To be annoyed with my friend, the sanitiser obsessive

[lemonsonatree]

She's obsessed with it, and obsessed with reminding anyone within a 5 mile radius to use it.

She was bad before covid, now just ridiculous.

The assumption that we're all gross and germ-ridden all the time is getting rather thin.

• [Title edited by MNHQ]

I would wash my hands before handling food.

However, if I’d washed hands relatively recently and hadn’t touched much since then, probably wouldn’t be too worried about it.

sidenote:
decades ago I knew someone who was so obsessed with washing meat with water before cooking it she would rinse minced meat in a sieve.
there was no stopping her.

In the current circs, If I had folk in my home to eat, I'd say "help yourselves to handwipes" and leave packs around.

Why handwipes? Are you camping?

@ElderMillennial

It actually is unreasonable.

Unclench FFS.

Not meant for OP! OPs sanitizer friend and Nice Ham types should chill.

I think there are lots of worse things than being super keen on hygiene during a pandemic. I also think lots of people aren't as hygienic as they think they are. I mean, we're a nation that until recently sneezed and coughed into its hands...

Also, I really dislike the trivialisation of the word 'nazi'.

But what about the person who is preparing or giving out food? Wouldn't you want them to have washed their hands.
I wouldn't give it a thought. They've probably washed their hands when they last went to the loo. That's good enough for me.

The ham thing is just weird. What do you think she had on her hands that was so repellent to you? People are so hung up on this.

OP is unreasonable. Just look at the thread about the DH that didn't wash his hands after gardening, and the amount of people that said they don't wash their hands.

Yanbu

I have colleagues like this.

Drives me round the bend there's a sink in the room next door use that instead ffs

It's very clear people have different levels of hygiene.

Or different standards, maybe.

The ham thing, well she was touching all the ham to break bits off and I think it's very ignorant to do that when the food isn't just for you! But clearly it doesn't bother some people.

I think we have digressed slightly from OP's initial post though as I still haven't asked people to wash or sanitize, but interested in the circumstances.

I have a friend who would just say "can you wash / sanitize your hands first please" and "please do not double dip" even before the pandemic.

Double dipping is gross and always has been. The pandemic has nothing to do with it.

@ElderMillennial

I have never, ever been at a BBQ where anyone refused their burger until they'd been to wash their hands. Or in a restaurant, at a buffet or picnic where people go to wash their hands before eating.

But what about the person who is preparing or giving out food? Wouldn't you want them to have washed their hands.

Eg someone at a bbq we had took over the BBQing (DH let them) and then was putting burgers in buns and brought one over to me in his hands.

I didn't say anything. I just took it. But really I didn't want someone touching my food without washing their hands.

I'm a bit of a clean freak but then I think that's basic hygiene before touching someone else's food and during a pandemic.

But again I haven't told friends to wash hands or use sanitizer. I'm just thinking I'd situations where someone might eg if DD wanted to prep the salad or make sandwiches for a party I'd ask her to wash hands first.

I don't know anyone that would do that. Every bbq I've ever been to, they take the food off the bbq with tongs and put it on a plate. The plate is then handed to someone, or, all the burgers are taken off, put on a plate and put on the table for everyone to help themselves. We use cutlery and crockery, either proper or paper/plastic. We aren't savages.

@SmidgenofaPigeon I completely agree but probably wouldn't be as bold as her in saying it.

@3Britnee He didn't use tongs though so that's my point.

Tbf double dipping was always yuck.

Squirt it in her eyes and tell her they looked dirty.

On a serious note it has been found prolonged usage is actually very bad for us. Whilst protecting us from Covid it’s also protecting us from other germs and bacteria that were used to and our immune systems are starting to suffer. We need germs.

[quote ElderMillennial]@SmidgenofaPigeon I completely agree but probably wouldn't be as bold as her in saying it.

@3Britnee He didn't use tongs though so that's my point.[/quote]
Yeah that's nasty. Why would you do that. I wouldnt want to eat that. They could have raw meat juices on their hands.

@ElderMillenial, I wasn't calling you a savage, I was calling the person that touched up your burger with their bare hands after handling raw meat a savage.

@3Britnee Yeah I may have misunderstood your initial comment. I think we are in agreement!

@ElderMillennial

I have never, ever been at a BBQ where anyone refused their burger until they'd been to wash their hands. Or in a restaurant, at a buffet or picnic where people go to wash their hands before eating.

But what about the person who is preparing or giving out food? Wouldn't you want them to have washed their hands.

Eg someone at a bbq we had took over the BBQing (DH let them) and then was putting burgers in buns and brought one over to me in his hands.

I didn't say anything. I just took it. But really I didn't want someone touching my food without washing their hands.

I'm a bit of a clean freak but then I think that's basic hygiene before touching someone else's food and during a pandemic.

But again I haven't told friends to wash hands or use sanitizer. I'm just thinking I'd situations where someone might eg if DD wanted to prep the salad or make sandwiches for a party I'd ask her to wash hands first.

How do you know the person hadn’t washed their hands? It wouldn’t occur to me to monitor my friends’ hand-washing and would trust that they practice good hygiene habits.

But why do they need to handle the food with their hands, anyway? That's disgusting if you are giving it to someone else.

Does she have a mental health condition linked to focus on germs or repetitive behaviour? Or is she doing it to belittle or something.

If I knew she genuinely struggled with wanting to know people/things are sanitary I’d probably let it slide. Otherwise I’d just tell her that her reminders are annoying.

Hmm depends. Most of my friends I don’t even think about it. However I have one friend who doesn’t wash her hands after doing a poo and another who doesn’t wash them after her dogs have slobbered all over them. If they offer to make a drink or food I play the “hahahahaha I’m so anxious and uptight please could you wash your hands due to my insecurities” card. Honestly it’s disgusting, adults should know how to wash their hands. Not saying you don’t OP but there could be a reason for it.