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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Poor hygiene makes me cringe - AIBU?

217 replies

Defenbaker · 07/09/2019 16:31

I've noticed that quite a lot of people seem to be clueless about basic hygiene, and I inwardly cringe when I see poeple doing certain things. For instance:

A woman served cake to people at a party. She served one slice then licked her fingers before offering slices to others (who all declined - think I wasn't the only one put off by that).
A cleaner at work picked up something dirty from the floor and threw it in bin, then emptied clean items from dishwasher without washing hands first. (She had disposable gloves on throughout, so perhaps as no dirt touched her actual hands she didn't think twice about it.)
A woman played ball with children in garden, then went into kitchen and began making sandwiches for people, without washing her hands first.
A woman in swimming pool changing room used a towel to dry her body off, then threw it onto the floor and dried her feet, before finally drying her hair with it. (I wondered how many people with athletes foot might have walked barefoot on that floor before she did that).

More generally, I hate it when people in cafes handle cash then serve/touch food without washing their hands first (it's widely known that there are lots of germs on money).

Maybe I'm more careful than some people, as I am emetophobic, which makes me very careful about food hygiene. Also I realise that there are germs everywhere, and children develop their imune systems by coming into contact with germs, so a totally sterile world wouldn't be ideal for humans, but AIBU to cringe at this sort of stuff?

Please share your pet hates here, re people's poor hygiene.

OP posts:
SoyDora · 07/09/2019 16:35

To be honest, I wouldn’t even have noticed most of these things. I must be very lax with hygiene. I do always wash my hands before handling/serving food.

lazylinguist · 07/09/2019 16:36

Tbh I'm not that fussed about that kind of thing (and am very rarely ill and never get stomac-type illnesses) and I think lots of people are unnecessary germ-phobic.

plunkplunkfizz · 07/09/2019 16:37

Also wouldn’t get worked up about almost all of these. If someone wants to dry their own hair with a manky towel that’s been on the floor why do you even care?

DappledThings · 07/09/2019 16:38

I wouldn't have noticed most if any of those I don't think. Especially the towel one. She's only drying her self with it. The others I can see could affect other people but I probably still wouldn't notice.

abcdeg · 07/09/2019 16:38

You're right, this isn't really hygienic. But honestly? I wouldn't care for any of these except the sandwich one, and even that's not that bad unless she was playing in dirt.

We all do things that someone else finds gross.

billy1966 · 07/09/2019 16:41

Those are all gross examples.

ilovemytumbledryer · 07/09/2019 16:45

I’m never, ever ill and I don’t care about the stuff you mention. It’s the people who are over the top about hygiene that are ill all the time

BritWifeinUSA · 07/09/2019 16:45

I’m with you OP. All of those would make me cringe if I saw them. Towels are a big thing with me. I have to use a separate towel for my face after a shower than for the rest of my body. It makes me cringe when DH dries himself all over and then wipes off his face with the same towel.

Nannewnannew · 07/09/2019 16:47

I agree with some of your post Defenbaker, wouldn’t be too worried about the towel on the pool floor though.
One of my pet hates is when checkout operators sneeze or cough into their hands and then carry on pushing the food along the conveyor belt!
I witnessed this last week, the assistant sneezed into her cupped hands and then carried on working touching all the food. Luckily she was on the next checkout to mine. I’ve often wondered why they are not supplied with alcohol gel/ wipes.

Bobbindobbin · 07/09/2019 16:47

My DS is nearly 9. He plays outside, his hygiene isn’t the best (needs prompting to wash hands) He has NEVER been sick in his life. Not once.

MrsPellegrinoPetrichor · 07/09/2019 16:47

Washing hands before food is ideal but tbh I can't get worked up about anything else you've listed. What do you think will happen?

GlasshouseStoneThrower · 07/09/2019 16:48

Yanbu. In a cafe near my house I recently watched a woman make a ham and cheese sandwich. When the customer reminded her that they wanted ham and tomato not ham and cheese, she pulled the cheese slices out of the sandwich and put them back on the platter they came from. Would be very off putting to most vegetarians, and doesn't suggest that their cross-contamination controls are any good either.

Betsy86 · 07/09/2019 16:49

One thing that sticks in my mind was using a public toilet, walked into one cubicle there was diarrhoea everywhere up the seat walls and all over the toilet roll holder. Promptly walked back out heaving, used furthest away cubicle as was desperate.
Was washing my hands after and a lady came out the diarrhoea toilet.... carrying toilet roll from there in her mouth washed her hands then used the tissue to dry them.
Honestly turnt my stomach whatever possessed her to use that cubicle was bad enough but to put the loo roll in her mouth omg i just can’t i feel sick remembering it. Was about a year ago and it still makes me heave ffs.
Apart from that yes im with you op some people really are gross x

EdWinchester · 07/09/2019 16:50

I wouldn't care about any of those things, apart from maybe, the licking of fingers.

WonderTweek · 07/09/2019 16:51

I think I would notice those if my anxiety was higher, but when I'm more chilled I don't mind as much. I'm a bit anxious about getting ill though so I freak out when people give me food so I do tend to watch them make and serve the food. Hmm The towel thing wouldn't bother me because it's not my body. Grin

june2007 · 07/09/2019 16:52

AS teanager, I had friends who worked in a few cafes in my home town, the stories they told def put me off eating their. If dealing with food then yes we have to be careful.

Twinkletoenails · 07/09/2019 16:56

Totally agree OP. I work in a school kitchen and am quite obsessive (rightly so) about cross contamination and hygiene. Unfortunately others aren't always so scrupulous. Even the chef!!

tulippa · 07/09/2019 16:58

Completely agree with you. Swimming pools are especially minging and I always make sure my feet are the very last things that get dried. My pet hate is double dipping in hummus and the like. I'll puts spoons out for people to put dip on their plate but they'll still redip a bit of carrot they've just bitten into. Don't want to eat other people's spit thanks!

Pottedhead · 07/09/2019 16:59

I work in retail. I can’t bear it when people put notes in their mouths before handing them to me. I find it disgusting. Yuck.

redchocolatebutton · 07/09/2019 17:00

yanbu
and I'm always Shock at nurses/hcp washing their uniform at home below 60 degrees.
mrsa's dream...

81Byerley · 07/09/2019 17:01

I agree with everything you've said! I was on holiday with a friend (she was a cook in a day centre) We were the only women on the trip, so usually went to find loos together. She NEVER washed her hands the whole time! When she and her husband bought bread and cheese for everyone and were preparing it, I got a baguette from the bag and said I'd just have bread and jam, and no, I didn't want them to butter it for me....

sall74 · 07/09/2019 17:02

I've mentioned my mother on here previously, although her house looks very neat and tidy on the surface closer inspection of her domestic and personal hygiene habits make my skin crawl...

Using a used snotty hanky to wipe crumbs off kitchen work surfaces or dining table.

Picking up the dog poo outside then coming straight in, not washing hands and proceeding to put the washed up dishes and cutlery away.. why would anyone do those two particular tasks in that order????

Never washes hands after using the toilet.

Using the dishcloth for wiping up spills off the floor.

Using the same dish cloth or sponge scourer for years until they're beyond being a vile brown slimy mess despite them costing pennies to buy!

Generally abysmal food hygiene, using stuff well out of date and obviously off, not handling raw meat properly when using along side cooked food etc

Oh, and licking her plate clean after every meal!!

There's lots more but you get the picture

DoYouRememberTheInnMiranda · 07/09/2019 17:03

The cleaner for our 6th form centre used to empty the bins by picking the rubbish out with her (gloved) hands and would then use the same gloved hands to lean on the soft chairs when she was reaching for something. I hated sitting in there, so manky. But I never got ill in any way attributable to there, so perhaps I'm ridiculous.

I'm so untidy, my house is such a mess, I bet most of my friends have no idea I feel like this about hygiene, but not mess/clutter.

babbez · 07/09/2019 17:10

It would really bother me if I had to live with someone who has poor hygiene, particularly hand washing after going to the toilet. But one random person wouldn't bother me... if it's a one-off and I don't have to see them again it's like🤷🏻‍♀️

Bowerbird5 · 07/09/2019 17:11

Completely agree with you. YUK!

Another one licking a spoon then putting it back in EEUGH!