Should he have washed his hands?

[Spanglebangle]

DH was pottering in the garden, nothing heavy just pulling a few weeds and dead heading a few flowers. He came in and started to unload the dishwasher, I said "shouldn't you wash your hands?" He looked at me like I was crazy.

His hand weren't visibly dirty but surely they needed washing. Personally I was my hands every time I unload the dishwasher. If I'm going to touch all the things we eat off and eat with I want clean hands.

AIBU?

@Holidaystuff yes but I wouldn’t be concerned about germs from there ending up on the outside of my kettle anymore than I’m concerned about them being on my phone/purse/post.
My phone goes on my face, seems weird to worry about the germs from it ending up on a kettle which is going nowhere near my face.

From a health perspective a bit of dirt is good for you
www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/the-influence-of-soil-on-human-health-66885

I presume you've all survived OP?

Unnoticed plant and fungal toxins and be very dangerous particularly for people prone to allergies. Always wash your hands after gardening.

Everyone should be taught when growing up to wash their hands when washing up

Wait, what?

I can get fussed about it. My friend's toddler eats stones.

@SadieCow

We have indeed survived the night thanks for your concern.

Seriously though, my issue is not if it will kill us or not, it is the germs and fecal matter all over my cutlery and plates. I thought this was a normal thing to be disgusted by.

It only takes a minute to wash your hands, the sink and soap are right next to the dishwasher.

OP this is Mumsnet where people go out of their way to outming each other. They frown on washing clothes, towels and bedlinins. They share baths and don't like to wash their hands.

I suspect in reality it's a bit different though.

@gamerchick

OP this is Mumsnet where people go out of their way to outming each other. They frown on washing clothes, towels and bedlinins. They share baths and don't like to wash their hands.

I suspect in reality it's a bit different though.

I’ve always thought the opposite. The number of people who say they wash towels and bedding every single day and spray bleach around their entire house all the time never fails to surprise me.

I don’t routinely wash my hands before emptying the dishwasher but I would definitely wash my hands after coming in from working int eh garden, whether I was about to unload the dishwasher or not. I am definitely not a germophobe (the dogs lick plates before we load the dishwasher) but I am incredulous that people wouldn’t think to wash hands after pulling up weeds.

I think if you live on your own, it's reasonable not to wash your hands in those circumstances. If you give yourself something then that's on you. But if you live with other people then yes, wash your hands. You might be fine with unwashed hands but you need to acknowledge that you live with others and they really would prefer it.

I don't eat uncooked food prepared by mother any more because her hygiene is abysmal. She averages one bout of food poisoning every 6 weeks. Cooked food I'll eat if she hasn't touched it but things like sandwiches and salads? Forget it.

I’m now in the habit of washing my hands every time I enter the house, even if I was just in the garden. Plus before things like emptying the dishwasher. So yes, on both accounts, he should have washed his hands.

My DH used to be quite careless about hand washing if not actually outside the front door.
So wouldn't have thought a bit of weeding needed it.
Drove me mad as I hand wash before preparing food/handling clean dishes etc
Then he met a man who lost his arm from getting a scratch infected from gardening (think it was that thing from cat pee) he now uses gardening gloves and handwashes.

Urgggh yes he should have washed his hands. I would have said something too and then insisted he did wash them.

Of course he should have. Personally, my hands feel grubby after pulling weeds, even if they don't look dirty, and I'd be worried they'd put a bitter taste on any plate I'd touch, so it'd be second nature to me to wash my hands.

I have to tell my husband to wash his hands sometimes though, so I feel your pain!

Yes probably, but I wouldn't have.

I usually empty the dishwasher as soon as I get up, while the kettle's boiling. It's never occured to me to wash my hands, although I suppose there will be those who always do it before making a cuppa?

@Spanglebangle

To all those saying I am unreasonable, surely the garden is full of animal waste. Slugs, snails, birds, who knows what else.

Surely the idea of the poo transferring to your cutlery is vomit inducing?

Never get the posters who ask if they are being unreasonable, and then get defensive when people say they are?

Do you all scrub every strawberry you eat?

Of course he should have.

We all wash our hands upon entering the house from being out generally and definitely if we were gardening.

Basic hygiene.

I assume most people have birds coming into their gardens at some point and leaving poo on weeds and plants?

Last time my dog ate bird poo she was really ill (terrible diarrhoea) and it can have the same effect on humans so you wouldn't want it on your clean plates and cutlery; pretty much the same as not washing your hands after going to the loo.

Even if it doesn't make you ill, it's pretty disgusting to come in from the garden with dirty hands and start touching things that you're going to eat from or prepare food with.

Seem likes sometimes MN threads of this type end up being a race to the bottom (no pun intended) with everyone trying to outdo everyone else as to how unhygienic they are.

There was a thread some time ago about washing hands, or not, after changing a baby's nappy, and the consensus seemed to be that because you don't actually stick your hands in the pooey nappy then it's completely ott and rather silly to wash your hands afterwards.

I'm not especially careful and wouldn't wash my hands before emptying the dish washer normally but surely everyone washes their hands after gardening?

YANBU. As PP said some weeds can contain toxins. A few years ago, I was pulling weeds (with gloves on) and afterwords my arms, sholders and chest came out in a hot, blistering rash that lasted for weeks. I hate to think what would have happened if any of that got onto the plates or food.

Yes of course, always after gardening and certainly before unloading the dishwasher. I wouldn’t eat off those plates.

I'm anything but a germophobe but even I would have washed them, just because they would feel grubby/have little bits on.

Some absolute mingers on here.

And as for My parents were here all last week and getting the DC to wash their hands before every meal., words fail me. Get your children to wash their hands before every meal - it is basic hygiene even it is a hassle.

So depressing that even with Covid around people still don't get the importance of washing your hands.

I really do think the world is over sanitised. Advertising has a lot to answer for. It's so rare to get sick, we should be basing our hand washing and antibacing on risk. Not on a perception of 'being a minger'. But people's mindset is too far gone these days, and their immune systems with it.