Hand washing before eating?

[Ninetwenty]

I know, it's something we should do, I always made DC do it when they were young.

But AIBU to think that, IRL it doesn't actually happen?

I eat out frequently, with everyone from business contacts, colleagues, friends and family. People from all sorts of cultures. Not once has anyone excused themselves to wash their hands before eating.

Colleagues will eat lunch at their desks. No one goes to wash their hands first.

When I have people to eat at mine, no one goes to wash their hands when invited to the table.

Wedding or party buffets, no one is going off to wash their hands once the buffet opens.

Etc etc.

I do before cooking, also when I come home after being out, after putting out the bins (and after the loo obviously). But not usually before eating unless they're dirty.

Some people on here might be interested in the Love Hearts flavour hand sanitiser I saw yesterday! It was in a cheap toiletries shop (Savers) near the tills. I was too surprised to make a rapid decision :) but might go back and buy it.

I would only bother if they were visibly dirty; I'm never ill.

(I always wash after the loo though).

Ha! I was at a wedding at the weekend. I washed my hands before eating and I wash my hands (or at the very least if at a picnic or something use a wipe which I carry with me all the time) every time I eat out. I wash my hands at friends houses, I wash my hands at work, I would never eat without washing my hands unless absolutely desperate (I can't imagine such a time).

But then I'm an emetophobe and it goes with the territory. I have been like this for well over 50 years and it all feels entirely normal to me.

You misinterpret.
I am politely offering use of facilities. If anybody was to say no, I’m fine thanks then that’s up to them.

I always do. I have hand gel or hand wipes to use when out.

No. Mumsnet is obsessed with hand washing

I always wash my hands before eating. If my hands aren't visibly dirty and I'm out and about I'll use hand sanitiser. Honestly the amount of people who don't do this are why bugs spread so easily.

I always wash my hands at work before eating as members of the public can come in.
I wash my hands when I get in from work too.

I always do and my kids were always the last in the lunch queue at school (which they'd moan about) because they were brought up to too.

I’m shocked people are such filthy mingers - although had an inkling when covid seemed to remind everyone again and the soap ran out in shops.

And shocked that people don’t seem to be bothered either! Surely you want to eat with clean hands?

I wouldn't stress about it, but if I remember and can wash hands before food, I do. We need to build up resistance folks! There's a tendency amongst some to be super clean, anti bac household this, gel that, wash hands all day kind of thing. The minute the super clean are exposed to bugs then Wham! They get ill.

That's my theory anyway, as someone who fails (thankfully) to get coughs, colds, etc. in Winter. I do get flu jab though and I am a clean person, just not over stressed about it!

One thing I always do is wash hands after having been out and about in a supermarket/shop/on public transport etc. That's habit after Covid times.

I always wash my hands before eating, even just a snack. If I am absolute unable to, I don’t mind too much if I am using cutlery, but I can’t touch food with my fingers that’s going into my mouth because of the thought of the germ transfer, so I’ll use a napkin or food wrapper to hold what I’m eating. That’s rare though.

Yes, I do, and pretty much everyone I know. If it's out and you can't, say if you've got a sandwich, then I just hold the packaging. Some of our friends have a bowl at the table (think it's part of their culture?) for each guest when they do dinner.

By the time they get back to the lunch queue, have they not already touched more "dirty" things? Door handles, railings, the thumbprint scanner (or whatever their school uses for lunch payment)?

Absolutely. If you don't wash after the loo you could literally send someone to hospital.

Occasionally i even wash my hands BEFORE the loo if i have to insert a tampon or apply cream and i feel my hands are not clean enough. Sometimes my fanny is actually cleaner than my hands 😂

I don't eat with my hands so it doesn't matter if they're recently washed or not tbh - I don’t wash my hands before eating or just because I've been outside - haven't died yet

I do whenever im not home, but at home i dont because i wash them beofre/after/during food prep so i know theyre clean.

I always wash mine at home, but sometimes when out it just isn’t convenient. I would use hand sanitizer if I have it with me, but otherwise I try not to dwell on it too much.

I trained my children to all wash their hands when they come into the house from outside but didn't bother for eating unless they were obviously mucky. I feel it makes more sense this way as I wouldn't want germs from public transport etc spread around the house, so they get washed off when you come in. If you're already in the house and it's dinner time, we'll you're pretty clean already so theres no need. At other people's houses and out and about then hands would be washed in the bathroom for finger food but not for cutlery food.

I’m not a germaphobe but the battle cry for lunch or dinner is always “Time to wash your handeeez!”.
If they’ve done it recently that’s fine, but if you’re touching bread or handling fruit then surely you should.
I’m also that person who orders in a restaurant and then goes to wash their hands…

What about McD’s? You’d think hand washing was a must, but plenty eat it drive thru.

Nope. I almost never wash hands before eating. Unless they are filthy from gardening or something similar it wouldn't occur to me to bother.

Psychotically?

Always. I carry hospital grade anti-viral wipes with me and use those if I’m out and about and can’t anywhere to wash. I also carry sandwich bags and put them over my hand if going to eat a sandwich, biscuit etc. I also carry reusable cutlery.
And before anyone starts yes I do have a phobia, and yes I am in therapy!

For some reason my dad always washed his hands before eating but nobody else did. He was brought up on a farm so would have come in with dirty hands.

I've never seen anyone get up from the table after ordering a meal to wash their hands.

At home and work I always go to the loo and wash my hands before I eat. I don't stress about it when out and about though.