To worry about the germs that might come with a library book?

[ASnowballsChance]

I think I suffer from health anxiety and now it's spreading to worrying about things that have never crossed my mind until now.....

We are big readers and to keep up with the amount DC read we regularly borrow from the library but now I'm freaking out about all the germs and creepy crawlies (bed bugs mainly) that we might be bringing into our home.

AIBU to never want to borrow a library book again?!

Hahn, yes you could choose to freak out but:

1. The horse has probs already bolted.

1. What does this mean for the future in terms of things like public transport, escalators, shopping trolleys and guided reading books that your child brings home from school.

I appreciate they’re probs crawling with germs but hopefully not the really terrible ones.

Don't get me started on the state of the school books....

At least you can't get bed bugs from a shopping trolley!

Really?!

I don’t have health anxiety but personally I never take out library books for this very reason! I know you will get replies saying it’s fine and you’re being silly. I know it’s silly but I do understand how you feel. I’m also one of those who won’t eat cakes made by people at work! It’s not like I have super high standards of cleanliness but some things just put me off.

I know Vulpine, it's ridiculous.

I'm with you op. Wait until the germ riddled class bear comes to stay...first thing ours did was have a great time in the washing machine!

Isn't exposure to germs good for building up a robust immune system?

I won't eat cakes made by anyone outside the family and definitely nothing made by children!

When I was at college I used to wipe down the pages of study books with disinfectant even though my friends laughed at me, and you should have seen the muck that came off! (This was pre-internet days).

We had the class monkey puppet but luckily we were the first to have it from brand new!

You are wise and sensible to recognise your health anxiety might be becoming problematic, OP. TBH this is the point that you need to seek help - it's time for a gp appointment

You need to see an doctor and get help with your health anxiety if it’s affecting your life this much. It will affect your DC, if it hasn’t already.

Historically we lived in much more unhygienic conditions. OK, we died younger then, but even so we evolved to fend off most of the nasties we come across. Wash your hands before using them to transfer anything into your mouth, and leave your skin to do its job of keeping our the rest.

Your anxiety has the potential to make life far more difficult for you than the unlikely chance of picking up something from library books or elsewhere. If you want a long and healthy life, tackle the anxiety rather than the germs.

Blimey. Get over it and build up your families immune system already

YANBU. You are all going to die.

While theoretically possible to get bed bugs from a library book, apparently those most a risk of passing them on would be pretty obviously grotty and taken out of circulation www.bustle.com/p/can-you-get-bed-bugs-from-a-library-book-technically-yes-but-entomologists-say-its-more-complicated-than-that-8236894. With viruses it is unlikely they would survive long enough to infect you - e.g. influenza on paper lives less than 12 hours (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6282993). Don't let your health anxiety spoil your library borrowing. Could you look into cbt or something?

google says to microwave a book to get rid. Unfortunately some library security tags contain metal, so microwaving is NOT an option for library books.

...freezing would work though, but they need to be frozen for several days

@Asta19 are you my mother?! She does exactly the same

I honestly can't imagine it'd be a big issue. Books are generally dry, and most germs like wet conditions.

I've touched some very grotty books in my time, including ones with bloodstains and ones that we know were made and read during major epidemics. Most of these books are made of skin (parchment), so arguably more likely to harbour nasties than modern paper. And I've never heard of anyone catching anything from a library book.

I get why you are anxious, but as others say, I think it will be ok.

You will do your children far more harm by shielding them from everything that might possibly be a bit germy.

Their immune systems won’t build up to the same extent, and they’ll become sickly adults.

OP this is health anxiety gone too far. Any negative attitudes like this will be picked up and magnified by your children. Please talk to your GP about getting some help.

OneForTheRoadThen I don’t think so but sounds like she and I would get on!
OP if you think it’s getting worse then yes seek help. I’m only like this over certain things and it’s not causing issues in my life so I’m happy to live with my quirks.

What exactly is your worry? Bacteria is everywhere, including all over you and your house. The vast majority it won’t harm you, and some of it is doing you good.
Is your worry an abstract thought of germs or something that is specifically going to make you and your family ill?

If it makes you feel any better, my kids have had over 500 books from the library in the last couple of years and the only incident of illness we have had was my husband falling over and bruising his elbow! Honestly, I appreciate that anxiety has no respect for logic, but if this was a problem, there would be measures taken to reduce the spread of infection. The truth is, it's a minuscule risk (way less risky than walking/driving/getting public transport to the library) so I think you're right that you need to consider addressing your anxiety more robustly if you can.