Visibly dirty lanyards

[OddBoots]

In no sense could I be described as a clean freak, so I surprise myself with this but I have so many questions in my head when I see people who are generally clean and tidy people with their work lanyards so clearly unwashed even occasionally.

Does it just not occur to people to clean them? It only takes seconds to unclip a pass and/or fob and put it in the wash with your clothes.

Is it odd to want to keep something that spends so long dangling around your neck (that if you work somewhere with access control doors you need to touch multiple ties a day) clean?

Am I unreasonable to think that lanyards should be washed regularly?

Wish more places offered a clip on holder for passes as an alternative, especially for visitors. I was once handed a visitors lanyard that the person in front of me at reception had just taken off and which on a hot day was damp from contact with their sweaty neck. 🤢

I hand wash mine but I do wash it. Some of my colleagues’ lanyards are rank!

I used to work with someone who had a collection of lanyards and colour coordinated them with her outfit. She kept them on a hanger behind her desk.

we have a bag of spare fobs in the safe for contractors, new staff...
i've washed them all now, and stopped keeping them in a plastic bag, but the stench on opening the safe when I first joined used to make me want to throw up.

I chuck mine in the washing machine every couple of month - usually inside a pillow case to stop it catching on anything.

I'd much rather have a clip on one, as I did in my last workplace, but current workplace, the lanyard itself also has significance, which colour you get, as we have areas of the building with different restrictions, though also, you can't get through the doors if your pass has been set up properly - the colour is an at-a-glance guide for others.

I can wash it, though. I put it in a little laundry bag to avoid it tangling up everything else if the clasp comes undone.

yeah I used to just take mine off and leave it in the car glove box, so never washed it.

I've honestly, never given this a moments thought. But yes, the thought of the unseen grime on them is pretty gross.

I used to wash mine it got makeup and perfume on it

I used to notice other peoples were grimy with spilt tea, dirt etc

Sounds like a Dickensian character "he was a visibly dirty lanyard..." or an insult "why, you dirty lanyard!"

It honestly never crossed my mind to wash my lanyard! It’s black so not noticeably grubby but will put it in the wash today

I used to clip mine on my waistband.

Ditto 😂 I am definitely washing mine this week!!!

Oh god- I have never washed mine- I will do it now-

I work in healthcare and get freaked out by what could end up on mine. So I hand-wash it once a week and change them maybe every 6 months or so. Some grime definitely does come off occasionally them when washed. Don't know why I always assumed they wouldn't fare too well in the washing machine but may try that next.

We all wear lanyards at work, cant say I've ever noticed a visibly dirty one

Belt clip with extendable/retractable string ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Retractable-Holder-Keychain-Professional-Process/dp/B0DR73KZTX/ref=asc_df_B0DR73KZTX?mcid=d2853a06e135331e93b921663a8d332e&hvocijid=9035512749253458895-B0DR73KZTX-&hvexpln=74&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696285193871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9035512749253458895&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9219506&hvtargid=pla-2281435176938&psc=1&gad_source=1

I would be the same. Or my loved ones would think wtf and send me off to an mental asylum (I can’t think what the PC term is)

😂. You took the words out of my mouth

You don't wash dirty sweaty shirts/blouses ?

Lanyards are not just worn by office workers.

I’m in healthcare
I put mine in the sink with washing up liquid maybe once a week
Always shocked at how grim the water is

I worked somewhere with white lanyards (terrible choice) and the amount of make up on some people’s was gross 🤢

If you work in an air-conditioned office, and wear a lanyard under a collar, it does not tend to get visibly dirty. If your tops do not have collars, and the lanyard sits next to the skin, then, yes, they can get absolutely grim from picking up skin cells, sweat and and makeup.

It would never occur to me to wash them in the machine, at the (admittedly few) jobs I've had with lanyards, the lanyards I've had are so flimsy I'd expect them to come apart in the wash. Usually they're fraying around the edges after about 3-4 months anyway.

We've just been given new ones. They are meant to be white but the writing on them gives them that "washed too many times" grey colour. They are awful.