Aibu to ask how much you wash your hands everyday

[notevensure12]

Not even sure if this is the right place for this but here goes - I've had ocd mainly fixated on contamination for the last decade. Had countless treatments and I've completely lost sight of what other people would actually consider to even be "normal" at this point.

I'm washing my hands around 4-5 times an hour, with piping hot water until it feels like they're clean enough. I can't touch dirty laundry, bins, rubbish, clean up, without having a load of handwashing rituals that follow it.

So - what's normal?

I have OCD so know exactly how you feel about losing sight of 'normal'.

I do not have hand washing OCD.

I wash my hands

• after the loo
• after things like emptying bins / cleaning bathroom / cleaning kitchen plug efc
• when I come in from being out.

That's it I think.

Oh and when preparing food obviously.

Mine are like this at the moment 😢 I only wash my hands when necessary though. I’m trying to moisturise a lot because it’s awful.

It’s horrible, in my job I have to wash a lot and I think the soap at work is harsh as doesn’t seem to be as bad if I’d had time off, and I don’t like using hand cream to work I use the Eucerin hand cram before bed and it’s good and also some sudocrem halos with the cracks. Good luck, try the eucerin it’s on three for two at boots

After the loo, before and after sex, before and after food. Otherwise I don't as my skin is really dry and cracked and painful.

I haven't counted but lots! We have a dog, and chickens, so every time I stroke the dog or clean up after him or do anything related to the chickens, before I cook or eat, loo obviously, and whenever I come home from anywhere, especially public transport or shopping. Also before I touch my contact lenses. I'm not obsessive about it but it is important and I use sanitiser if I can't wash them (when I pick up on dog wall, eg).

Interesting thread op and I hope you are getting help for your OCD.

I am in bed and a bit wired so I'll go through what tomorrow will look like:

1. Get up, use bathroom, wash hands with soap and water.

1. Shower and dress.

1. Put on kettle, feed cats, scoop litter trays - go out to bin. Wash hands with soap and water.

4.. Make tea, unload dishwasher, make coffee for the car and flask.

1. Do hair and make-up, wash hands with soap and water.

1. Go to work, pour coffee (I take in a mug from home because it's more hygienic)

1. Go to loo at about 9.45. Wash hands with soap and water.

1. Go to loo before lunch time. Wash hands with soap and water.

1. Loo and hand-wash just before I leave usually between 6.30 and 7.30.

10. Get home, wash hands, wee, wash hands again.

11. Cook dinner, serve dinner, eat, tidy up, wash hands.

12. Get ready for bed, brush teeth wash hands.

I think that's pretty normal. Obviously I'd wash hands after putting out rubbish, feeding the cats, pulling a few weeds and before preparing food.

You say treatment but have you had ERP? that is really the only treatment that will work for OCD. That and you have to want to get better because it’s super hard.

I would say I wash mine around 20 times a day. That's toilet trips, nappy changes for toddler, cleaning up after the dog and if I've touched a bin or something like that. I do find my hands get chapped from washing but I think that's because I'm still getting through the ridiculously expensive soaps I got for Christmas which I think the perfume oil is drying them out.

I agree with a PP, my hands will 'feel' unclean until I've washed them even if they aren't visibly dirty but that only started after I had a baby and needing my hands to be spotless all the time.

Hmm, around 8 time a day I reckon.