To expect guests to wash their hands on arrival?

[SillyFillyDress]

Am I being unreasonable in thinking people should wash their hands when coming from outside to your house?
Would you ask kids who come to yours for a playdate to wash their hands?
Would you ask adults?

@SillyFillyDress , when I come home, the first thing I do is go to the loo and get changed. I wash my hands then.

I have trained my children to wash their hands as soon as they get home from school or activities, and I certainly wash mine when I get home from work or shopping. But I wouldn't be asking guests to.

It's easier to always do it than to think about where you've been and what you touched. It's a simple, no-brainer action.

The only person I know who washes their hands every time they go indoors is a friend who was very, very, senior in the Forces. He says it was something he did in his Army days and it stuck.
He never asks anyone else to do it though.

Before eating - obviously. But when entering a home, no that’s weird and controlling to try and police people that way.

Made me laugh can't imagine telling anyone I know to do that they would be so shocked and maybe wonder if I was ok !

That's unbelievably rude.

Its personal choice.

It's nice in swanky hotels when they give you the hot towels and little drink on arrival but can't see you offering that to guests.

@SillyFillyDress then tell/ ask your nanny to wash their hands no need to start a thread on Mumsnet tbh

I really wish I could ask everyone to do this at this time of year when stomach bugs are rife. So many people don't have wash their hands properly, or at all, after going to the toilet. You can't build up immunity to stomach bugs.

But unfortunately people would take offence, despite it actually being a reasonable request. Even if you wash your hands, other people who don't will be touching things you are, like the exit door of a public toilet.

Yes, I would ask your nanny op.

Yep. I'm the same. I feel more comfortable washing my hands after being out. But I don't remind adults to do it. I can ask kids if they want to wash their hands though but I won't insist if they are not my kids. Kids are kids and their hands are everywhere. Do you wash your hands when coming to someone's house?

I have a newborn. And no one does it. Even health visitors and midwives. That's one of the reasons I raised this question.

Oh I would if I were a midwife visiting a newborn.

But otherwise no.

Hand sanitiser is completely unnecessary in most everyday situations. Only place I ever use it is when hiking in remote locations. It's really bad for your skin.

I currently work in a huge Royal Mail facility and handle thousands of parcels per shift. I wash my hands quite regularly there, but only because they feel manky after a while, not because I'm bothered by what I'm touching.

Mumsnet is the only place I've ever encountered so many people who are really weird about stuff other people have touched.

I was just thinking that!

I have a newborn so I'm a bit more sensitive now. Also we have plenty of visitors. And almost no one is washing their hands. Even before the meal. The most shocking part was health visitors not washing their hands before touching the baby.

Maybe in real life you could just use your words ...." Wash your hands please"
Or have it written into your contract with the nanny

I was a community nurse/midwife. Always very careful about washing my hands on arrival and when leaving someone's house. Also organised my visits to put anyone with an infection at the end of the list.

I'm pretty sure health professionals are meant to wash their hands before handling your newborn. You are not being unreasonable there.

I wash my hands when I feel they need washing and I assume adult visitors to my home do the same.
Kids are a bit different, but it depends what they've been doing (mucking about in mud, snotty noses etc).

My sister's family wash their hands a lot. I took my nephew out for the day. I presume he washed his hands when he went to the loo, otherwise we just got on with our day. As soon as I dropped him home my sister marched him off to wash his hands.

I think you're a bit PFB here. My son is older now and washes bis hands nowhere near enough, but he's actually the one in our family who never gets ill.

I do wash my hands when I come back from being in London for the day but that's because I live in the country side and London (especially the transport) seems really grubby (black bogies!).

Interesting, I thought that washing hands when coming home, especially after shopping or travelling on public transport was the norm. It certainly is in other countries than UK.
Thinking its very unreasonable is yet another level to me.

When I read your initial post I thought you must have a young baby. Otherwise would be a little OTT.
And you have a newborn. You are not being unreasonable at all! The best way to get people to accept the rule without resentment is to frame it in terms of: it’s because you have a young baby that will not have had all of their vaccinations yet. Your house, your kids, your rules. I’ve worked as a nanny in the past and the laxness of some parents in terms of hand washing before snacks etc! I always got the kids, and my own now, to wash hands before snacking (which often coincides with coming in from school so you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone there..) and certainly before touching a young baby in my charge. Check nanny is happy to follow your rules before hiring. It’s not like you are asking for an elaborate hygiene routine it’s logical hygiene practice.
Once baby older tho you will be ok to not have adults (even kids 😮) wash their hands on entering, as anyone you trust enough to come into your home you can likely rely on to manage their own hand hygiene at a basic level and take advantage of the facilities as needed! Parents accompanying young kids can do the same for them.

I'm stunned at the responses to this. A few years ago we were obsessed with hand washing and sanitisers. Having just had norovirus, I don't think it's weird at all, particularly as we come into flu season.

It really pisses me off when I'm out in cafes and restaurants to see how the hygiene standards have completely slipped. Tables not cleared promptly, hardly ever wiped down. But reading these responses nobody seems bothered.