My MIL does not wash her hands after using the bathroom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your MIL should wash her hands but so many people on DCUM are hysterical about “germs,” I can’t believe people live this way.

Actually what I can’t believe is that people live with this level of anxiety about contamination and illness but then are comforted by rituals that don’t have a lot of evidence or efficacy. If you’re going to be hysterical, why not at least go take a microbiology class or something? Food safety certification?

So this is how things like E.coli, Shigella, and Noro spread. The fecal-oral route. It could be prevented if people would wash their hands after using the bathroom. We all know how MILs like to “help” I’m the kitchen.

My MIL got sick once because she used a dirty towel in my laundry room - it was in a basket under a laundry chute in a mud room - to dry her hands because she didn’t want to dirty up a towel in the powder room. One of my kids had a cold and sure enough she came down with it. Just gross.

This seems an unlikely mode of transmission. She probably got the cold from…being around your sick kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Use wipes to disinfect countertops and cabinet/door handles frequently during her visits and don’t let her prepare any food for you.

And be VERY obvious about doing it right after she uses the restroom. Get the door handles and then basically follow her around for a bit. If she asks what you are doing, that is you opening to say “I’ve noticed you don’t wash your hands after you use the restroom, so I have to do this to help keep us healthy and to keep my house clean.”

This is one of the rudest things I’ve ever read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree this is gross, but I do not understand people who pay this much attention to policing others' hygiene.

Some of us don’t like fecal matter spread around our houses. We’re so strange.

Some of us can go to the bath without getting fecal matter on ourselves.

You are so ignorant.

[Anonymous]

I think older people start to forget about some hygiene and manners things. I noticed my in-laws as well as my own parents all their 70s don’t wash their hands. I also see them take cloth napkins at restaurants to wipe their nose. Or pick at their teeth in public. I absolutely call it out a few times, and remind them what to do, but the reminders don’t stick, it’s all really gross. I can’t speak for my in-laws but I know my own parents never did this type of stuff when they were in their 40s and 50s.

My theory is that as of age, they spend more time alone and just don’t think of these things anymore.

[Anonymous]

I recently caught my mom not washing her hands after peeing in the bathroom. I called her out on it and of course she tried to make a silly excuse. I’m still grossed out. Unfortunately I know you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but it has been bothering me a lot, not only the thought of sharing food, etc but also mortified knowing that other people may discover my mom’s unhealthy bad hygiene habit. It is one thing if it is it kid or teenager doing this, but a senior citizen should know better.