I have succumbed to posting on AIBU!

I can't say I am over bothered about germs. As long as house reasonably clean- which it is I think we manage quite well & if we never came into contact with germs we wouldn't build up an immunity.
We have always had cats & sometimes dogs & we are a very healthy family so I must be doing something right.

Is there any one like myself who cleans the handles of a super market trolley with an antiseptic wipe before using it?

I agree but disagree I am currently living with my 87 year old Mum who would go with your germ theory and says well I have got this far ! But she has no sense of hygiene. She handles raw food for her dog then wipes her hands on t towel wipes over services with same sponge as she wipes up with fridge filthy and don't get me started on out of date food and unrefidgerated ancient sauces. Food it seems can be frozen Indefinately and a sauce mix packet from 2004 has only just been parted with (reluctantly)
Does she get ill of. Purse she goes bouts of sickness and dirriha are greeted with must be something I ate! No it's your poor hygiene A few germs won't kill you? depends what they r and yes they can !

Sarah, if I have a GC either in trolley or pushing it yes I do.

I am more than happy with my dirt, C and GC have "poo picked" stables or turn out field with one hand and had their sandwiche in the other!!!

Oops premature posting!!!

I struggle with public buffets, bowls of nuts, crisps in bars as I know people do not always wash their hands when using the lavatory. I have seen adults and children sneeze over food, wipe their noses and then pick over sandwiches, sausage rolls etc, I do not want their viruses.

I'm not at all concerned about germs.
Wash my hand after the loo and before cooking, and too greedy not to eat from bowls of food set out in public places.

S! Hands!

There needs to be more understanding of the types of bacteria and viruses that are dangerous. Bacteria living in soil, say, do not generally find it easy to reproduce in the nourishing, warm, moist conditions of the human body. I never worried when my children tunnelled through the vegetable patch when they were young. 'Stuff' picked up off the floor is not really a problem unless there has been contact with animal faeces on shoes (toxoplasmosis is dangerous). Foodstuffs contaminated by pathogenic bacteria and left out in a warm area are another matter. Urine is not particularly 'germy' but it is sensible to take precautions around toilets and wash hands, although a quick rinse and a flap around of the hands to air dry them is not really good enough. It's all just common sense.

Those of us unlucky enough to have damaged immune systems need to protect ourselves though and our needs should also be taken account.

I must be obsessive, I use hand gel quite a lot when I’m out and about, always before eating if I’m out, and often after visiting a public loo, even though I’ve washed my hands. I also thoroughly wash my hands every time I arrive home after being out, and I clean cafe tables with antibacterial wipes. Cafe tables are filthy these days, almost always stained from previous users, and with crumbs left on them. They are rarely cleaned by the staff, and if they are, have a close look at the filthy clothes they use, ugh! I also clean all around my seat and tray on an aeroplane, using antibacterial wipes. Aeroplanes are deep cleaned once every 6 months only, and are said to be a particularly dirty environment. If you use a budget aeroplane, as we do for European trips, they look dirty when you get on, crumbs under the seats, filthy trays. I’ll stick with using my gels and wipes thank you, I prefer them to filth.

A doctor specialising in allergies said that our world is too sterile so children don't build up immunities. The peck of dirt saying seems to be correct.

I have read research which supports what many people here say, and what my mother used to say: there is bad dirt which makes you sick, and there is "clean" dirt, which builds up immunity. I agree with PP who wipes down stuff on a plane, but I also allow my 5 year old to make his mud pies in the garden.

Research does show that too sterile an environment is actually contributing to the large numbers of people these days with allergies. One does not actually need to "eat off the kitchen floor."

Actually I agree with others posters comments about clean/dirty dirt. Mostly at home, I just keep the place reasonably clean, it’s when outside I get particular. I’ve seen a lot of people leaving a public toilet without washing their hands, and even more who leave after a quick rinse, no soap! That’s why I use gel after a public toilet. I don’t wipe a supermarket trolley handle but I’ve seen a tv programme that looked at the bacteria found on a supermarket trolley handle, and it was shocking, including fecal matter! That’s why I thoroughly wash my hands once I’m home before doing anything else. Just normal precautions I think.

Spot on, phoenix.

That made me smile Labasz1964. Am I the only one who's mum used to spit on a hanky to wipe our faces?

Apparently it is now the general view that most of the allergies prevalent today are due to over use of anti-bacterial wipes and obsessive cleaning. My son kindly pointed out that it wasn't surprising that he has never had any allergies! Just saying!

farmor15 that's a great post, from an expert. I already obviously keep raw and cooked meats apart and their implements I'm going to specifically remember the bit about the heated hand dryers.. Thank you !

If you've got any other tips I'd love to hear them!!

Lully I heard that on the radio only yesterday. Children need exposure to germs so they don't become allergic to things apparently. I also heard that the huge increase in peanut allergy relates to government advice not to give peanuts to under 3s. I heard that such advice may change and that they will suggest that babies should be given peanuts to they don't develop the allergy!

Apparently children born normally are less likely to develop allergies because of what they pick up through the birth canal. Those born by C section are more likely to have allergies. True in the case of mine.

Totally agree. A child's immune system has to have contact with dirt etc so that it can strengthen. The reason for so many children with allergies is this obsession with killing all the germs....

There is a difference between allergies and infections although the immune system is involved in both. Infections occur when the body is invaded by a foreign organism that causes illness. If your body has encountered the infection before then you may have built up enough antibodies for the immune system to identify the foreign invaders rapidly and counteract the infection reducing its length and severity.

On the other hand, an allergy is an exaggerated response by the immune system to a trigger. Hay fever is an allergy to pollen, pollen isn't a germ. I feel deeply for the family of girl in the news (Natasha Ednan-Laperouse) who died because of a sesame allergy, but no amount of hand washing or antiseptic gel would have made any difference to her.

When I was growing up, my Dad always said, 'A bit of bacteria never did anyone any harm.'

Yes Willow10, my mum used to spit on a hanky and give us a wipe. lol. I'm only obsessed when the Norovirus is about! I fear and hate being sick. And the other that goes with it.

My mother always spat on a hanky to clean our faces and told us "you'll eat a peck of dirt before you die". My kids (now adults) will pick up a bit of food they drop on the floor and copy my FiL saying "Clean meat never fattened no pig". Too much cleanliness prevents immunity developing.
The one that does bother me is my 6 year old granddaughter mucking out here horses and then eating a sandwich. She tells me it's only grass and she's always told to eat more greens.

Yes my Mum also used the spit on a hanky method.

I have become more cautious as I’v become older ,especially when traveling which necessitates using public shared facilities, I have become a dab hand at using elbows & little finger for doors, locks, flushing & taps.
?

I think we all have our cut off point when hygiene becomes a priority. I agree that disinfectant wipes etc are all over used and soap and water does the job just as well.
My own cut off point is a carvery or open buffet where people are coughing etc over the food. The same cloth being used for cleaning the floor and then being used for washing up.

I only have a problem with other people’s attitudes when using the air dryers.. I know that hands must be completely dry after washing but, other people get impatient waiting for me to dry my hands properly. It takes approximately 15seconds depending n the type of dryer.