Washing hands before eating

[Saurdaysarentwhattheyusedtobe]

Do you do it?

Do you make your Dc do it?

Before the pandemic I used to scoff at my aunt who avoided buffets and home cooked food offered by others. Then I came to understand how different pathogens are spread and could see her logic...and from this thread it's clear why norovirus and bacterial gastro are so common.

Rarely wash my hands. Been sick once in my 49 years as an adult.

People saying they wash their hands after touching their phone seems ott to me. Mind you, as I said upthread, I wash hands after the loo or if they’re dirty. This seems lax compared to some on here, it I reckon it’s about 30 years since I last had any sort of stomach bug so 🤷‍♀️

If I had a cold (also pretty much unheard of for me), I’d wash my hands throughout the day.

I don’t cook, but if I did, I’d wash my hands beforehand.

We wash hands when they get dirty, rather than waiting for a meal time. Hands get washed several times a day this way. Kids are gross - they're always biting their nails and picking their noses etc, so their fingers probably go in their mouth fairly consistently throughout the day, not just at meal times!

I personally don't automatically wash my hands before eating. I notice a lot of colleagues grab a handful of alcohol gel on their way into the canteen but I never bother. I occasionally get standard coughs and colds, but very rarely stomach upsets. I've not had a day off sick in at least 2 years.

(Fwiw I think my blasé attitude comes from not being particularly susceptible, rather than the other way round. My sister has always been more prone to illness ever since we were kids. She's quite obsessive now about handwashing/sterilising, because she's been so unlucky with illness, but she's still unwell more often and more seriously than I am. I don't think I've become superhuman through over exposure to germs, I think I'm just lucky enough to get away with being a bit sloppy with it).

You need to use more than one square, you cheapskate or wait until you have actually finished.

I can't believe no one has brought up whether or not they wash their hands after sex acts involving their hands... 🧐

Good point about being more susceptible.
That's why good handwashing works-you don't transfer bacteria and viruses from place to place that also make others ill.
Also a public service announcement
Alcohol gel does not work for Norovirus-it has to be good old fashioned soap and water!

What about a wee?

I don't. I never get ill and nor do the kids. None of us ever had any vomiting bugs. People who get ill a lot understandably get more obsessive about hygiene but it's their immune system that's the problem, not their hygiene. Which is likely down to a combination of genetic, dietary and lifestyle factors.

I wash hands after toilet or other dirty things. That's more due to an ick factor than a genuine fear of illness though.

People wondering why they’ve got constant bugs and sickness and then I read this thread!

hands need to be washed frequently when you have children- especially small ones. It’s not about whether they ‘look’ clean.

how do you think kids catch things like worms (usually in fingernails and then fingers in mouth) and colds etc?

people are so stupid…

Yep, never eaten at a works buffet etc (have a fantastic allergy excuse haha)
would never eat any uncovered food (ie marks and Spencer bakery etc)
people are fucking disgusting.
in other countries (Italy etc) you have to glove your hand before touching things in the supermarket like fruit and veg, if you don’t you’ll be asked to leave the shop.

Oh, do keep up.

I wash my hands after loo and cooking and when grubby.

Only ever ill maybe...once a year, and that's normally because DD has coughed in my face or something similarly pleasant.

No and no. It's never harmed us but then we do always use cutlery so it's not like our fingers go in our mouths 🤷‍♀️

There is plenty of research that shows germs will still pass through multiple layers of toilet paper.

Germs can't move on their own. If the paper is dry against your fingers, nothing will happen.

Toilet paper is porous. The pressure of wiping will push the gems through the pores.

A very simple study done as part of a school project is described here
https://royalsociety.org/pastevent/?requestedPath=%2fscience-events-and-lectures%2f2006%2fsummer-science%2fhandy-hygiene%2f

Oh dear. That study is very old and gives no actual results. As I said, germs are immobile unless carried on a seperate medium so if the paper is dry, piss and therefore, germs, have not transferred onto your hands.

No. Never bothered.

It's a description of a study done for a school project. Its age is irrelevant. The important part of that is the statement by the teacher:

'It is not commonly realised that toilet paper, no matter how thick or medicated, does not act as a physical barrier to the transfer of bacteria,' says John Di Mambro of the Department of Biology at Hutchesons'. 'The pupils' investigation showed that even several layers were not effective at preventing the skin picking up potential pathogens.'

As I said, toilet paper is porous and germs can be transmitted through the pores by pressure of wiping.

It's an archived almost 20 year old school project. For a start, it doesn't explain how they ensured that the toilet paper didn't already have microbes on it. Just that brings the whole study into doubt.

That is correct. However, the porosity of toilet paper is not in doubt. The size of the microbes that cause illness is not in doubt. Your toilet paper does not need to feel damp for the microbes to have passed through.

Feel free to share any studies showing that there is no transfer of microbes when wiping.

Lol, a school project... They were definitely using sterile tissue paper... And they definitely were peer reviewed...

Don't need to share anything. I rarely wash my hands and I very rarely get gastrointestinal problems.

Your mileage may vary.

I bet all these non washing PP’s have got serious parasites they don’t know about haha