The "GrossOut" thread got me thinking about this. I probably wash my hands more than the average, but a far cry from OCD. I really only wash my hands before eating, before preparing any kind of food, and after using the bathroom. My sister has commented to me that I wash my hands too much as I have noticed she rarely washes her hands. I always insist that my kids wash their hands before eating a meal. Do other people do this?

There was one time we all went to the zoo together. The kids spent a good part of the day in the petting zoo, touching all the animals. Afterwards, we went out to eat. I immediately had my kids wash their hands before eating. It didn't even occur to my sister to ask her kids to go wash their hands, and they didn't. Do others not do this?

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

I totally agree. I wash my hands a TON. I make my kids wash their hands a lot too. I hate them being around animals as they need to wash their hands so much. We do it but I am terrible.

Especially when they were little, I was telling them frequently to wash their hands. It is so important.

Well I guess I wash mine too often also then. I ALWAYS wash before I eat and my kids do also. My 2 girls love to help in the kitchen and now do not even have to be told that you wash your hands before touching any food. The minute they walk in from school, they wash their hands. I also carry hand sanitizer and when we leave a store, we all sanitize, lol. At the zoo here, they tell you to wash your hands immediately after touching the animals and even have huge containers of hand sanitizer hanging throughout the zoo to clean your hands with.
I don't feel like I'm OCD about it but picky..yes!
ETA: We also wash after using the bathroom and my almost 9 year old comes home from school and tells me the kids at school make her sick because they come out of the bathroom stall and straight out the door, never washing their hands. She has now taken it upon herself to inform them that they need to wash their hands, lol. I told her to mind her own business but she insists that it makes her sick because they touch the door and then she has to also. I agree with her but don't want her being the kid no one likes! She also said half of them never flush the toilet.

This reminded me of my daughter telling me that only 2 kids out of her whole class washed hands before eating lunch. The other kids didn't bother. I put a little hand wipe in my kids lunch when they take cold lunch. Not sure if they use it, but it's there.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

I "wash" a lot, maybe it's just a quick rinse and not use soap, my hands feel dirty a lot, especially when touching money! I have to wash my hands very well if I've been sorting change or something (maybe because I worked in a pizza shop and would often have to make pizza after taking the order... or maybe I was like that before then lol). I can just feel it on my hands. I tell my kids to wash before eating but they don't always listen to me

I wash my hands alot in hot water with soap. My son asked me the other day how I washed in such hot water. But I just dont feel they are clean unless they are washed in hot soapy water.

I wash my hands after I pet my animals, go outside, go to the restroom, before I eat, after I eat, while Im cleaning house, while I'm cooking and a dozen more times during the day. I guess I have a hand washing fetish.

That is so funny, I was just thinking about this today!


We have been working outside all day planting gardens, DH on the excavator, etc and when we came in for lunch, the kids washed and DH and I washed our hands, but my FIL just sat down and ate. EEWWWWWWWW.


We wash our hands a LOT. I have them wash whenever we come home from being out, before dinner, before bed, after school, etc., I overthink about dirt and gross myself out.

Honestly I don't think I could ever have a pet either, just petting a dog I have to wash my hands, the thought of dirt grosses me out.

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"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~ Bernard Meltzer

My whole family is a washing family!!

Probably started when my mom became a nurse and she was constantly making us wash our little hands. Its just second nature to us at this point and my kids always line the seat of a toliet that is not in our house!! It just is a habit and you have to pick it up.

The petting zoo thing is really disgusting!!! Those animals can be so sick and then you've got little ones rubbing their eyes, picking their noses or just eating. But all the delicate membranes they are touching......YUCK. Someone is going to get an infection!

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Vicki


TLJ Women united in Spirit!

My kids wash their hands as soon as they take off their shoes when they come home from school.

Neither one of them missed a day of school this past year. AND, I didn't get sick this past school year either.

We've been doing this for several years now and I really think it is paying off.

I am definitely not a hands-washing fanatic.

I do, of course, wash my hands after using the bathroom, before eating and preparing food.

But I must reach down and pet my little shih tzu 50 times a day -- and I certainly don't run and wash my hands every time I do

When my kids leave any bathroom I always ask "Did you wash your hands??" My oldest dd has hand sanitizer in her lunchbox. I keep Wetones in the car for cleanings. I guess you can say I like clean hands!

I do the exact same thing. Also when the kids touch animals. I have a phobia about pets and hands. They always know that they need to wash up. I even grew up with a house dog, (a rott)... But since having kids and working in the health field, We WASH all the time...

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What she said!!
My children also wash just as soon as they get home from school.

I think you are right and she needs to start washing more!


We visit a family that never tells their 3 kids to wash their hands before meals. It drives me crazy. They play out side and come in a touch food and never wash. No one has ever told them to wash when we have been there!!

I wash often and I also carry wet ones AND purell in my purse.
The biggest defense against catching colds.flu, etc. is hand washing!

I work in healthcare, so I am always washing my hands . . . At home I am not such a fanatic, but I definitely wash more than the average person (ahem . . . Hubby)

I'm a hands washing freak. Comes from my days of having chemo and zero immune system, I think.

I get really grossed out when I see people handling money, and they lick their fingers to sort it. Eww! I always have to wash my hands after someone hands me money. LOL

Holly

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Forgiveness is love in its most noble form. -Anonymous

LOL Is this a good place to ask what kind of hand lotion ya'll use?? I know you need it or your hands would be dry and cracked from all that hand washing.

Another huge pet peeve of mine is to see people handle money, then handle food. I cringe inside. I once went to a sub place where the young kid had his little sanitary gloves on writing down orders with his pen that he put in his mouth. After he was done writing down the order, he proceeded to handle the food; after all he had his gloves on ready to go. I really wanted to bust him, but I just kept my mouth shut.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

As a nurse, our family not only washes hands FREQUENTLY, but we also NEVER wear shoes into the house and when I come home from work, I strip at the door and the clothes go straight into the washer. There are bugs out there that would scare the stuffings out of you. We carry hand santizer (alcohol gel) in every container we have- car, purses, lunch buckets, picnic baskets, coolers, etc, etc. We are rarely sick- maybe one "cold" every couple of years.

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Lyn Clarke

This would be my family. I don't *do* sanitizer at all unless we are at a zoo or playarea that has it available and there isn't a place to wash before eating. I have heard a lot of bad things about washing too much and how our bodies aren't able to deal with germs anymore. Although many of you frequent washers say you are rarely sick, that isn't the case for the frequent washers I know...they are sick a lot and I can't help but think it has to be from all the washing. I don't think their bodies can handle any kind of germs. These are my thoughts though

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I wash more than I mean to, but not after touching my cats, unless I'm about to prepare food or something of the sort. I know they're both very clean, because I see them washing, and can feel it on their fur. I use Aveeno, it's the best stuff I've found.