To think hygiene standards are low in Britain?

[castemary]

This obviously does not apply to everyone. But in Britain, I think there is a general acceptance of fairly low hygiene standards. I see it in several areas.
With individuals you have people telling everyone they do not wash bras for months, do not clean their teeth every day, do not wash face masks every day.
In public areas, offices and shops the cleaning often consist of no more than a quick hoover occasionally, a mop and a bit of damp wiping. Apart from toilets, places are rarely properly cleaned.
I think most people simply do not realise how unhygienic Britain is until they go to countries that do have a good standard of hygiene. There seems to be a lot of emphasis in Britain on superficial things that make places look good such as scatter cushions or make-up, and not on basic hygiene and cleanliness.
AIBU?

With individuals you have people telling everyone they do not wash bras for months, do not clean their teeth every day, do not wash face masks every day.

Never heard this from anyone, ever.

I have lost count of the number of people leaving a toilet without washing their hands.....then they go to the fruit and veg section in a supermarket and fondle the fruit and veg!

@Bunpea

I agree OP. Germany, Switzerland, the US - all have (in general - of course there will be exceptions) much better hygiene standards than the UK.

Hygiene here used to be better, particularly in government/ public sector / local authority maintained places, and public transport - the floors of the trains I catch to work every day are filthy with layers of crud. I don’t like to think of what’s on the seats, handrails etc.

The other place in the UK where hygiene is not good is NHS hospitals - or at least the half dozen or so I have been in or visited over the last decade. Talk about ‘rounded corners...’.

If you ever see the hospital cleaners "mopping" the floor, you realise why they aren't clean. They show no interest, just lazily and randomly push the mop around and barely ever put it in the bucket to squeeze it out and replenish the water/cleaning fluid. All they do is push the much around.

Yes I do think basic hygiene is a bit lacking around hand washing and cleaning in public areas/schools/offices. I particularly think the NHS and schools are a concern.

I had two NHS appointments last week and at neither were there any covid checks, lavatories were filthy and a nurse moved directly from removing another patient's cannula before removing mine. And did the NHS eyeroll when I asked her to wash her hands.

I also recall the midwives and hv comme ting loudly 26 years ago that my house was so clean and so organised. Well no, it represented how, in my opinion normal people live. Particularly when like me they have Germanic antecedents.

There is also the licking of fingers to separate plastic bags or open a plastic bag that gets handed to you.

So it’s rude to keep your shoes on, it’s rude to go barefoot even on the hottest day, is there anything that isn’t rude? I’m not going to risk fracturing my hip by falling after skidding on a hard floor in socks nor am I wearing someone else’s slippers which may or may not be clean. Thank goodness I know absolutely nobody so precious

It’s not hard to understand; just take your own slippers when visiting if you don’t trust the host to wash the guest slippers properly 😂 Or put a pair of slipper-socks or grippy pop socks in your bag if you’re going to someone’s home and might be required to take your outdoor shoes off. The chances of you slipping on their carpets are fairly slim though. Even polished wood floors normally have rugs, so unless you’re running around their house I don’t see why socks are such a hazard?

Nothing wrong with bare feet in sandals but it’s basic hygiene to take outdoor footwear off in another’s home. And as someone upthread pointed out bare feet aren’t ideal either in case you have a fungal infection or verruca or other contagious condition, or plasters that fall off your toes on their sofa.

I’ve been wearing socks indoors all my life and have never skidded on a floor due to them.

I honestly don’t see the issue.

I live in Spain and people here are sooooo into cleaning their houses. They actually talk about cleaning on a day to day basis as a conversation topic, which is kind of weird. They are definitely much stricter with hard hygiene with their kids too. However, they will let their dogs shit in the street and littering is a problems, so swings and roundabouts.

This is absolute bollocks! I've travelled to many many countries and imo Britain is one of the cleanest

I have travelled a lot and only Singapore struck me as cleaner than the UK. Which countries do you have in mind that are cleaner than the UK?

@Bogeyes

I have lost count of the number of people leaving a toilet without washing their hands.....then they go to the fruit and veg section in a supermarket and fondle the fruit and veg!

That’s true, but what makes you think the same percentage of people in other countries don’t do the same? 🤷‍♀️

Non British hospitals....

@castemary

This obviously does not apply to everyone. But in Britain, I think there is a general acceptance of fairly low hygiene standards. I see it in several areas. With individuals you have people telling everyone they do not wash bras for months, do not clean their teeth every day, do not wash face masks every day. In public areas, offices and shops the cleaning often consist of no more than a quick hoover occasionally, a mop and a bit of damp wiping. Apart from toilets, places are rarely properly cleaned. I think most people simply do not realise how unhygienic Britain is until they go to countries that do have a good standard of hygiene. There seems to be a lot of emphasis in Britain on superficial things that make places look good such as scatter cushions or make-up, and not on basic hygiene and cleanliness. AIBU?

Have you ever been to France?

@NursePye I have disdain for the poor hygiene. I think poor hygiene is also the cause of the generally unhealthy looking teeth that is so common here.

I wonder at the assumption that British people are healthier than many others. In what way are they healthier than Americans for instance?

@Doghead keep telling yourself that.

@Coolandclamy

I agree OP. My OCD around “germs” is an issue in Britain but when I go home I do not have the same problem. My problem developed after I came to this country and observed the general poor hygienic standards and some fairly disgusting behaviour on public transport- yawning, sneezing, coughing without covering mouths, picking noses and then holding on to the rails. Spit all over the pavements and walkways. Shoes on bus seats, bags placed on floors where people walk with shoes contaminated with spit, animal faeces, etc. I could go on.

Many people only take one shower a day even during the hot summers. Some admit to going days without having a shower.

I'd love to know what country you come from that is so immaculately clean cloud cuckoo land?

It's also so very surprising that anyone would want to move here from abroad when we are all so disgustingly filthy

I've always washed my hands when I get home after being out, just a habit, warm water and gentle soap.

I live in a minimalistic apartment and focus on the kitchen and bathroom being clean. The fridge is cleaned regularly, no old food left in it, it's spotless.

But, I do have a confession....

..

..

my bathroom has carpet!

Underneath the carpet there are bright white large ceramic tiles.

However, I developed a fairly severe foot injury where standing on hard surfaces can be excruciatingly painful. I just didn't want to suffer any more which is what it was when I was in the bathroom. After I shower I get out onto a towel that's been folded several times, use that to dry my feet. I hoover it regularly (it's quite small) and make sure it's clean.

I also take my shoes off literally at the door and have a shoe tray. This is just a long tray where all of the shoes live so they don't go on the carpet!

I don't think the bathroom is unhygienic as only just washed and dried feet go on it, and for a few minutes only. If it is, well. I just couldn't take the pain any more and I'm sure there are worse hygiene practices.

I make sure my towels are dried straight away and fast (think that makes quite a large difference - wet towels hanging around harbour bacteria).

People who come around often comment on how clean my apartment is so I don't feel too bad about it. I got white/cream carpets though and that's one thing I'm undecided about whether I regret or not. I regret it slightly because I feel they won't last as long but I don't regret it in the sense I think they will be cleaner as you can see any problems as opposed to textured/darker colours.

@Bunpea

I agree OP. Germany, Switzerland, the US - all have (in general - of course there will be exceptions) much better hygiene standards than the UK.

Hygiene here used to be better, particularly in government/ public sector / local authority maintained places, and public transport - the floors of the trains I catch to work every day are filthy with layers of crud. I don’t like to think of what’s on the seats, handrails etc.

The other place in the UK where hygiene is not good is NHS hospitals - or at least the half dozen or so I have been in or visited over the last decade. Talk about ‘rounded corners...’.

The US doesn’t. I have travelled around many States of America and there are clean and dirty places/practices all over!

I also think we shouldn't lose sight of WHY it's important to be clean - it's to prevent disease ultimately and if it's doing that then it's working. I was shocked and saddened to read the stats on how many children die from diarrhoea-related illnesses worldwide and a lot of that is due to lack of access to the things they need.

ourworldindata.org/childhood-diarrheal-diseases

I think we've suffered so much with covid partly because we are so clean. We are supposed to be around dirt etc to build our immune systems. Especially children. Looking back over generations when people would be out scrubbing their front steps then yes we are less hygienic now, mainly due to laziness

That’s an interesting theory, considering covid is a virus spread by microscopic droplets. The only way to avoid it is by practicing impeccable hygiene and avoiding close contact. And of course building up immunity via a specific vaccine or contracting the disease itself, so your immune system can (hopefully) fight it off.

Do you truly think the pandemic was a result of people being too clean (and not having immunity to a very specific molecule which mutated and evolved to bypass even the strongest immune system?) That being exposed to more dirt would have allowed our bodies to replicate that specific spike protein so we didn’t get ill with it?

I don’t agree all dirt is good. Sure kids need exposure to some dirt and minor illnesses like colds, but they don’t need exposure to say salmonella or tetanus or toxoplasmosis or a number of other serious pathogens, viruses and bacteria.

People die from infections caused by bacteria and virus exposure all the time. Take cellulitis for example, a common skin infection capable of causing fatal sepsis. Or Lyme disease, spread by a tick bite that may go unnoticed until the damage is done.

Not scrubbing the front door step is hardly going to cause illness (unless you plan to eat off it or lick it). Maybe people stopped scrubbing doorsteps when more women joined the workforce instead of being housewives?

We need to build up immunity yes and nobody’s saying we should live in a sterile environment. But basic hygiene like washing hands when you come home/after the loo/before food prep, and not sneezing or spluttering near other people or sharing cups/toothbrushes is sensible. As is keeping kitchens and bathrooms clean, not letting rooms get damp and mouldy and staying away from others when ill.

[quote Coolandclamy]@NursePye I have disdain for the poor hygiene. I think poor hygiene is also the cause of the generally unhealthy looking teeth that is so common here.

I wonder at the assumption that British people are healthier than many others. In what way are they healthier than Americans for instance?[/quote]
For one thing, the lifespan of Brits compared to Americans in the US is longer!

@Coolandclammy - you're disdain for British people was perfectly clear when you said that you would never accept food or drink from them and told me to go and take a bath because I dared to wonder why you would live in a country that exacerbated a serious mental health condition.

I have not suggested that the British are healthier than other nations but you have shown yourself to have a considerable prejudice against the people of the country in which you reside.

Now it's their teeth that offend you!

I mean really, how on earth do you cope?

@HectorHalloumi I do not have to explain to you or anyone why I am here or choose to be here despite British people having very low hygiene standards. Where I come from is also irrelevant. The point is hygiene standards here are objectively low. Not washing hands after using the toilet, spitting all over the place, and the long list of very common behaviour listed in this thread happens in the UK and is seemingly practiced by the majority and defended as okay by the majority. Why I am here and where I am from does not change that fact - poor hygiene in Britain and possibly the UK on the whole.

Lifespan does not equate to how healthy a person is.

@Coolandclamy okay sweetie, calm down. Maybe go and do a bit of scrubbing, cheer yourself up.

@Coolandclamy

Lifespan does not equate to how healthy a person is.

🤔