to wash my hands every time I've been out?

[itsallsohard]

Since the pandemic, I have taken to washing my hands as soon as I come in the house from outside. Obviously perhaps if I've been on public buses, or gardening; but also if I've just been out in my own car, or to the grocery store. None of us in the family is especially prone to illness or to worrying, and before the pandemic (unless someone in the family was actually sick) we all just washed hands after using the toilet and before cooking or eating.

Is it really disgusting that I didn't do this before 2020? Or is it a bit OCD that I do it now? I genuinely can't decide. YABU = that's too much hand-washing. YANBU = sounds normal, we do too
(edited to try to get rid of some rogue strike-outs of whole lines...)

Yanbu. I did this pre-pandemic (I never touch door handles either).
I just didn't have time to get any illnesses so any way of reducing them a tiny bit was worth it.

I think it's the opposite, people love to present their quite unnecessary and ott hygiene obsession as a moral issue when it is just a preference

Gross.

I think Covid highlighted this but actually it’s always been a good idea. I’d not say it’s something we should go crazy about but we shouldn’t just stop completely either.

if we’ve been out and touching things from shop items to lift buttons to door handles or public transport that multiple other people have and we have no possibility of knowing if they are sick or if they have gone to the toilet without washing their hands etc then it only seems logical that we should wash our hands.

it wasn’t made a big deal of before but even before Covid there were adverts around flu season time showing how easy a cough or sneeze could spread to the things around it.
or there’s always been the anecdotal evidence about the bowl of nuts on a bar or the handles on the tube etc.

And what about passing the germs onto other people who don't live in your house ?

Yet I do none of it and hardly ever get sick, nor does anyone in my household? My 16 ds has never in his life had any kind of vomiting bug of any study, and I have never instructed him to wash his hands after being out. After using the toilet, yes of course, but otherwise, no.

I've always done this and taught my DC to do the same. As soon as we get inside, it's shoes off and wash hands.

It seems that plenty of people don't! Some people get offended about being expected to take their shoes off when they enter someone's house.

I pretty much always wash my hands after being out now.

@MadYoke and other posters you all clearly prioritise washing hands after using the bathroom which ofcourse is common sense but I don't get the not prioritising washing them after being out and about where other people (and plenty of them) dont bother wash their own hands after using the toilet and therefore spread them around the place and then get picked up by you and taken home.

As for hand dryers, don't get me started - who thought drying your hands with warm air taken directly from the public toilet and blown on to your moist hands was a good idea - stranger poo particle covered hands anyone 🤢

There's probably more bacteria and viruses on things like shopping trolley handles or handles on the tube/bus than there are on your toilet.

I do too. I also always use a tissue to open the doors when I leave a public loo or push with my forearms. (Although this was from pre pandemic when on a cruise ship with noro virus ) and I’ve always kept it up as noro virus was awful.

I don't know, I'm 60, have never bothered, and have never suffered any ill effects from not bothering, so there you go. Have amazingly good health, last took a sick day 3 years ago, and I would say that a day every 3 or so years is my norm. My son is the same. He's adopted, so it's not genetics. What can I say? I rarely give hygiene a second thought behind the bare minimum. I'm not starting now!

I do and I always have. After coming in, before cooking and before eating.

During covid I went along with the official advice, washed my hands all the time, found it a terrible chore, was glad to drop it.

No, and I have OCD.

I was brought up to do this too. My Nan always said it was good hygiene, because a lot of people are dirty beggars. She was right, the number of people who pick there noses, scratch their arses, and don't wash their hands after the loo is mind boggling. Then they touch things out in public, like hand rails on public transport, items on shelves in supermarkets, and door handles. Eugh!

I have hand gel in the car which I immediately use! Xx

Same here, I did this before the pandemic. X

It's completely normal to wash your hands when you get home? I feel grotty otherwise. I learnt to do this as a child and don't know anyone who doesn't!

Even if driving your own car, unless you've cleaned the door handle and steering wheel, you would have touched a shopping trolley, petrol pump handle, cash machine or anything else and passed those germs to the inside of your car. I'm far from OCD, but hand washing is basic hygiene. I also use hand gel when I get back in the car from shopping.

Yes I always wash my hands after being outside. My children now do too as it was drilled into them from a young age

Normal behaviour

very reasonable. I wash my hands, change my outside clothes and then relax. I moisturise my hands every time so doesn't get dry. unfortunately good hygiene is not common. and I don't want to bring the faecal bacteria etc. back to my living space. I am on Chemotherapy so that has made me a lot more careful since the pandemic.

when I was working I constantly washed hands (medic), so its just part of my routine.

They’re very welcome to build up their immunity too.

And yet I and my family still never get sick with my relaxed attitude to handwashing. So I still think humans have a huge capacity to adapt to the pathogens in their environment when given the chance to do so.