Tell me about your germophobia - what will you do? What do you not care about?

[Skippy123]

Date: 4/6/2009 5:42:11 PM
Author: kama_sThat said, if I drop uncooked pasta onto my kitchen floor...I'll pick it up and put it back into the pot! Hey, boiling water kills all bacteria

. The one time Mr. Kama caught me doing that, he refused to eat the pasta. We didn't have anymore at home, so he walked 30 minutes to the grocery and back to get fresh pasta. Our dinner was delayed by over an hour!!!

Oh my gosh, that reminded me of a time when I went to stay at my friends house when I was in middle school and her mom made pasta for dinner and the cat jumped in the pasta and her mom rinsed the pasta. I thought I was going to die! I said I wasn't very hungry and ate an apple instead.


I also won't eat baked goods from random people I don't know (like bake sales), that is probably weird but I got that from my parents because they won't do the same thing. I will make a donation at a bake sale though.

 

[Octavia]

Date: 4/6/2009 5:43:34 PM
Author: redfaerythinker
I must be weird... but I don't really care about germs. If someone were to sneeze on me, it would gross me out, but I agree with Selkie that there is no way to avoid the germs. I mean, I played in ball pits, and ate dirt, and food off of the floor, and I lived. I wash my hands when needed, but I don't carry sanitizer around me, and I don't clean obsessively. I just don't even think about it. lol

Not weird...with the exceptions I posted already, I don't think about it much either. And being too sanitized isn't healthy either. Our bodies can lose the ability to fight off some germs if we aren't exposed to them, so while I try to be reasonably careful about raw meat and restrooms and stuff, I don't sweat the rest too much. And I'm definitely going to make my kids play in the dirt regularly, once I have them (FI is in total agreement with this).

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/6/2009 5:50:27 PM
Author: Octavia

Date: 4/6/2009 5:43:34 PM
Author: redfaerythinker
I must be weird... but I don''t really care about germs. If someone were to sneeze on me, it would gross me out, but I agree with Selkie that there is no way to avoid the germs. I mean, I played in ball pits, and ate dirt, and food off of the floor, and I lived. I wash my hands when needed, but I don''t carry sanitizer around me, and I don''t clean obsessively. I just don''t even think about it. lol

Not weird...with the exceptions I posted already, I don''t think about it much either. And being too sanitized isn''t healthy either. Our bodies can lose the ability to fight off some germs if we aren''t exposed to them, so while I try to be reasonably careful about raw meat and restrooms and stuff, I don''t sweat the rest too much. And I''m definitely going to make my kids play in the dirt regularly, once I have them (FI is in total agreement with this).

I''m pretty much the same. I''ll feed Amelia cheerios that fall on the floor (as long as it''s on her play blanket). We figure if the kid can survive the germs in my messy house, she can survive anywhere!

 

[kama_s]

Date: 4/6/2009 5:49:41 PM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 4/6/2009 5:42:11 PM
Author: kama_s
That said, if I drop uncooked pasta onto my kitchen floor...I''ll pick it up and put it back into the pot! Hey, boiling water kills all bacteria

. The one time Mr. Kama caught me doing that, he refused to eat the pasta. We didn''t have anymore at home, so he walked 30 minutes to the grocery and back to get fresh pasta. Our dinner was delayed by over an hour!!!

Oh my gosh, that reminded me of a time when I went to stay at my friends house when I was in middle school and her mom made pasta for dinner and the cat jumped in the pasta and her mom rinsed the pasta. I thought I was going to die! I said I wasn''t very hungry and ate an apple instead.

Haha, that''s hilarious! In my defense though, the pasta was uncooked...AND my floors were super clean

P.S.: Guess what? I bought a whole carton of Coke Zero yesterday!! Such a bad influence, you!

Sorry for the threadjack, TG!

 

[kama_s]

Date: 4/6/2009 5:50:27 PM
Author: Octavia


Not weird...with the exceptions I posted already, I don''t think about it much either. And being too sanitized isn''t healthy either. Our bodies can lose the ability to fight off some germs if we aren''t exposed to them, so while I try to be reasonably careful about raw meat and restrooms and stuff, I don''t sweat the rest too much. And I''m definitely going to make my kids play in the dirt regularly, once I have them (FI is in total agreement with this).

Agreed. Plus, our body is resilient enough to fight off most germs. I think most people are germaphobes primarily for the ick factor (at least that''s how it is for me).

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/6/2009 4:46:40 PM
Author: Gypsy
Nothing. I got a pretty high tolerance. Unless it''s human vomit. Animal vomit''s okay.

Oh god. I should not have come back.

I lied, apparently. There are a few things that can wig me out.

Hotel bedspreads. Too many CSI episodes with blacklights.
Gross phelm-ey throat clearing. And people who spit. YUCK.
The whole chewing tobacco and spitting thing.
Spitting period.
Warm raw meat. By that I mean, meat that has been left out on the counter too long.

 

[Selkie]

OK, I''m sorry, but the people who flush with their feet? REALLY? Why not just use a piece of TP to cover your fingers? That seems kind of inconsiderate to those who flush with their hands, the way you''re supposed to. I mean, what''s on your shoes is REALLY gross. Not to mention, the handles break because of that.

 

[vintagecushion]

I thought I wasn''t a germaphobe but after reading some of the responses, I''m going to start behaving like a scrubbed-in surgeon in public bathrooms.

And this?

--buying clothes at the stores and wearing them before washing. sometimes with sweaters or whatever i will but not with pants or anything else...apparently from some article i read, people like to be NAKED while trying clothes on. gross much???

 

[basil]

Date: 4/6/2009 5:27:08 PM
Author: neatfreak
I am totally not a germaphobe. I wash hands regularly...but really I don''t worry about it otherwise. I grew up on a farm so I am used to getting my hands dirty. And I have an immune system of steel so I figure it couldn''t have hurt me! Other than general good hygiene I don''t do much else!


Raw meat does gross me out though...I don''t like to touch it and if I do I wipe down with clorox wipes everywhere.

I''m probably most close to this. I''m totally not a germaphobe. I wash my hands at work a lot obviously, and then when I come home. I''m not really that freaked out by public restrooms though. You can''t really catch anything from urine anyway, so I''m not that worried about covering the seat, etc. I only draw the line when there''s actual visible poo in the stall. That''s gross. I consider hospital surfaces to be uniformly contaminated, but I don''t bother too much about the community really.

I have a separate cutting board for raw meat that I run in the steri cycle in the dishwasher when I''m done with it. And I turn on the faucet with my elbows, etc. after I touch it. Sometimes I change spoons halfway through the cooking process cause I don''t want the raw meat bacteria to get back on my cooked meat, but I do that more with chicken and pork than beef or fish.

I don''t really think that people should cough/sneeze into their hand, even if they have a kleenex. I like to cough or sneeze into my elbow or shoulder.

 

[HollyS]

Paper money and newsprint will leave you with ink stains, but it is safe from most germs. I don't know why; it's something about the ink, I think.

If a bathroom is nasty, I'll only go if it's an emergency. A REAL emergency. If it's beyond gross, I'll find a manager and show them their scuz hole of a restroom.

I always flush with my foot if it is a tankless toilet. And I will avoid the door handle if I can.

In the Episcopal church, we pass the peace -- shaking your neighbors hand, or hugging those you know well. I steer clear of anyone that appears to have a head cold. I'll just pretend I didn't see them.

I'm a dipper when it comes to Communion; I dip my host in the wine, instead of drinking from the common cup. Bleh!

I will use hand sanitizer if I've had to deal with a customer who could be sick. Or another employee. When the crud is making the rounds at work, I will go so far as to ban the sickos from my office. If you're contagious, you belong at home.

I never pick up the magazines at the doctor's office. They ARE full of germs. Been sneezed on. Coughed on. You betcha they are full of bacteria.

 

[LostSapphire]

OK so I''m not really a germaphobe. I think we can over-sanitize ourselves.

But there are certain things with such a YUCK factor for me. Most of these won''t kill ya, but it doesn''t mean I want to experience it....

Hotel Bedspreads
People who don''t flush toilets (do I need to get more graphic than that? I can handle pee, but....)
The old milk that leaked out onto the shelves at the store and congealed, like, 3 weeks ago.
People who don''t pick up after their dogs: especially on the SIDEWALK. Geez, gimme a break people.
Spitting (and what we call "horking" ie: the noise people make BEFORE they spit out onto the sidewalk) a.k.a. Gross phelm-ey throat clearing per Gypsy
People who leave dirty diapers on the counter in public washrooms and on the grass in the park. Geez gimme a break people.
People who litter. PICK IT UP people!

rant over

LS

 

[HollyS]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:06:00 PM
Author: Selkie
OK, I''m sorry, but the people who flush with their feet? REALLY? Why not just use a piece of TP to cover your fingers? That seems kind of inconsiderate to those who flush with their hands, the way you''re supposed to. I mean, what''s on your shoes is REALLY gross. Not to mention, the handles break because of that.

I''ve never pushed hard enough to break a handle. I''m not putting my weight behind it.

And since I assume most people are flushing the same way, and they are, I would never touch the handle. Ever.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:06:00 PM
Author: Selkie
OK, I''m sorry, but the people who flush with their feet? REALLY? Why not just use a piece of TP to cover your fingers? That seems kind of inconsiderate to those who flush with their hands, the way you''re supposed to. I mean, what''s on your shoes is REALLY gross. Not to mention, the handles break because of that.

I think MOST public toilets are made for *feet* actually ... those industrial low metal dingy things positioned mere inches from the bowl ... NO WAY am I leaning down over the bowl & touching THAT.

Now *regular* toilets in offices & fancy eateries & stuff ... ones that look like HOME toilets ... of course I use my hands.

 

[Kelli]

I FREAKING CAN''T STAND BOOGERS!!! I don''t like vomit or other bodily fluids either, but I work in a dance studio/preschool and the boogers make me just wanna go home.

I seriously no kidding at all would ask one of my dancers to NEVER come back to my studio if I caught her (or him) putting a booger on the wall. But somehow, they''re always on there.

I can only hope it''s the preschoolers, but sometimes, the boogers are too high on the walls for them to reach.

It''s just disgusting, and that is the one thing I refuse to clean up, because then I will also have to clean up my own vomit.

I''ll mop up pee anyday, but someone else has to handle the snot!

 

[indecisive]

Date: 4/6/2009 5:13:03 PM
Author: Dani
Im a TOTAL OCD germaphobe. I shower (at minimum) twice a day.....I''ve always been a little nuts about germs, but once I became a nurse, that was it (everyone, if you think you''re bad now, take a microbiology class- UGH)!!!!!

Public restrooms are a nightmare, I check hotel beds thoroughly for bedbugs before I lie in them, etc. My hands become raw from washing them so much... I''m out of control...but at least I can admit it!!!!

I am not a nurse but I do have my degree in bio and I was never the same after I took parasitology, pathogenic bacteriology, and food microbiology in the same semester

. I was ocd-sh before but now I am bad... my poor husband! So I have a problem with all of the above. Phones (office, public, and cell) really gross me out too because people don''t wash hands/face/hair before using them and if I am not comfortable being face to face with you or run my hands through your hair I don not want to share a phone with you!

I shower at least 2x a day too!

 

[Gypsy]

LS... horking, EXACTLY. Grossest thing. Seriously. I would rather step barefoot in cat vomit.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:18:45 PM
Author: Gypsy
LS... horking, EXACTLY. Grosses thing. Seriously. I would rather step barefoot in cat vomit.

It''s almost my #1 gross out. Years ago, I was at a seminar once with a Police Officer giving tips to women who found themselves in an assault situation. The cop actually SAID that one way to divert the attacker''s attention was to hork like mad. I have never forgotten that.
LS

 

[HollyS]

OMG, to the hotel bedspreads!! NEVER use them! Hasn''t everyone seen the 20/20 exposes on hotel rooms?

Gum, stuck to any surface. Gross.

Restaurant menus; especially if they are not laminated so they can be wiped down with bleach. I never touch those books/cards of appetizers/drinks/desserts they have on the table, either.

 

[vintagecushion]

Horking, so gross. I actually cover my ears with my hands when that kind of retching/spitting looms imminent.

 

[HollyS]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:17:52 PM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 4/6/2009 6:06:00 PM
Author: Selkie
OK, I''m sorry, but the people who flush with their feet? REALLY? Why not just use a piece of TP to cover your fingers? That seems kind of inconsiderate to those who flush with their hands, the way you''re supposed to. I mean, what''s on your shoes is REALLY gross. Not to mention, the handles break because of that.

I think MOST public toilets are made for *feet* actually ... those industrial low metal dingy things positioned mere inches from the bowl ... NO WAY am I leaning down over the bowl & touching THAT.

Now *regular* toilets in offices & fancy eateries & stuff ... ones that look like HOME toilets ... of course I use my hands.

That''s what I mean, too. Not normal commodes; the industrial tankless ones.

 

[HollyS]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:18:21 PM
Author: indecisive

Date: 4/6/2009 5:13:03 PM
Author: Dani
Im a TOTAL OCD germaphobe. I shower (at minimum) twice a day.....I''ve always been a little nuts about germs, but once I became a nurse, that was it (everyone, if you think you''re bad now, take a microbiology class- UGH)!!!!!

Public restrooms are a nightmare, I check hotel beds thoroughly for bedbugs before I lie in them, etc. My hands become raw from washing them so much... I''m out of control...but at least I can admit it!!!!

I am not a nurse but I do have my degree in bio and I was never the same after I took parasitology, pathogenic bacteriology, and food microbiology in the same semester

. I was ocd-sh before but now I am bad... my poor husband! So I have a problem with all of the above. Phones (office, public, and cell) really gross me out too because people don''t wash hands/face/hair before using them and if I am not comfortable being face to face with you or run my hands through your hair I don not want to share a phone with you!

I shower at least 2x a day too!

Oh, Lord. Phones. Ick. Will. Not. Use. Public. Phones.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 4/6/2009 5:49:41 PM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 4/6/2009 5:42:11 PM

Author: kama_sThat said, if I drop uncooked pasta onto my kitchen floor...I''ll pick it up and put it back into the pot! Hey, boiling water kills all bacteria

. The one time Mr. Kama caught me doing that, he refused to eat the pasta. We didn''t have anymore at home, so he walked 30 minutes to the grocery and back to get fresh pasta. Our dinner was delayed by over an hour!!!

Oh my gosh, that reminded me of a time when I went to stay at my friends house when I was in middle school and her mom made pasta for dinner and the cat jumped in the pasta and her mom rinsed the pasta. I thought I was going to die! I said I wasn''t very hungry and ate an apple instead.

I also won''t eat baked goods from random people I don''t know (like bake sales), that is probably weird but I got that from my parents because they won''t do the same thing. I will make a donation at a bake sale though.

Skippy -- you should see the collection of kid-made baked things that accumulate in our teachers'' lunch room. When a kid at school brings in treats for their class they always wander into other teachers'' rooms to give them one of their treats. The food ALWAYS end up in the teachers'' lunch room though -- we refuse to eat kid-made ANYTHING.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:06:00 PM
Author: Selkie
OK, I''m sorry, but the people who flush with their feet? REALLY? Why not just use a piece of TP to cover your fingers? That seems kind of inconsiderate to those who flush with their hands, the way you''re supposed to. I mean, what''s on your shoes is REALLY gross. Not to mention, the handles break because of that.

Good point. I actually hadn''t thought of it that way.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:28:46 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett

Date: 4/6/2009 6:06:00 PM

Author: Selkie

OK, I'm sorry, but the people who flush with their feet? REALLY? Why not just use a piece of TP to cover your fingers? That seems kind of inconsiderate to those who flush with their hands, the way you're supposed to. I mean, what's on your shoes is REALLY gross. Not to mention, the handles break because of that.

Thank you Selkie, I wanted to say something, but didn't know how.

Good point. I actually hadn't thought of it that way.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:22:21 PM
Author: LostSapphire

Date: 4/6/2009 6:18:45 PM

Author: Gypsy

LS... horking, EXACTLY. Grosses thing. Seriously. I would rather step barefoot in cat vomit.

It''s almost my #1 gross out. Years ago, I was at a seminar once with a Police Officer giving tips to women who found themselves in an assault situation. The cop actually SAID that one way to divert the attacker''s attention was to hork like mad. I have never forgotten that.

LS

I don''t know if I could do that. I mean... I''d rather gouge out their eyes with my thumbs.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:31:54 PM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 4/6/2009 6:22:21 PM
Author: LostSapphire

Date: 4/6/2009 6:18:45 PM

Author: Gypsy

LS... horking, EXACTLY. Grosses thing. Seriously. I would rather step barefoot in cat vomit.

It''s almost my #1 gross out. Years ago, I was at a seminar once with a Police Officer giving tips to women who found themselves in an assault situation. The cop actually SAID that one way to divert the attacker''s attention was to hork like mad. I have never forgotten that.

LS

I don''t know if I could do that. I mean... I''d rather gouge out their eyes with my thumbs.

DO BOTH

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:39:11 PM
Author: LostSapphire

Date: 4/6/2009 6:31:54 PM

Author: Gypsy

Date: 4/6/2009 6:22:21 PM

Author: LostSapphire

Date: 4/6/2009 6:18:45 PM


Author: Gypsy


LS... horking, EXACTLY. Grosses thing. Seriously. I would rather step barefoot in cat vomit.

It''s almost my #1 gross out. Years ago, I was at a seminar once with a Police Officer giving tips to women who found themselves in an assault situation. The cop actually SAID that one way to divert the attacker''s attention was to hork like mad. I have never forgotten that.


LS

I don''t know if I could do that. I mean... I''d rather gouge out their eyes with my thumbs.

DO BOTH

Yes ma''am. But the horking as a last resort, okay?

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 4/6/2009 6:23:00 PM
Author: HollyS
OMG, to the hotel bedspreads!! NEVER use them! Hasn''t everyone seen the 20/20 exposes on hotel rooms?

Gum, stuck to any surface. Gross.

Restaurant menus; especially if they are not laminated so they can be wiped down with bleach. I never touch those books/cards of appetizers/drinks/desserts they have on the table, either.

I''m pretty low on the OCD/Germophobia thing, but I''ve seen the 20/20 and Oprah episodes on bedspreads in hotels and hate even *touching* them to remove them.

Give me a crisply washed and pressed white cotton duvet cover any day. I don''t care how much more the hotel wants to charge; IMO you can''t consider your property a four star hotel or higher if you expect your clientele to lay on the unwashed bed linens of the prior few dozen tenants. YUCK.

 

[Linda W]

Date: 4/6/2009 5:58:55 PM
Author: Gypsy

Date: 4/6/2009 4:46:40 PM

Author: Gypsy

Nothing. I got a pretty high tolerance. Unless it''s human vomit. Animal vomit''s okay.

Oh god. I should not have come back.


I lied, apparently. There are a few things that can wig me out.


Hotel bedspreads. Too many CSI episodes with blacklights.

Gross phelm-ey throat clearing. And people who spit. YUCK.

The whole chewing tobacco and spitting thing.

Spitting period.

Warm raw meat. By that I mean, meat that has been left out on the counter too long.

OMG Layla, just reading this made me gag

I hate when men do this, walking down the street. They spit. AAAAAAAACK!!!

 

[soocool]

I have Wet Ones in the car and in my purse. I have pump soap and sanitizer next to all my sinks and hand sanitizer in the garage that you can use before you enter my house.A couple times a week I wipe the door handles (including the refrigerator) and door jams with Lysol wipes. I even use baby wipes on my dog's paws after we come in from a walk. And I make everyone (yes everyone!) take their shoes off in my house.

I get grossed out when toilets are dirty anywhere, even in a friend's house. How hard is it to squirt some Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner in there and scrub for heaven's sake. Or better yet just pour some bleach in there and then flush.

I used to be a microbiologist so I am somehat of a germaphobe. Ok a big germaphobe!