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?

Ha! I have absolutely no musical talent - I'm not sure any would be expected with that band title though so it fits. 😂

Many people wear their lanyards next to their skin. A lot of medics' uniforms don't have collars to keep the lanyard away from their skin.
A lot of people wear their lanyards all day, not just to access and exit buildings; they wouldn't need a lanyard if they only needed their ID on those two occasions.
I'm not sure why you think non-visible dirt isn't really dirty......
How do you know you've never become ill through a specific issue?

My knickers are black.....but I wash them 🤔

@grumpygrape

I'm not sure why you think non-visible dirt isn't really dirty......
How do you know you've never become ill through a specific issue?

I don't think non visible dirt isn't dirty, I just know you can't (and shouldn't try to) eliminate all "dirt". The human immune system relies on exposure to low levels of pathogens to function properly. Trying to remove all dirt and germs from your environment is a) physically impossible because there are literally millions of them everywhere at any given time and b) would be unhealthy if you achieved it.

You don't make life any safer by obsessively trying to eliminate germs: you make your own immune system weaker and build an unhealthy degree of neurosis about it to boot.

I haven't had a stomach upset for about 15 years and trust me I've exposed myself to levels of dirt which would make a bit of grime on a lanyard seem like a drop in the bucket.

I promise you washing lanyards won't improve your health.

I’ve never washed mine. Don’t plan to start now either.

You didn't address the issues of lanyard against sweaty skin especially in a medical area.

I don't expect anyone or their clothes, including lanyards, to be germ free, just to be sensible about the level of dirt/grime/germs in certain situations.

When I used to wear one, I had two: one to wash, one to wear. It would seem the most sensible way
be interesting to analyse what is on them, like they do on those clean programmes. You clean a worktop, then they show under ultraviolet light how many germs are left on it

I have also noticed it. Some are grim. Grey around the neck.

I see this on our blue and white NHS ones all the time. The white bit that says NHS goes a nice beigey-orange colour and looks GROSS.

i have done a wool wash with my two lanyards, my back pack and my tote bag.
thanks for the reminder!

This thread reminds me of this article.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jul/17/15-items-dirtier-than-your-toilet-seat-according-to-experts

(I do clean most of those things from time to time. I even cleaned the inside of my vacuum following the spilt Chinese takeaway episode, which definitely made it smell.)

I feel the same about grubby canvas tote bags OP, not to mention scarves and gloves.

I have to admit I only wash mine about twice a year so should definitely do it more frequently (teacher) but it just slips off my ‘to do’ list.

Coincidentally, I washed it today before reading this thread and, if anyone’s interested 😆, put both the material part of the lanyard and the plastic card holder part into a small tub of hot water, washing up liquid and a little disinfectant, leave for 30 minutes, lightly scrub with a sponge abd then rinse well and leave to dry. Voila! 😆😆 I spray the actual card with a bit of surface spray and wipe.

How do you clean yours?! 🫧

Not all of them can be washed! Ours can’t (RFID fob is attached).

So I don’t keep mine round my neck, just sling it in my bag with my keys.

How much time and bandwidth does it take to sling it in the machine along with other stuff to be washed fgs? It’s hardly onerous or taxing.

On the other side of the coin, the first time I put my work.lanyard through the wash, the colours ran so now it looks grubbier than ones that have never been washed.

Bloody hell, I have enough washing to do without washing my backpack (unless food spills in it/on it), tote bag (unless something against spilt in/on it) and lanyard!

My lanyard is so covered in badges and other stuff I can't see it anyway tbh

I bung my lanyard and rucksack in the wash every 2 weeks. I have never noticed other people’s dirty lanyards /backpacks, though. Not fussed, I just personally like clean stuff.

People wash lanyards???

we do now!

The ridiculousness of people on MN, particularly on washing, never ceases to amaze me.

In my 20+ years of office working I’ve never washed a lanyard and I don’t intend to start now.

Dirty Lanyards - playing tonight at the Dublin Castle…tickets £7.50, £10 on the door.

I don't need one for work thank goodness.

i think if you work in a hospital it is expected

I put NHS lanyard in washing machine and it came out of the machine without the NHS logo printed on it. Cheap and not designed for a hot wash. They should be washed as they harbour a lot of germs and bacteria.