean person. In fact I would call myself a bit of a scruff but I wash my hands after all those things in the OP plus the pets thing. I am just really aware if I do something potentially dirty (pets, bins, meat, toilet) and don't wash them. I don't always wash them before I eat but do before I prepare food.

I also wash my hands after putting things in the kitchen bin as it's tiny and my hands often touch the actual bin. After touching eggs shells. After putting detergent in the washing machine.

There are lots of reasons why you wouldn't wash your hands in a public loo.

Firstly no hot water. No point doing with cold especially if there's no soap either. In that case a hand sanitiser is better.

No decent hand dryer. No point blowing germs all over the place or indeed drying your hands on the side of your trousers as you walk out of the loos.

People spending hours at the sink putting make-up on so you can't get near to wash your hands anyway.

Out of all the people who are saying yuck disgusting selfish and all of that, I wonder how many of you actually wash your hands properly and for the full length of time (Happy Birthday sung through twice). Not a chance. Everyone I've watched gives their hands a perfunctory rinse under the tap and walks out. Pointless. If you are going to do it at all, then do it properly. But often you can't, because of the reasons given above. Lack of soap/hot water are the main ones for me.

Itstime the temperature of the water doesn't make a difference apart from making it a more pleasant experience. And yes, there's research to support that.

Measles isn't a live vaccine, you can't catch it from a baby's nappy. Polio used to be a live vaccine - about 15 years ago - it's now given in a deactivated form. There was a vaccine used in the US (Rotavirus, I think?) which is sometimes given in a live form but most often these days deactivated and it's not a standard vaccination in Europe anyway.

I was always told to sing the happy birthday son twice whilst lathering your hands in siap, THEN wash them under the tap.

Bertie the MMR vaccine we give in the UK is a live vaccine.

As is the rotavirus vaccine. I'm a practice nurse who regularly immunises babies and children.

But itstime is right that actually what most people describe as ‘washing their hands’ is totally ineffective. Not much difference between not washing your hands and vaguely making your hands wet under the tap, which is what I see people doing most of time.
But yay it can look like they are washing their hands unlike the grubby people that dint

Is it? Oh right, I stand corrected then Sorry!

I didn't know we did rotavirus in the UK, I don't think DS had it, is it a new one?

I've been having another think about this, and come to the conclusion I'll get eastern style loos with the shower bottom wash thingies when I get my bathrooms refitted. Even the most fastidious of you are not actually that clean if what I'm thinking now. So, shitting concluded we wipe our bottoms with toilet roll. By this stage hands need washing as contaminated. Unless you waddle over to the sink and wash your hands before pulling up pants, fastening jeans etc. you are covered in shit germs. If you are in a public toilet you have no choice, and your handbag and jacket have got covered too. With the sprinkler bottom washes provided the device is clean there is no contamination. I suppose one of those Japanese bottom washing toilets would be even better.

I was hands after going to toilet, when I have a cold or handling meat etc but in not every time I eat. Excessively cleanliness is causing children to grow up with weakened immune systems and develop allergies.

The obsessive use of antibacterial agents around the house, such as in hand soap, cleaning products and most recently (God forbid) laundry detergents, is causing the rise of dangerous antibiotic-resistant super bacteria.

So this is why smart people are not overly obsessed with hygiene. Where harmful pathogens could be present such as on a chicken wrapper or in the toilet you need to wash your hands but for the most part, we should live in harmony with the bacteria around us and not seek to sanitise our environments or bodies excessively.

Hip-hop frog - Yes!

So if "smart" people aren't that fussed about hand hygiene then are you saying thick people are the ones doing all the hand washing?

I hate the fingertip wetters in public toilets, they just wet their nails and then dry their hands, what's the point of that? Washing hands isn't just about your hygiene, its also about not spreading germs around that could impact someone with a less robust immune system.

Not washing hands after having a poo 🤢🤮🤮🤮

Just curious, do those who are super phobic/afraid of poo germs entertain the idea of anal sex/anal play? Not looking for stories or details! Just can’t imagine someone who is so preoccupied with ‘poo germs’ even being able to cope with the idea.

Well well well. It's so true. having lived abroad i've come home and noticed so many things. How few brits wash their hands before dinner. My mum washing the dishes I can't wash.... no rinsing, shock horror.