I’m so dirty I should be dead!

DH does not live in the real world. He likes to use a white linen napkin! I refuse to starch or iron them, though I do put a bit of Vanish on when I put them in the wash. The trouble is, he makes them so dirty, with beetroot stains from his salads, gravy stains, etc. Now he has just told me he is going to buy somemore, pristine ones, at the next antique fair! Really, life is too short for all this.

You need filth to keep your immunity strong!

I stick my wooden chopping board in the dishwasher.

M0nica, that is a fantastic argument which I must remember to use next time I don't want to do housework! Reading all these posts just makes me realise how germ infested our house is!!!

I'm in the middle of decorating and I had to pull a huge heavy dresser away from the wall so that I could paint behind it. I found dust bunnies; cobwebs strung along the walls and dusty skirting boards, along with long lost bits of Lego and a chocolate Smartie. I am deeply ashamed and expect to succumb to a lurgy shortly. not

I'm going to make some peanut butter cookies with some peanut butter I found at the back of a cupboard. It has a use by date of April 2016. Looks fine, smells fine, tastes fine, therefore IS fine whatever the obsessive germ freaks say.

I'm with you MOnica, well said, If I have got to 60 and bought up two children plus eight grand kids with no issues then I will carry on Thank you.

I have a fridge magnet that says 'An immaculate kitchen is the sign of a wasted life.' When I acquired it my DH said "That's just an excuse!". He is now my ex DH! Seriously though, I too believe we need to build up immunity. I restrict antibacterial cleaner to pet accidents and occasional use on the loo seat. I used to keep things cleaner when I had a family living at home but now I'm alone I am less careful. I'm still here so either I've got very strong immunity or the little cleaning I do is sufficient!

Whats all this about knife blocks and sharp knives? Let me say a few words in favour of blunt knives. If you have teenage daughters they have a higher chance of reaching adulthood if all your knives are blunt!

Yet more scaremongering. If we really were as dirty as 'they' say (and who are 'they' anyway?) why we not rolling around on the floor in agony whilst clutching our collective stomachs and throwing up?
We aren't, are we? I'd take it with the proverbial pinch of salt, and of course that's bad for us too!

Baggs
Had some toast today with Marmite that had a best before date of Sept 2016. Had it yesterday and the day before too. It must be all that immunity I’ve built up from having a less than immaculate house that’s keeping me safe!

For goodness sake. Knife block cleaning!!!! Drink more wine all of you!!!

Hi there Baggs .... I’ve got cream in my fridge supposedly out of date....just eaten some with fruit....watch this space !!!

I've got a chicken fajitas kit in the cupboard with a sell by date of 08/12. Safe or not?

And how many of us have been ill through not cleaning the knife blocks?

A very old laminated quote on my kitchen wall:- Home should be clean enough to be healthy
Dirty enough to be happy!

I think a knife block is a ridiculous thing to have on show, if someone was to break into your home especially through the kitchen the first thing they would see is the knife block full of knives that they could easily use on the house holder if they were disturbed or challenged.

And if you didn't die from being stabbed, the bacteria would do for you!

The Quiz confirmed it, that I am no good in the cleaning department.
Why am I hardly ever ill but my fabulously fastidious friends are haunters of the doctor's surgery with ailments galore and their offspring too.
Who wrote it, devised it, possibly a compulsive cleaner?
Too much good stuff in life without all this tosh.

Yay M0nica! I am right with YOU, Girl!!! xx

You’ve got to eat a peck of dirt before you die as they said in olden times.

As for cleaning knife blocks it never crossed my mind and I am OCD about cleaning.

In fact, I am anxiety prone about everything and got rid of the knife block so no one could seize a knife on the kitchen side if they got cross.

The easy answer to how to clean knife blocks is Don't. Buy magnetic holders that you put up on the wall instead!

I heartly agree. At our age we know how much cleaning is really necessary to stay alive and well.

My home is, and always has been, clean enough to live in, and dirty enough to be homely. As I write this I can see dust on my sideboard, doggie paw marks on the floor and cat hairs on the sofa. I do have an antibacterial cleanser for the kitchen work surfaces purely because our puppy can now get his muddy little paws up there. But our kids grew up in a home with cars and dogs and survived to be healthy adults with no allergies, and none of us ever had stomach upsets. Our guests have never died of food poisoning, but they do enjoy a warm welcome and healthy, tasty food in a relaxed and comfortable home. We are all surrounded by germs and bacteria and have to learn to live with them and develop a natural immunity and resistance rather than relying on antibiotics. There are far more interesting things to do than cleaning!

Thank you all so much. I was feeling really terrible, having just read the article in the Times. Then I logged in to GN and, of course, you all made
me see sense and stop worrying. Who makes these rules anyway?

The author Rose Macaulay wrote:
'Better a house unkept than a life unlived.'
That's my mantra.

I'm very attached to my silverfish, couldn't possibly make them homeless. In return they do a lot of hoovering up in my cupboards so we rub along together very amicably.