Alright...I think I've lost it...GERMS!!!

[nkjzmom]

We just returned from the library with our typical loads of books and videos and I am completely cringing thinking about all the little hands and GERMS that have been on these things.

I know it's crazy but I just can't help it and I'm getting worse the older I get!!!

 

[DoeWDW]

Sometimes I get freaked out by this too! Germs are everywhere - telephones, door handles, etc. etc. etc.

But then I try to remember that contact with those everyday germs is what helps us build up our immune system. If you're raised in an environment that is "too clean", it can seriously impair your body's ability to handle the germs in the real world. Our ancestors survived without antibacterial soap and Clorox wipes, right?

I'm thinking all this now, but I'm sure there will come a time when I'll get freaked out again and have to give myself the same speech again.

 

[Chattyaholic]

I can sympathize with you.

I went to Wal-Mart and the grocery store this morning and just wanted to wash my hands when I got home.

Germs are everywhere though, we can't avoid 'em completely.

Just wash your hands a lot!

 

[Missy1961]

Originally posted by DoeWDW


But then I try to remember that contact with those everyday germs is what helps us build up our immune system. If you're raised in an environment that is "too clean", it can seriously impair your body's ability to handle the germs in the real world. Our ancestors survived without antibacterial soap and Clorox wipes, right?

Exactly! And I keep hearing the more we use these products, the more the germs become resistant to them. Just wash your hands with regular soap and water.

 

[nkjzmom]

Glad I'm not the only one....

I remind myself of these facts all the time!! As a matter of fact, that is why I don't keep my house perfectly clean . I'm just making sure we have some great immune systems here!!

It's still so hard not to wipe all of the cases off....

 

[ilovepcot]

nkjzmom, you and I think alike. A chemist who works in the food industry lives next door. He's always fussing at me about all the scrubbing and cleaning I do with bleach and antibacterials. He preaches that all of us, not just me, should use regular soap and water (already mentioned by a poster) to allow our bodies to build up their own immunities. I have relaxed somewhat, but I won't touch anything in my home after a shopping trip till my hands have been washed. And I NEVER put food into my mouth till hands are washed. (I do still secretly clean doorknobs, cabinet pulls, faucets, light switches, steering wheels, fridge handle, keyboard, all remotes and toilet handles.) And yes, I really have backed off.

 

[buzzlady]

In the past few years I have acquired a germ phobia. Things like germs never used to bother me. Now I keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer in my car. Everytime I come out of a store (after touching all those little germs on the shopping carts) I use it. I figure that if that's all my DS Dr. uses instead of washing his hands with soap and water before seeing them, it must be worth something.

 

[nkjzmom]

Karen...that's how I am too...I hardly ever thought of them...is it an age thing????

ilovepcot...it all depends on HOW OFTEN you're scrubbing all those handles, phones, steering wheels, etc By the way, I do that too!

 

[Hillbeans]

LOL - this made me think of something my son did. We were at DMV a few months ago and this place is as dirty as a truck stop. He kept asking me to buy him one of the big gumballs from the .25 machine. He threw it on the dirty floor and it rolled all the way from one end to the other. Then he put it in his mouth (I couldn't get to it fast enough).

OMG....I thought for sure i'd be at the hospital that night. We weren't and I guess it goes to show the human body is a wonderous thing!

 

[cheeringmom]

I BATHE my children and myself in Purell. Uck I hate germs too!

 

[winniedapooh]

Can you say PURELL, lol? I think I go through more hand sanitizer, hand washing, anti-bacterial lotion, etc. I have taken to using bleach wipes!

 

[Octoberbride03]

OK, I have a question for y'all since you seems to share a germ phobia. What do you ppl do when you use cash to pay for something? Any cash cash ion your wallet has been passed around more times, and carries more germs than pretty much anything in your house. After all its not like you can launder it and expect it to survive.

 

[goin2disneyagain]

Originally posted by nkjzmom
I know it's crazy but I just can't help it and I'm getting worse the older I get!!!

I refer to myself as being "germaphobic". I have been made fun of because of my phobia of germs but I can't help it. I wash my hands ALL the time. I use antibacterial hand washes when I am away from a sink.

 

[nkjzmom]

Maureen....you've touched on another hot spot with me. Usually the only time I handle money I can wash my hands not long after. I mostly try to use my bankcard though.

I will admit that we do not use any antibacterial gel around home. I do keep wipes and gel in my car for "just in case"...like having a picnic at a playground. I guess just looking at all these books/videos really got me thinking.

Reminder: DO NOT think too much....it's nothing but trouble.

 

[ilovepcot]

Octoberbride03, I saw a television program a few years ago (60 Minutes, 20/20...something of that sort) and it was dealing with people who have germ phobias. During the program, they showed a cashier in a fast food restaurant not only handle money but the food as well. When a spokesperson for this fast food restaurant was questioned about this practice, they told the news program that it was a safe and acceptable practice. Research had shown that money doesn't spread germs in a significant enough way to be of concern. WHAT??? Research may show that but I'm definitely NOT comfortable with that practice. *Being this was several years back, I don't know if criteria for determining the safety of this practice has changed.*

 

[Lynn CC]

They don't call me "Miss Sanitary" for nothing!

 

[lightningcoach]

OCD OCD OCD OCD OCD OCD OCD OCD OCD OCD OCD OCD OCD

 

[Nancy]

I'm probably going to make you all pass out BUT I don't worry about stuff like that at all! I don't use anti-bacterial soap...the only time I washed my hands alot was when the girls were babies. I wash my hands before I eat at work...but not at home...at work because I handle money sometimes and coins are dirty. In the sections of our store that handle food and money they are required to wash their hands and put gloves on before handling food.


I don't go all sanitary crazy at home and my girls don't get sick half as much as some of my germophobic friends. Doctor said to wash hands with hot water and soap...that works for me.

 

[Figment22]

Here's my germy pet peeve:

At Mass on Sundays, when you have the sign of peace and you have to turn to your neighbor (front, back, left, right) and shake hands. It makes me crazy when I know that the person next to me has been sneezing or coughing into their right hand all during the service And, there's really no polite way NOT to shake their hand. I've actually taken to bringing a pocket sized bottle of Purell in my purse so I can get rid of their germs! At the very least, I try not to touch my eyes or nose until I can wash my hands.

 

[Karista]

One time a friend and I were sitting in a small local diner having breakfast and I was watching the cook with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth flipping pancakes. I was sooooo glad I had eggs. Then, and I am NOT kidding, she took a kleenex out of her pocket, blew her nose, stuffed it back in her pocket and then went to grab some chopped vegetables to throw on an omlette. I was so disgusted I wanted to leave. My friend, who is a chiropractor (not a REAL doctor according to my mother) told me "you need to get over your germ issues". YUCK. Needless to say, I will never go back there to eat again.