How often do you wash hands?

[Anonymous]

I wash my hands every time I come in from a public place - work (when I worked out of the house), grocery store, restaurant, etc. My boyfriend thinks this is incredibly weird and claims I am in the minority for doing this, especially since I did it pre-covid. I just think this is the clean thing to do and cuts down on germs/sickness you bring into your living space, but apparently this is not something the average person does, so please settle our debate.

[Anonymous]

I don’t wash my hands after being in public places like that but I do use hand sanitizer I keep in the car afterward. I learned the importance of this when my kids got much less sick after I made them use hand sanitizer after being in public places. You might be in the minority but that’s okay. You probably get sick a lot less often.

[Anonymous]

Probably 50x a day. Your boyfriend is gross.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t wash my hands after being in public places like that but I do use hand sanitizer I keep in the car afterward. I learned the importance of this when my kids got much less sick after I made them use hand sanitizer after being in public places. You might be in the minority but that’s okay. You probably get sick a lot less often.

Actually he gets sick way less than me. I haven't been sick in almost a couple of years because of covid. But prior to covid, he got sick way less. I never got sick as a kid, because my parents had me wash my hands - so I think getting sick once or twice a year as an adult has more to do with poor diet/stress/drinking too much alcohol and caffeine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t wash my hands after being in public places like that but I do use hand sanitizer I keep in the car afterward. I learned the importance of this when my kids got much less sick after I made them use hand sanitizer after being in public places. You might be in the minority but that’s okay. You probably get sick a lot less often.

Actually he gets sick way less than me. I haven't been sick in almost a couple of years because of covid. But prior to covid, he got sick way less. I never got sick as a kid, because my parents had me wash my hands - so I think getting sick once or twice a year as an adult has more to do with poor diet/stress/drinking too much alcohol and caffeine.

Oh actually you probably get sick more because your parents were so vigilant about hand washing and you didn’t develop as many immunities as most kids do. So if you didn’t wash your hands as much now, I bet you would get sick more.

(I’m not talking about the hygiene hypothesis here, in case anybody was curious, and I do make my kids wash their hands frequently)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t wash my hands after being in public places like that but I do use hand sanitizer I keep in the car afterward. I learned the importance of this when my kids got much less sick after I made them use hand sanitizer after being in public places. You might be in the minority but that’s okay. You probably get sick a lot less often.

Actually he gets sick way less than me. I haven't been sick in almost a couple of years because of covid. But prior to covid, he got sick way less. I never got sick as a kid, because my parents had me wash my hands - so I think getting sick once or twice a year as an adult has more to do with poor diet/stress/drinking too much alcohol and caffeine.

Oh actually you probably get sick more because your parents were so vigilant about hand washing and you didn’t develop as many immunities as most kids do. So if you didn’t wash your hands as much now, I bet you would get sick more.

(I’m not talking about the hygiene hypothesis here, in case anybody was curious, and I do make my kids wash their hands frequently)

This is what my boyfriend claims but when I say I rarely got sick as a kid I mean I had about one cold/bug per year. My mom claims I had a couple of ear infections as a preschooler, and I had strep once, but that's about it. So that's why I've chalked it up to just being an overworked, overstressed adult haha.But you're right, I think if I didn't wash my hands now I would definitely get sick more!

[Anonymous]

After I use the bathroom and before I prepare food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wash my hands every time I come in from a public place - work (when I worked out of the house), grocery store, restaurant, etc. My boyfriend thinks this is incredibly weird and claims I am in the minority for doing this, especially since I did it pre-covid. I just think this is the clean thing to do and cuts down on germs/sickness you bring into your living space, but apparently this is not something the average person does, so please settle our debate.

Yes, we wash our hands immediately after coming inside. Our young elem kids know to wash their hands so they usually do it without being asked, and our toddler needs help but also knows to expect it.

We don't have pets though. It's probably a waste of time to wash hands if you live with animals in your house since it's so filthy anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After I use the bathroom and before I prepare food.

Also I will say that I am never sick. My kids wash hands at the same frequency I do and they are never sick, either (even while in daycare, they were rarely sick). I recall one ear infection in one kid, and my other needed a hernia procedure, which I wouldn't classify as "sick." My DH does get a couple times a year but I don't really know how much he washes his hands, tbh.

[Anonymous]

When I get home, after I use the restroom, before preparing food, and before meals.

[Anonymous]

About 5x a day.

I'm that person that walks to the grocery store, touches the crosswalk signal, handles all the things, touches all the things in the self checkout, probably several door handles, then breaks open the bag or marshmallows on the way home and eats it with my unwashed hand. Definitely no hand sanitizer ever.

Yes I know you're retching in horror. But the last time I got even a mild cold was 2017... maybe it was 2016.

I do swiffer/vacuum almost every day because I hate dust. Germs though? Meh. All the better to keep my immune system robust.

[Anonymous]

I wash my hands easily 30 times a day, even before COVID. Every time I come home from anywhere, or use the bathroom, or blow my nose, or pet the cats, or am about to prepare food or eat, or after eating, or after touching anything potentially dirty like the cats' bowls or litter box or the toilet, and after I help the kids do anything like use a tissue or use the bathroom. I can't stand feeling like my hands are dirty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably 50x a day. Your boyfriend is gross.

DP. Are you working with sick patients? That seems bad for your hands. I'm no expert, though.

[Anonymous]

I love how all the hand washers are so excited to come share how much they wash their hands. Those of us that are not in that camp probably wouldn’t even click on the thread. I will just say I think it’s good for my immune system to not try to wash away the germs. Will I wash them if they are physically dirty, sure, but otherwise I don’t worry about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love how all the hand washers are so excited to come share how much they wash their hands. Those of us that are not in that camp probably wouldn’t even click on the thread. I will just say I think it’s good for my immune system to not try to wash away the germs. Will I wash them if they are physically dirty, sure, but otherwise I don’t worry about it.

Op's bf has found the thread. Abort, abort!