AIBU for wanting handsoap in the kitchen ?

[blueyavocado]

We live with our in laws at the moment and there has never been hand soap in the kitchen. I got some at the weekend as the closest place to wash hands with soap is the bathroom.

Anyway, MIL keeps putting it away from next to the sink. I'm not going to put it out again next to the kitchen sink as it's her house. But I feel like having handsoap when preparing food is important

have you asked to keep soap by the sink? Maybe she is just on auto pilot tidying up

Honestly the weirdest thing about this to me is that people can't bear to leave it out and are putting it away in a cupboard.

no good using soap if you are going to dry your hands on a teatowel

What do you mean? We have a hand towel in the kitchen, but if it's in the wash a tea towel is fine. What's wrong with clean hands on a tea towel?

But then how do you get to it, when you've got raw meat on your hands, for example????

What happens when you have dirty hands???

I think this is probably not about the soap, more about control, I used to work in a shop as a manager,every time I changed the layout of literally anything the other manager/ bitch 😂 would put it back regardless of the efficacy. It is normal to have it next to the sink, she's just pissing on her patch. Just laugh and grit your teeth, or if you really want to play games( like I would ), keep putting in back citing health reasons.

Why is she being funny about it? Suggests she's maybe not that comfortable with the whole arrangement, surely? Otherwise, why would she mind?

It’s not only cooking you need to wash your hands for either - after loading and before emptying dishwasher, after feeding pets, emptying bin etc? I wash mine before making a coffee, eating fruit, making sandwiches, cereal for breakfast, putting bread in toaster. In fact before handling any food. DH and DC trained too.

Do people really only take their soap out of a cupboard when cooking a meal?

I do have hand soap, but most of the time I use washing up liquid as I find the soap too highly fragranced and it taints the food. Washing up liquid is still basically soap, so it does the same job.

I have both hand soap and washing up liquid (usually Fairy) beside the kitchen sink.

Does your MIL prefer to just use washing up liquid? There's nothing wrong with that, it cuts through grease and sticky stuff well and leaves hands clean. I just wouldn't use it too often as it sometimes exacerbates dry skin.

Not the point of the thread (and I do have handsoap by the kitchen sink, along with a hand towel), but I never handle raw chicken! I get it out of the packet with a fork, and use the fork to hold it whilst I slice it. No need to touch it at all.

What's wrong with using washing up liquid?

This sort of post usually starts the other Great Hygiene War: whether or not you feed your pets in the kitchen and wash their eating dishes along with your own. (And I might be a handsoap freak, but I draw the line at having animals in the kitchen.

What I’m learning from this thread is that I appear to use the kitchen much less than many other posters. I use the kitchen handsoap infrequently, because that’s how often I use the kitchen to prepare food. And I’m guessing before OP moved in, MIL probably did likewise, if she’s no small children or pets to be constantly feeding and cleaning up afterwards.

Bar soap was normal back in the day.

And I still use bar soap to wash my face

So an extra thing to clean? Rather than just use a bottle you don't need to clean?

I keep mine by the sink. Why would you keep it in a cupboard. I wash hands a lot preparing food, after feeding the cats, taking out the rubbish etc. I'd be forever opening the cupboard to get it out.

I bet some of the people who can't bear clutter keep the washing up liquid under the sink too.

And spare us the ageism, I can remember we always had hand soap and a towel in the kitchen and I'm pushing 70.

It has honestly never occurred to me to have soap in the kitchen! I use washing up liquid whenever I need to wash my hands in the kitchen. We’re vegetarian so never handling raw meat so I suppose that cuts down a lot of the handwashing that people appear to be doing during cooking

I have soap by all sinks. Standard.

I've been reading through with the exact same thought in my mind!
I have never ever ever handled raw meat. Use a fork/knife at all times. Not that I prepare it much as I'm vegetarian. But if I am... it doesn't get handled! I don't see why you would need to on a regular basis?

So why wouldn't I keep the soap in the cupboard? I just take it out ahead of needing it. Oh and yes, I'll happily use washing up liquid if it's run out. Not sure what the issue is with that!

For those who are washing raw meat hands, you wouldn't wash them like that in a professional setting. You have a separate hand washing sink. If you don't have that at home (which I'm guessing is 99% of people!) then I'd not be washing raw meat hands in the kitchen sink.

I slice raw meat on a designated raw meat board that gets washed or dishwashered. Can’t do all cutting in mid air!

As long as it's not strongly scented it's fine but I find soap that's supposedly better for your skin is harder to wash off so tend to use unscented washing up liquid

I wash my hands before I start food prep and again if there's meat chopping/handling or before preparing part of the meal that isn't getting cooked and generally prep all veg first and meat last.

My normal washing soap is dr Bronner castile unscented/baby soap bar

You just use washing up liquid to wash your hands surely.

I use washing up liquid to wash my hands. Perhaps your in laws do the same ?

Though the amount some people are washing their hands while cooking blows my mind! We are vegan though so that cuts down on the before/after meat part.