Ongoing argument - DH doesn't understand sanitation and is bringing sh*t into our kitchen!

[Anonymous]

So ... an ongoing thing in our household is D doesn't *understand* sanitation despite being a brilliant grownup who is able to grasp more complicated concepts. E.g., in handling raw chicken or fish, he'll often touch other things without washing his hands first in the kitchen - like cabinet knobs, counters, etc. He'll also not careful about fresh food not touching food that will not be cooked.

But the latest is that after cleaning the cat litter box with a scrub brush - he proceeded to boil the sh*t brush in one of our stainless steel cooking pots! I flipped out - and he's claiming that I'm crazy because boiling will clean everything. I'm absolutely disgusted because he doesn't seem to abide by a basic social / hygenic norm that sh*t does NOT belong in the kitchen or near food. I'm also pissed that I share a household with this fool.

We have two young kids, and these are not habits that I want them to think are ok.

Real question is - do I throw out the pot? It is an all-clad pot, so not cheap.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

does he also clean the toilet with your toothbrush?

[Anonymous]

It's gross, but seriously, he's right. (Unless your cat is an outdoor cat and might have parasites or toxoplasmosis in its poo.) Germs aren't cooties, they can be effectively removed. Not that you should have to remove them in the first place...

[Anonymous]

I think he also pissed / embarrassed because he thought he was doing something that would please me (cleaning the scrub brush). But he's blaming me for being crazy -

[Anonymous]

perhaps he should have tossed the shit brush and purchased a new one. These things are not expensive and if it has so much shit on it that it requires sterilization then it's time for a new one. Divorce him. He'll be washing tampons next.

[Anonymous]

Biologist here. He is right. Boiling kills everything.

All the other things you mentioned, you are right.

[Anonymous]

I was just reading an article last night about what kitchen trends that happened to mention that one reason restaurant kitchens are all stainless steel is because it can be completely cleaned/sanitized.

[Anonymous]

That is gross Op, I would be mad too. Tell him to put the danged brush in a bucket of bleach next time (away from kiddos/pets). The raw chicken thing would bug me too big time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Biologist here. He is right. Boiling kills everything.

All the other things you mentioned, you are right.

+1
Put a container of chlorox wipes on the kitchen counter. Make him use them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think he also pissed / embarrassed because he thought he was doing something that would please me (cleaning the scrub brush). But he's blaming me for being crazy -

Op, you do come off as a bit unhinged on the topic. You have a point, especially about the food handling, but so does he, and "you don't understand sanitation" is a pretty rude argument tactic. He could say the exact same of you re the boiling and be every bit as correct as you are. I think if you want his behavior to change you need to take the self righteousness down a few notches and come up with mutually agreeable cleanliness rules--and lay in the supplies to implement them.

As to your question, no, you do not need to throw out a metal pot that has been used to sanitize something. You clean it.

[Anonymous]

Eeeew!!!
You need to throw out the pot, whether it is All-clad or solid gold!

[Anonymous]

I would throw it out simply because I would be so grossed out every time I saw it.

[Anonymous]

Put it through the dishwasher. Dishwasher temps kill anything and, importantly, completely wash away the dead bacteria.

[Anonymous]

All-Clad???

No, freecycle it. It will be snapped up in a NY minute.