Personal cleanliness

I read a report recently about airline cleanliness. Apparently the food tray attached to the seat in front retains far more germs and nasties than any other part of an airline - including the loos.
One of my DDs lives in a guddle most of the time. Her children play in the mud, hardly ever wash their hands before meals (unless I am there!)and are generally free spirited if you get the gist, and are rarely unwell. I think it's true that a few germs do you no harm and build up a certain resistance. One can sometimes be too clean

I seen to be someone who is somewhat nonchalant about cleanliness after reading some these posts

I regularly wash my hands (thoroughly) and I do have a bottle of alcohol rub in the car (some houses I visit are very a bit unsanitary) but that's it.

I've rarely had a tummy upset so am either very lucky or naturally immune.
The only time I had norovirus was as a hospital patient.

I've read that restaurant menus are dirty and you should wash your hands after ordering. I take my straw out of the glass if the waiter refills it with a pitcher. I don't want my straw touched by it accidentally. I've often touched my food after handling money. I think of how dirty money is but I just tempt fate! Can't always wash your hands.

I'll pass thanks Jing!

I feel people are getting too anxious about cleanliness.

Obviously if there is someone who is undergoing chemotherapy or has a weak immune system for some other reason then it is necessary to be very mindful of the risks of cross-infection. On the whole, though, I think this preoccupation with germs is getting out of hand.

I am quite particular in my own home (though I don't use lots of anti-bacterial products for worktops, etc.) but outside of the home I'm not going to worry myself silly about door handles, handrails, etc. etc. because I think excessive worry is more damaging than a few germs.

That is zoh-oh-noh-sees not zoo-noses. Most things in the zoo have noses but not so many have zoonoses.

After that talk, I'd be tempted to wear a space-suit. It was about zoonoses - transmissions from animals to humans and vice versa. He did keep emphasising that this, that, or the other was only very rarely transmitted. Oh yeah.

Not having a very strong immune system, I am beginning to worry after reading this thread. I do wear gloves for gardening, although I would prefer not to.
I do wash my hands reasonably often, and the only time I worry is if I have been to a public toilet, washed my hands then have to open the door to get out of the washroom - I always think of the people who didn't bother to wash their hands touching the door handle.



jingls you soaked the coins you gave to your DGS in disinfectant?

I am a very negligent GM.

i was at a talk by a vet today. He said that on the first day of his course, the lecturer shook hands with everyone as they came in, and then when they were all seated he turned off the lights and put on ultra-violet ones instead. He had coated his hands before shaking theirs with something that showed up in that light.

It picked up traces everywhere They had gleaming hands, obviously, but they had all touched their noses, ears, cheeks, hair, seats, desks, notebooks, pens, clothes.

"This is why you should always wash your hands throughly after they have been up the back end of a cow, he said, or anywhere else! If that had been bacteria you would all be awash with it, and all you did was touch my hand with yours."

(Sorry about that, all you OCDers. Not a nice image for you.)

I am with the don't worry so much brigade. When I went walking I would climb over styles that people with mucky boots had walked over. Sit and and eat my lunch without really washing my hands first.

However I always wanted to wipe the sticky food residue off my hands after I had eaten my sandwiches. I have never had any ill effects from this.

I do keep my kitchen reasonably clean. We all worry a bit too much but it is important to not subject others to one habits.

Most of us have pretty tough immune systems for thing like this we are more likely to pick up bugs from just being in a room with others. Grandchildren are the very worst source of bugs.

Don't get me started on my anti dettol antiseptic spray rant again.

The caption to Stansgrans rather scary picture of the petrie dish does say.

It’s safe to say almost everything you see growing in this specimen is harmless and in many cases even beneficial to a person’s immunity, but it just goes to show why we sometimes it’s good to wash our hands.

If I give money to the grandsons, I have to wash it first. At Xmas I gave DGS2 a load of pound coins in a pirate chest. Nice shiny ones DH got from the bank specially. I soaked all of them in disinfectant first.

It's funny though, when I'm out for the day, it can all go out of the window. I can buy chips with coins and eat them quite happily with my fingers.

No rhyme nor reason involved whatsoever.

(I even used to wash my children's Sunday School collection money)

#slightlynutty

Oh they love their work, janer. The man who does ours usually calls me over to have a look and then waxes lyrical about solids and 'munching'

It really doesn't worry me much. I always think - well, it is bolstering up my immune system.

The one and only time I felt slightly queasy was when I was having my septic tank emptied. The tanker driver placed the filthy hose in the smelly hole in the ground, then with his exceedingly grimy hand, ingrained with 'night soil' as it were, reached into his pocket, pulled out a plastic bag and proceeded to eat his sandwiches.

I have to say he looked remarkably healthy on it.

Those who avoid touching beneath chairs , door handles , press buttons etc, I am curious how you cope with money ? Not mocking your fear of touching things.

Blimey! I don't worry about any of those things and haven't been struck down by the dreaded lurgy yet...

When I press the button at the zebra crossing I use a tissue as I have been told those buttons are rife with nasties. I do then throw away the tissue.

Also I think the ATM keyboard and credit card readers keyboard look very mucky. Imagine all the fingers that have touched them and even worse where those fingers have been.

Ab just for the record, I am not upset. I am bewildered that you felt the need to attack me.

I did not say that I felt you 'should' have 'criticised' me discreetly. What I said was why did you feel the need to berate me publicly? You seem quite pleased to be embarrassing me when a quiet word, i.e. via a pm, would have sufficed? Not a nice thing to do. I thought you would have realised that I was paraphrasing your comment to me. In other words, it was you who were the first to suggest I should have had a discreet word in the boy's ear (which would have involved either leaning over the counter and pulling at his ear, as suggested by jingl, or me climbing over the counter to get to him) and I merely turned this suggestion back on you.

You want this therapy or not?!

Arghhhhh!

You would do it surreptitiously!

But you won't be allowed back into that restaurant ever again.

You need exposure therapy. Next time pull in your chair and then make yourself lick your fingers where you touched the chair. Do it enough times and that should be the end of that.

Oh, I'm glad I'm not the only one with OCD tendencies. Although even I hadn't thought of that one.

This is just something I have a thing about. I hate touching the underside of the chair as I pull it in to sit down when I go out for dinner. I wash my hands before I eat then I use tissues to open the cloakroom door and to pull in my seat! As you can tell I don't often go to places where I get my seat pushed in for me. Yuk, all those hands under the seat.

Jingle, we haven't gone all soft, I may be accused of it but not we