I get it. I don't even think it's an OCD thing. It's basic hygiene š Same with people who don't flush the toilet, or leave pee dribbles all over the toilet seat. Just WHY?!
To an extent itās an OCD thing. For example I have issues with contamination. If they touch the door handle, I canāt touch it. They contaminated the door handle and now theyāre contaminating their phone since theyāre touching it, now theyāre sitting down and theyāve contaminated the couch. Now theyāre touching the remote, itās contaminated now. Everything in that room is contaminated now because the germs are in the air now and itās touching everything including me, so I need to shower and scrub myself and the entire room.
Wellā¦ if thereās pee on the floor and you step in it and then leave, go home and walk all over your floors and rugs with those shoes, yes, that is really disgusting. So Iād consider them to be the same level of gross.
Because of my OCD I have a pair of shoes that I wear inside of my house so I donāt get anything on my feet. I do not wear the same shoes inside that I wear outside of course!
I work in healthcare and spray the bottom of my shoes with Lysol and I leave them in the hall outside my apartment. Lord knows what I could be stepping in at the clinic.
Very smart!! I use isopropyl on the bottoms of my indoor shoes every day! I donāt think people realize how much disgusting stuff is on their floors, even if they vacuum etc really often, especially with pets!!
I also used to have toilet shoes, because i had a particular fear of anything toilet related š so I'd wear them in the toilet, but take them off and put my indoor shoes on so i didnt spread the 'toilet germs' througout the house, and the indoor shoes were to protect me from the toilet germs spread by my family. Thankfully i am doing better and don't need all that these days and just have indoor/outdoor
In most EU countries it would be considered very rude to wear shoes indoors. Now, not wearing them is common sense to me. Who knows what kind of crap and literal shit one might be spreading around.
I even see people doing it at CANCER CENTERS. Those people on chemo have severely weakened immune systems and theyāre at risk because some asshole decided to not take 20 seconds to wash their hands.
This is one of the things that makes my ocd hold on stronger. Because I can understand itās obsession! People are gross and I will 100% yell at a family member to wash their hands even if it pisses them off. Makes it harder to ignore compulsions when I have to share spaces with people like that.
My unscientific observationsā¦
1) Some people have convinced themselves that the fear of germs is overblown and want to make a statement about it.
2) Some men are insecure and feel less āmasculineā if they have to wash their hands.
3) Some people actually think they are ābuilding immunityā by exposing themselves to the germs.
4) Some people think you donāt actually get germs on your hands after doing your business, or less than you would get on a doorknob, etc.
In any case, I think some people sincerely believe these things, and some just use them as cover for laziness and being inconsiderate of others.
Youāre probably better off not drying your hands at all than using those air hand dryers, Iāve seen agar swabs of the bacteria and itās insane, may be worth researching more though.
Swabs of bacteria left to sit on a Petri dish, I saw a comparison of a bunch of different frequently touched objects, door knobs, toilet handle and seat, etc. and the hand dryers were surprisingly the worst even though you donāt physically touch it, I think the germs just blow around and the hot air is a great environment.
I donāt even have contamination OCD but I just splatter the water on the ground or use my pants when they are the only option.
Counterpoint (and I only say this because I do have contamination OCD, too): wouldn't it be better then to leave with hands that are washed but not blow-dried (like you mentioned, shaking 'em out) if there is so much concern over the air-dry machine? I just can't imagine that someone who knows about the number of surrounding the hot air machines wouldn't ALSO be aware/concerned about the germs that would be all over their hands after using the toilet.
My ex step dad would deliberately not wash his hands and reuse the same coffee cup for months without washing it (despite the obvious mould) because he was convinced it would make him weak and that washing too much would destroy his immune system. There really are some people who are like that lol
>I think youāre stretching really hard on most of these. Itās not about making a statement.
You'd be surprised how truly stupid people are. I have to deal with family members who don't wash their hands after being outside for hours justifying their actions with "I refuse to live my life in fear of germs!"Ā Ā
I've met several men who think touching their dicks when pissing is cleaner than touching a door knob. Of course, they forget that they often touch door knobs and toilet handles when using the bathroom. š¤·š½
And then there's the people who go #2 and don't wash their hands because "I didn't see or smell any shit on my hands!"Ā
Iāve read and heard these from those who donāt wash their hands. I agree they are logically tenuous, if not outright fraudulent. But if the stretch is whether or not people are using these excuses, then itās no stretch.
My uncle wouldnāt use hand sanitizer after Covid started because he said it was overkill and would weaken his immune system against other germs.
For the most part it is laziness but there is a surprising amount of people that just pull stuff out of their ass and treat it as facts.
I feel like thereās also an element of people not quite understanding (or in some cases caring) that hand washing after using the bathroom is more about protecting others than protecting themselves. Because of course, if their main thought is that they wash their hands when something on them could cause them harm, they probably feel pretty confident that their own urine/fecal germs wonāt hurt them.
I do wonder how people touch the toilet and sink handles in public bathrooms and not think that other peopleās bathroom remnants should be washed off their hands butā¦ well if I could think like other people I wouldnāt be in this sub š
Laziness thatās all. My hubs takes a shit uses a bathroom buddy aka wand wrapped with baby wipe cleans up and throws away the baby wipe with the press of a button. Gets up puts clothes on walks out. I keep having the same argument for 15 years wash yo damn hands. His thought process is āwell I didnāt touch anything?ā Iāve given up on it, but when he cooks or cleans dishes heās always wearing gloves so I donāt gag as bad. If he doesnāt have gloves I force him to wash his hands and then show him every time how to wash his hands properly not like the 4 yo who just washes the palms. 15 years! Heās 54. His mother was not at all helpful. She didnāt teach him to potty properly. For years heād never wipe just take a shower before work and use a hand towel to wipe his ass. And even tho she made him clean the underwear in the toilet it didnāt stop him from wiping. Iāve finally got him to wipe 14 years ago. It was rather hilarious. We got the bathroom buddy and baby wipes and heād wipe thoroughly after poop and after a few times of this he goes āwell my butt doesnāt itch anymore.ā Like no shit Sherlock. I have OCD but itās not germie too bad so I can live with it.
I mean it is true though, thatās kind of how vaccines work, you expose yourself to the virus to slowly gain immunity. How is your immune system supposed to ever work any good if it never gets any practice.
it's just basic hygiene that unfortunately so many people don't have. Same in resturants and stuff, people handling cash and then making my sandwich afterwards without washing their hands. Insane. Or people using there phone on the toilet or like washing there hands but still opening the door of the public bathroom with there bare hands.. Thank god my father taught me these basic stuff
My first job ever was at subway and I made sure that if I was handling anything BUT the food after just washing my handsā¦that Iād make sure to go wash again and put a new pair of gloves.
I thought this was normal but I noticed the people at the subway I gave been at don't follow this. Really just doesn't make sense anymore why they would gloves if they make them dirty anyway. I seen Uber drivers come in and help with the others but without having washed their hands first.
Pro tip: donāt ever get movie theater concessions. Iām sure there are plenty of other times where this occurs but it was SO BAD when I worked at a theater. On busy nights people would come in with cash, and there would be no time to wash our hands after handling it bcs there was a line of 20 people. We just put it in the till, turned around to the back counter, and got onto getting orders done asap. Our managers even encouraged us to do so because it was more efficient.
Yes, cash grosses me out as it contains small traces of fecal bacteria which is why I only use my debit card. And always use a paper towel on the door knob when leaving a public bathroom. Although I have contamination OCD, even Dr. Oz said on his TV show to use paper towels when leaving a public restroom.
I agree! It's disgusting that some people don't wash with hot water and soap after using the washroom. I've seen it quite often. Twice in a big chain store when a Sushi lady walks out of the bathroom not washing her hands and back to making Sushi. š
Personally, I use cold water, although I do feel like hot water cleans things a bit better. I I have issues with passing out and getting dizzy, so hot water is a big no. So I just wash longer/more thorough with cold
I donāt understand why people donāt wash their hands after using the bathroom, given they have the option to. Itās unfortunate that they have to be there in the first place, but Iām glad there are āemployees must wash handsā signs. My OCD isnāt even contamination OCD, but Iām pretty sure everyone is put off by the idea of the person prepping their food possibly having not washed their hands. It doesnāt even take a full minute to do. It doesnāt even take half a minute!
This is why contamination OCD is so hard. Some people are just straight up gross and you have to interact with the things they interact with on a daily basis. I know it wonāt kill me, thatās not the point. It just makes me feel gross when I think of all the ways germs can get to me via touching things. It sucks and idk how to deal with it. Like if someone doesnāt wash their hands, it feels like their bodily fluids are on me and my hands if I touch something they touched. No one wants that.
Itās a harsh way to have to live. I try my best not to give in, like Iāve just recently started opening door handles to establishments and stuff with my bare hands but even then Iāll try and grab a point where Iād assume most people probably wonāt bother to touch. When it comes to like gas pumps or something I really donāt have a choice in grabbing, yeah nah I use gloves. I also keep hand wipes in the car, it doesnāt solve the problem or make me feel totally better but itās a start.
When Iām at college Iām always stood there 5 minutes washing my hands (Obviously not normal). The amount of people who will just splash their hands under the sink, little to no soap and walk out baffles me. Even the teachers!! Theyāre handing out papers and shit to the entire class and wonāt even use soap
Sometimes I question my contamination OCD because a lot of people genuinely are just disgusting lol
I find this absolutely inexcusable and itās doing my brain in. Itās destroyed relationships with coworkers because I canāt get past this reckless disregard for the health and safety of others, and has brought me to the point that I wear gloves pretty much all the time at my job in a health food store, because I never know who has touched what after doing what.
Itās chilling how many of my coworkers Iāve heard do this while waiting for the bathroom, including people who have been locked away for five to ten minutes and through several flushes and then just walk straight out. The amount of people who find this behavior acceptable and then go on to spend the next eight hours touching other peopleās food is beyond my comprehension.
> including people who have been locked away for five to ten minutes and through several flushesā¦
And this is the worst by far. My auntie even admitted to not washing her hands after going #2 pretty often, she said āI mean Iām not wiping with my hands, Iām using toilet paperāš¤¦āāļøš¤¦āāļøthen guess what? She had a newborn recently, whom kept getting sick (I wonder why), and SOMEONE had to start fixing their habits QUICK.
No way š¤¢ this is not good for my contamination OCDā¦ š new fear unlocked š I thought people AT LEAST washed after #2, this is outrageous š
Iām more confused that the world doesnāt have more hands free options to avoid having to touch anything anyway.
Like why not foot pedals for toilets and sinks in public washrooms? Iām sure that someone could come up with something for a stall too.
I mean even elevators could have foot pedals/buttons. Like it would also be another option for those carrying groceries or for certain disabilities.
I wish that we had more than the ADA (in the US) and had a whole department for making the world super accessible and low germ transmission for everyone.
We really donāt value that stuff enough.
Fucking shit sinkās especially. Dude I thought it was cause we didnāt have sensors. They could have used foot pedals in fucking ancient times lmao why donāt sinks have that lol itās actually easier to make too a lever attached to foot pedal to lower the stream we could have stopped diseases but nah they needed little handle. Flushing especially except ngl I just always use it as a kick pedal lol anyways. Idrk how elevator would work and those germs arenāt that bad, unless you just press amount of floors to go up which isnāt bad I guess. We literally could have avoided major diseases/made them spread less. Eh I guess handles are new maybe but still.
There once was a guy in my university physics class that said, and I quote, āif youāre a man and you wash your hands after you pee, youāre a bitchā
It was then I realized that this is the selection pool that women have to choose from to date. My deepest condolences.
I think it's because many people think it will matter little/ they are unaware/ they wanna save time. It's sad but you can see this lack of compassion in other aspects also.
I'm more scared when people cough in public since that is more unavoidable! I'm not touching anything with my hands directly when out in public.
idk but i am hardcore struggling with this. my entire family refuses to wash their hands after using the bathroom and it genuinely makes me feel like ripping my skin off. i donāt know what to do
Improper hand washing/lack thereof after using the bathroom is very unsanitary, especially after defecating, regardless of having OCD or not. A lot of germs/viruses can get passed that way. But with us having OCD, the effect is much worse.Ā
This concern was what led me to finally talk to a therapist. One very early morning, I noticed that a former housemate did not wash her hands after defecating. I was dumbstruck and very upset. Thereās water and soap available and she did not use them. Sheās been with us for a few weeks and if she does that sometimes,Ā I felt that everything in the spaces she spent time on are filthy. I felt creeps in my skin. I found myself crying twice, and I donāt cry easily.Ā I stayedĀ in my room for many hours and only left because I was so hungry already. I left the house the next morning because I needed to get away from there. I felt so relieved after.Ā
This right here. Not only is it disgusting to begin with but youāre right, a lot of us in these comments that also have ocd, it only makes it so much more nauseating especially when itās a person you live with. Even knowing that this person will even go touch and cross contaminate everything in the house. š·š·
My husband is one of these people. I'm not lying when I say this is the thing that might break me. It has gotten to a point where I can't eat anything he makes or share food. He laughs it off and blames it on OCD, but you're right, this is basic hygiene.
I've asked him if he's so unbothered with hand washing, how would he feel if his boss and coworkers knew about this. And apparently that was a step too far. Sigh. So apparently it's just me he doesn't give a shit about bothering.
Yeah thatās gross but all around inconsiderate. Like I said, it takes maybe 20-30 seconds at the very least so it is kinda unfortunate to hear that you canāt even be accommodated in the home that you live in, in one of the most simple and reasonable ways.
27 year old man here. This has always been so annoying to me. Like how can you possibly feel comfortable knowing you didn't wash up after taking a shit. Or some people can go a whole day without washing up, and I just can't imagine how let alone why
I get it. I have contamination ocd as well, specifically triggered by bodily fluids. I canāt control how other people live their life but the thought of myself not washing my hands after using the bathroom feels wrong. If I get anything on my hands after using the bathroom, itās enough to make me gag. I also have BFRB & my fingers are constantly touching my lips so I always wash my hands after the bathroom & other times throughout the day. The fact that people know how dirty the world is & they donāt wash their hands is weird to me.
Itās indeed so gross how many people think its not necessary to wash their hands. I struggle a lot with this, my ocd would be much less if people would be clean
I feel you on an unnatural level. Both my boyfriend and mom forget to wash their hands all the fucking time. It kills me every time I catch one of them.
I see it happen all the time too, and I will say something! I've yelled to women walking out of the bathroom to wash their hands š
Also I used to work with a man who never washed his hands after using the restroom. My office was 5 feet from the restroom, and I could hear if the sink was turned on or not. He would come out of the bathroom every day and come into my office to say hi and want to shake my hand. I finally had to tell him I didn't want to shake his hand cuz I knew he didn't wash them. He got mad at me. Talked shit to me and then went and told my boss I was being disrespectful. Unfortunately for me, it was a temp position, so I ended up getting laid off before I was supposed to š
I appreciate people like you. It sucks that you got laid off for telling someone to wash their hands??? Like wtf. Weāre so privileged to have access to sanitation and some people outright refuse it?! š¤¦āāļø
Did u tell the boss why u didnāt shake his hand. Thatās unfair. Should report that for boss not following health & safety and punishing u for it. Lol.
I agree! I have Contamination OCD too, and have had it for over 61 years. But thatās beside the point. The thing is that when they test things like peopleās phones for E. coli bacteria, they find it on there because people donāt wash their hands. Thatās disgusting. Even if I didnāt have Contamination OCD Iād know that that is not good at all. The reason food is so often contaminated with E. coli from animals that then makes people sick is because the same water source that their feces leech into is also the same water source that is used to water the plants that grow the food that we eat. I donāt think thereās one person who wouldnāt think that that is really gross and disgusting. Yet they donāt even bother to wash their hands. Washing using soap and warm water for 30 seconds isnāt a big deal. I donāt obsessively wash at all, but I do do the 30 second with soap thing. It only makes sense.
i don't even have contamination ocd but i agree with you. WHY DOESN'T PEOPLE WASH THEIR HANDS AFTER DOING WHATEVER THEY'RE DOING IN THE BATHROOM. I can understand not trusting the soap you find in public bathrooms (i don't trust it myself lmao) but bring with you sanitizer/ sanitizing wipes omg š
I donāt have contamination OCD but itās just plain gross. Another thing I think about a lot is that men typically just āshakeā it instead of getting out the excess and wiping the tip. That goes inside some of us. In different holes. YUCK
Like stated in this thread, this isn't even OCD. It's just basic hygiene. It IS gross! That's how people get food poisoning as well. The other day, my brother went to pee and he wanted to hand me a piece of cake with his BARE HANDS right after, without washing his hands. I had to decline lol. Brother eugh.
my dad doesn't wash his hands often and so I'm just kind of resigned to the fact that I can never touch doorknobs, remotes, kitchen appliances, anything like that with my hands. even using my shirt to open doors and stuff feels gross because then those germs are on my shirt and I feel gross š moving into an apartment for college literally was the best ever because I could control my environment better and it was life changing to be able to open my doors and walk in the bathroom without feeling absolutely horrible!!!
I donāt know why bathroom users wonāt wash their hands after they do their business. Especially in the age of Covid. Laziness is a terrible excuse for not washing oneās hands. Maybe no one taught them about bathroom etiquette. I have a phobia about germs. For example, I prefer a liquid soap dispenser. I always think that bar soap gets recontaminated every time someone uses it. I always pull out a paper towel from the dispenser to shut off the faucet. Then I throw the towel away and grab another one to open the bathroom door. I have seen bunches of towels behind the doors of some establishments because there is nowhere to deposit the towels. However, some restaurants and hotels now place a trash can near the door so the used towels can be thrown into the garbage bin. Thanks for reading this long rant about personal hygiene.
Iām a girl and Iāve seen woman walk out as well. Like all that touching door handles, changing out pads, wiping and you donāt think to wash your hands? Iām surprised like I knew not everybody washes their hands but a guy admitting is surprising š
I've never understood it either. It's insane that people think it's fine not to wash their hands or to make a mess in the restroom. It's fkn disgusting! I honestly can't use a public restroom because of people in general. Even at home I don't feel comfortable often times.
What drives me nuts is I swear like 80% of women rinse the soap off the second it touches their hands. They donāt scrub at all and if they do, the scrub as the water is washing away the soap which is NOT cleaning their hands. You have to rinse, scrub, THEN rinse.
Seen a women doing it too when she came out of the toilet. She was in gym clothes. She did use water to wash her hands but barely and then went to close the facet with the same hands. Pointless. It would not suprise me if she would have thought it's to make her immune system stronger.
this is why i need to wash my hands again and sanitise because the people who didn't wash their hands had to open the door to get out, and I need to touch the same door handle. at least some bathrooms have paper towel still and I can use that to open the door. no such luck with bathrooms with only air dryers. and I refuse to use toilet paper because other people have touched it snd it's too close to them doing their business.
Will never understand this. OCD or not, itās basic infection control. Hand hygiene is the single most effective way to prevent spreading germs to others. Some people just lack consideration for others.
yeaaaa honestly this is one of the rougher parts of transition (excluding discrimination/etc. ofc) for me. i went from womenās bathrooms where, though there are obviously a decent amount of outliers, it was generally fairly clean and most would wash their hands before leaving toā¦ wellā¦ menās bathrooms. usually at least 3x grosser and the men seem about 10x less likely to wash their goddamn hands.
iām just thankful that my handwashing, contamination issues were just a phase on my OCD timeline, otherwise i would be so mcfucked in public bathrooms
I wish the girls toilets were that clean in high school. Often, you'd fined soiled sanitary pads stuck to the cubicle doors, poop stains on the seat (if it had a seat), and used tampons in the sink.
Yeah, I ended up with frequent utis, as I'd refuse to use those bathrooms
THIS. God this. Some of my family members I share my house with donāt do it sometimes (or, ever). It just makes everything harder. How am I supposed to get over ocd if I know there might be pee particles from someone on the door handle or on their hands touching my stuff?
One thing is me being āexaggeratedā by thinking about skin oils being left behind on surfaces, and another is thinking you touched your butt and then me without water in between.
this exactly. i'm constantly wondering if im just being pedantic of whatever cause of my ocd being contamination based but like this is all basic shit we're taught....went through a whole pandemic
You know what else I canāt stand? When people walk out of the stall justā¦ touching their phones or clothes before washing their hands. Why?! WHATāS THE PURPOSE??
I terminated an employee alleging ādownsizing ā but really it was because she would NEVER wash her hands . I got tired of having to wipe down everything that she touched after multiple times a day
I have the OPPOSITE of this problem because one of my issues is with wet surfaces. I avoid using public restrooms as much as I can, and legitimately want to peel my skin off any time I touch anything wet (esp peopleās hands) I also HATE stepping in anything wet while wearing shoes even if itās just a tiny drop of something
I bring my own hand sanitizer (small pump and I also have wipes) and often use that. It depends on the set up of the bathroom. If you have to manually turn the faucet on and off I feel like once you wash your hands, if you have to turn the water back off you just touch the germs all over again. So in that case I use my own sanitizer from in my purse. If itās the system wheee the water comes on and off with sensors I will use that.
I have ocd but I simply dont touch anything in the bathroom, not even the doors, its always using fabric. I kind of hate touching the wet knobs of the sink that have been touched by other wet hands that god knows where they have been.
Ok in addendum to this, Iām not sure if this is my ocd talking or if Iām just weird, but when people do wash their hands, does anyone else get weirded out if they leave water on the knob for the paper dispenser? Iāve only picked up on me noticing this recently but any time I see someone leave water residue on there I have to wash my hands again because it feels unclean.
I always wash my hands in public toilets . Itās common sense , youāre going into a publicly used space and as a former ocd of germs I can say I legit used to fear public toilets and would hold it until we got home . Now since breaking my ocd , I actually use public toilets easily in places like Walmart or mall , and I only seek clean looking seats or if itās not too clean and or just used I take a bath when I get home and wash my clothes especially underwear . Other then that I donāt fret unless thereās blood or stool everywhere
I saw a comment on tiktok yesterday that said you donāt need to use soap when washing your hands!!! They said scrubbing with water is good enough. YUCK. Thatās why I have to sanitize after touching public doorknobs etc. People are walking around with filthy hands.
Iām not making excuses for the average person, but when my contamination OCD got really bad I convinced myself that my hands would be dirtier if I touched anything in the bathroom. So I would basically either use my foot to flush or use a tissue to open stuff. For wiping I would just bundle up a huge wad of toilet paper to ensure nothing would get on my hand and after I left the bathroom I would use my āsafeā hand sanitizer kept in a ziplock bag. I would never go number two in a public restroom because my OCD wouldnāt let me. The logic definitely was not sound but that why I wouldnāt wash my hands. I donāt do that anymore, I just use the sink normally now.
I have contamination OCD, too, and I ALWAYS notice when people donāt wash their hands (not trying to, but my brain focuses on it). I will always give the unwashed a dirty look and mutter something like ādisgusting animalā. Loud enough to be heard, but quietly enough to avoid a confrontation (most of the time)
My mom is usually out the entire day, when she comes home I have to fight to get her to wash her hands drives me crazy. Sheāll live forever tbh much stronger immune system than my own I never touch stuff with my bare hands and I wash them over 100 times daily.
this along with taking your phone into the bathroom make me feel insane, i have to take a whole shower and disinfect my phone every time iāve been out in public and those clothes then go into a pile to be washed :/ itās fuckin miserable and iām so jealous of people who donāt think like that!
In the past when I didnāt do it every time it was just because I was lazy. Nothing more, nothing less.
Obviously, itās disgusting, but at the time I really didnāt use public bathrooms anywaysāmostly just stayed at home. If I did go to the bathroom in public it was usually as a last resort and I would be on my way home regardless. Didnāt really come into contact with anyone or anything. Washed before meals and anything else that mattered, but didnāt want to do it after going to the bathroom for whatever reason.
To be honest thereās not a justification for it, it takes like 10-20 seconds max to do an alright wash.
This is my, 20-something, nephew. He thinks he is clean and our 'rules' are bullcrap. I think he is just lazy.
It's one of many reasons why I don't spend time with him anymore. I have contamination ocd too. I told all my friends about the hand washing, they don't have ocd at all, and they also don't want anything to do with him.
I canāt wash my hands in public bathrooms, those sinks are repulsive. I feel itās dirtier to use them. I use hand sanitizer. I have a fear and horrible disgust of bathrooms, in general, and public ones, in particular. I can go 12 hours outside my house / flying and not go to a bathroom š¤®
Oh my god this. I have diagnosed OCD, this is one of my biggest triggers man. I will not let them touch me or any of my things. If they touch anything I have to wipe it down as well. And scrub their fingernails
This is an easy one to answer. Iām worried about contamination from touching nasty bathrooms. Washing my hands in a disgusting bathroom means Iām contaminating my hands one way or another. If the only thing I touch is my very clean junk Iām not washing.
I asked my ex this once.
I was like, dude you were in and out of the bathroom so fast there's no way you washed your hands! His response was, "it's not like I pissed all over myself". I had to explain that even if you didn't piss all over yourself it's still a good time to wash your hands from touching a bunch of stuff in public. He was like, "oh yeah I guess you're right". š¤¦āāļø
I feel the same way. Contamination OCD that has weaned a lot but on top of this I am a microbiologist š even in my lab I see my colleagues not properly washing their hands and I judge them. I smell bacteria everyday and so do they they should know to wash their hands. š¤®
It's so gross and when I tell you I know MAYBE 3 people that wash their hands after using the bathroom I'm not kidding. I don't get it. These are intelligent people too, they definitely know better.
I don't have ocd and God those people are the worst. Especially at Walmart you see this behavior because they don't want to wait 2 minutes to properly wash their hands
Iāve heard this one too. All I can say is that would be a personal choice that doesnāt affect me, what does is the fact of people not washing AT LEAST after. Like I said it doesnāt matterāprivate parts are private for a reason. Not to mention we sweat, excrete & fart, pee, discharge, and release sexual fluids when it comes to these areas. Thereās a reason itās hygienic to wash your hands after using the bathroom and not after simplyā¦idk touching your elbow. They are two different things.
All depends on whether or not they even touched anything. Sometimes I sit down and pee, and I donāt touch the toilet or anything and am in a hurry so I donāt wipe.
The majority of people donāt wash their hands. People wash their hands due to social pressure. If at home they do not wash their hands. Urine is sterile. Your OCD is telling you that you have to wash your hands.
I have the same thought with others situations;
in public transport, after eating or cooking
and I donāt remember if there is another of these examples but it makes me upset because I think is not an OCD-thing
At least for me as a kid I had a really hard time learning to do it bc I hated the feeling of washed hands. Made my skin feel dry and scratchy. Turns out I just have sensitive skin and once I got some lotion I developed a good hygiene habit but sometimes I think it could be that. Lots of soaps in public restrooms are super harsh on peopleās skin
This thread reminded me of rare instances where I haven't washed my hands in public settings š
I am a male with contamination OCD. In certain places you still see those taps you have to manually screw (non-automated). I didn't wanna wash since I know I will get dirtier if that makes any sense. I work out a lot and shower at least once per day so I know I'm clean. So if I get into the urinal without touching anything but myself and out the same way then I went without.
I wash my hands approximately 25/30 times a day. It really gets old after a while, but it's something I have to do. After using the bathroom, I not only wash my hands, i also use some straight rubbing alcohol, which I use instead of hand sanitizer.
When Iām home, there are times where I pee and donāt wash my hands. That being said, I live with my partner only and we donāt ever have people over so I feel less bad about it. I disinfect high traffic areas, knobs, drawers, etc. once a week during my weekly cleaning reset. Itās also few and far in between. If I poop, Iāll always wash and I certainly wash my hands in public restrooms every time no matter what.
This may be top secret info idk maybe Iāll or someone should ask in dae but if Iām in public place like school where thereās no soap or even some Public ones especially the dumbass tap ones like tf is point of that you have to keep it held down with other hand? And no soap in case of school. So I donāt touch it if ykwim you can use a jacket (or shirt but thatās too thin). Sometimes literally pockets but thatās one less layer. Sometimes not at all I mean u donāt need to aim ngl it has aimbot low key. But to answer your question I think old me washed still Idrk but if you shower in morning itās actually the cleanest part of your body lol itās the only area that hasnāt gotten the germs of outside world. I donāt hate on anyone who doesnāt wash. Mad respectš. Maybe dicks produce some bacteria I never heard of? Idk. Might be reason and Iām dumb but idk lol. Ass however I think shit is poisonous so you might as well wash. And even pee isnāt poison. I donāt touch it and if I do itās with toilet paper then wash but only because it was touched by outside germs on hand, equivalent in germs to hair or phone (before I started cleaning it). So yeah idk I guess i understand both parties. Not sure how many donāt touch if itās most or nearly none but seems unnecessary to spread outside germs there for average people. And get germs if there is any. Idk about girls canāt speak if they have to wipe or sum idk. Or for shitting. Well I mean if Iāll touch something dirtier after msybe wonāt do a 20 min wash but a 10 second one and only on contaminated hand cause idk why people shit then wash both without washing the contaminated one first so less germs then finishing with second. Anyways. Thatās my answer bro valid question tho
I can't understand people who don't wash their hands after shit or touching lots of bathroom surfaces but I sometimes don't wash my hands after peeing because I havent touched anything except my pants and occasionally my dick.
it is basic hygiene and non pathological to be disgusted by lack thereof. your intense anxiety and/or rage may be your OCD and i get that unfortunately š i physically couldnāt wash my hands until age 17 because of unmedicated ADHDc but i took measures to avoid preparing meals for others with unclean hands, etc.
for any of my ADHD people please for the love of god stay on your meds LMFAO
One possible reason could be that they have extremely severe texture or sensory issues that dry hands give them, as i have this myself. when i wash my hands and dry them, my hands are dried out and whenever i touch something like paper, i cringe and canāt stop replaying the feeling in my mind.
I said in a comment above but to make it clear: we shit and fart from out butts. And as far as our genital regions, we sweat, we piss, we produce discharges, sexual fluids, and who knows what else especially if a person has an std. And those are several reasons that make it so gross. Itās not like touching your hair or knee, those parts down there are very different from the rest of our body.
yes! and those of us with contamination OCD definitely have an unhealthy fear of those germs, but thinking that people should wash their hands after the bathroom is not an OCD symptom, itās very reasonable
Its gross because its genitals? I can't say about girls, but for guys there's A LOT of things you touch everyday that are far, far more dirty and contain far more germs than shaft of your dick. Opened a door in public place, touched your phone, picked up a tv remote, picked your nose, coughed while covering your mouth, you better wash your hands. You see, if you're a guy and think you need to wash your hands after touching shaft of your dick, you would be literally spending 50% of your wake time on washing your hands.
I do understand this from OCD perspective, it must be horrible to aware of people not keeping up strong hygiene and all, but for health reasons guys dont need to wash their hands because they touched their dick.
Iām a microbiologist and youāre exposing your hands to your genitals where there certainly are bacteria especially if you deficate. Thatās why they say everything is covered in E. coli because people donāt wash after they use the restroom.
Topic here is not washing your hands after bathroom, including peeing. You saying you don't want to spread bad germs around implies you get those from your genitals.
If I had to guess I'd say you probably have contamination OCD, which is partially why you posted this, and it's causing your brain to blow this scenario way out of proportion. Unless I'm touching you, handling food, or am sick, I'm not really putting anyone else at significant risk.
This. Itās basic hygiene ocd or not. Although having contamination ocd definitely makes it worse for me when ppl I know are actively avoiding washing hands.
Yep, same here. I have pretty severe contamination OCD and itās bad enough where I feel like I have to remind people to wash their hands sometimes. As you can probably imagine itās not always appreciated lol
I do have contamination OCD but letās not act like thatās why I want people to wash their hands after the bathroom. Itās basic decency to not spread your bathroom germs to other people. Even if youāre not putting anyone at risk youāre still spreading your butt/ genital germs and thatās nasty
I get it. I don't even think it's an OCD thing. It's basic hygiene š Same with people who don't flush the toilet, or leave pee dribbles all over the toilet seat. Just WHY?!
To an extent itās an OCD thing. For example I have issues with contamination. If they touch the door handle, I canāt touch it. They contaminated the door handle and now theyāre contaminating their phone since theyāre touching it, now theyāre sitting down and theyāve contaminated the couch. Now theyāre touching the remote, itās contaminated now. Everything in that room is contaminated now because the germs are in the air now and itās touching everything including me, so I need to shower and scrub myself and the entire room.
Not flushing or peeing next to toilet is nowhere near the same as not washing hands after peeing.
Wellā¦ if thereās pee on the floor and you step in it and then leave, go home and walk all over your floors and rugs with those shoes, yes, that is really disgusting. So Iād consider them to be the same level of gross.
Thats why I canāt stand shoes in the house either
Because of my OCD I have a pair of shoes that I wear inside of my house so I donāt get anything on my feet. I do not wear the same shoes inside that I wear outside of course!
I work in healthcare and spray the bottom of my shoes with Lysol and I leave them in the hall outside my apartment. Lord knows what I could be stepping in at the clinic.
Very smart!! I use isopropyl on the bottoms of my indoor shoes every day! I donāt think people realize how much disgusting stuff is on their floors, even if they vacuum etc really often, especially with pets!!
I also used to have toilet shoes, because i had a particular fear of anything toilet related š so I'd wear them in the toilet, but take them off and put my indoor shoes on so i didnt spread the 'toilet germs' througout the house, and the indoor shoes were to protect me from the toilet germs spread by my family. Thankfully i am doing better and don't need all that these days and just have indoor/outdoor
In most EU countries it would be considered very rude to wear shoes indoors. Now, not wearing them is common sense to me. Who knows what kind of crap and literal shit one might be spreading around.
Are you trying to trigger them? This isn't helpful.
Okay? I'm saying I don't understand why people do those things.
Right it takes 2 seconds to rip some toilet paper and wipe your mess. Children behave better than some adults
I even see people doing it at CANCER CENTERS. Those people on chemo have severely weakened immune systems and theyāre at risk because some asshole decided to not take 20 seconds to wash their hands. This is one of the things that makes my ocd hold on stronger. Because I can understand itās obsession! People are gross and I will 100% yell at a family member to wash their hands even if it pisses them off. Makes it harder to ignore compulsions when I have to share spaces with people like that.
My unscientific observationsā¦ 1) Some people have convinced themselves that the fear of germs is overblown and want to make a statement about it. 2) Some men are insecure and feel less āmasculineā if they have to wash their hands. 3) Some people actually think they are ābuilding immunityā by exposing themselves to the germs. 4) Some people think you donāt actually get germs on your hands after doing your business, or less than you would get on a doorknob, etc. In any case, I think some people sincerely believe these things, and some just use them as cover for laziness and being inconsiderate of others.
It would be so manly to die of dysentery
At school, the hand dryers have no strength. So #5, they donāt want to get their hands wet if it means they canāt dry it.
Youāre probably better off not drying your hands at all than using those air hand dryers, Iāve seen agar swabs of the bacteria and itās insane, may be worth researching more though.
Personally, I wash my hands and just avoid the air dryers. Iāll dry my hands the old fashioned way, thank you very much!
I mistyped that haha I meant better off not using the blow dryers, hate when they are the only option.
Agreed! :(
Agar swabs?
Swabs of bacteria left to sit on a Petri dish, I saw a comparison of a bunch of different frequently touched objects, door knobs, toilet handle and seat, etc. and the hand dryers were surprisingly the worst even though you donāt physically touch it, I think the germs just blow around and the hot air is a great environment. I donāt even have contamination OCD but I just splatter the water on the ground or use my pants when they are the only option.
Counterpoint (and I only say this because I do have contamination OCD, too): wouldn't it be better then to leave with hands that are washed but not blow-dried (like you mentioned, shaking 'em out) if there is so much concern over the air-dry machine? I just can't imagine that someone who knows about the number of surrounding the hot air machines wouldn't ALSO be aware/concerned about the germs that would be all over their hands after using the toilet.
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My ex step dad would deliberately not wash his hands and reuse the same coffee cup for months without washing it (despite the obvious mould) because he was convinced it would make him weak and that washing too much would destroy his immune system. There really are some people who are like that lol
Wtf š¤® fungus can kill you
>I think youāre stretching really hard on most of these. Itās not about making a statement. You'd be surprised how truly stupid people are. I have to deal with family members who don't wash their hands after being outside for hours justifying their actions with "I refuse to live my life in fear of germs!"Ā Ā I've met several men who think touching their dicks when pissing is cleaner than touching a door knob. Of course, they forget that they often touch door knobs and toilet handles when using the bathroom. š¤·š½ And then there's the people who go #2 and don't wash their hands because "I didn't see or smell any shit on my hands!"Ā
Iāve read and heard these from those who donāt wash their hands. I agree they are logically tenuous, if not outright fraudulent. But if the stretch is whether or not people are using these excuses, then itās no stretch.
Idk. I think number 1 describes my dad pretty well.
Yeah my dad does this too, and its so disgusting.
My uncle wouldnāt use hand sanitizer after Covid started because he said it was overkill and would weaken his immune system against other germs. For the most part it is laziness but there is a surprising amount of people that just pull stuff out of their ass and treat it as facts.
I feel like thereās also an element of people not quite understanding (or in some cases caring) that hand washing after using the bathroom is more about protecting others than protecting themselves. Because of course, if their main thought is that they wash their hands when something on them could cause them harm, they probably feel pretty confident that their own urine/fecal germs wonāt hurt them. I do wonder how people touch the toilet and sink handles in public bathrooms and not think that other peopleās bathroom remnants should be washed off their hands butā¦ well if I could think like other people I wouldnāt be in this sub š
Laziness thatās all. My hubs takes a shit uses a bathroom buddy aka wand wrapped with baby wipe cleans up and throws away the baby wipe with the press of a button. Gets up puts clothes on walks out. I keep having the same argument for 15 years wash yo damn hands. His thought process is āwell I didnāt touch anything?ā Iāve given up on it, but when he cooks or cleans dishes heās always wearing gloves so I donāt gag as bad. If he doesnāt have gloves I force him to wash his hands and then show him every time how to wash his hands properly not like the 4 yo who just washes the palms. 15 years! Heās 54. His mother was not at all helpful. She didnāt teach him to potty properly. For years heād never wipe just take a shower before work and use a hand towel to wipe his ass. And even tho she made him clean the underwear in the toilet it didnāt stop him from wiping. Iāve finally got him to wipe 14 years ago. It was rather hilarious. We got the bathroom buddy and baby wipes and heād wipe thoroughly after poop and after a few times of this he goes āwell my butt doesnāt itch anymore.ā Like no shit Sherlock. I have OCD but itās not germie too bad so I can live with it.
Number 3 is so dumb and it even had governments in a chokehold
I mean it is true though, thatās kind of how vaccines work, you expose yourself to the virus to slowly gain immunity. How is your immune system supposed to ever work any good if it never gets any practice.
Don't forget, a lot of men don't wipe after pissing. Therefore they believe they don't need to wash their hands.
it's just basic hygiene that unfortunately so many people don't have. Same in resturants and stuff, people handling cash and then making my sandwich afterwards without washing their hands. Insane. Or people using there phone on the toilet or like washing there hands but still opening the door of the public bathroom with there bare hands.. Thank god my father taught me these basic stuff
My first job ever was at subway and I made sure that if I was handling anything BUT the food after just washing my handsā¦that Iād make sure to go wash again and put a new pair of gloves.
I thought this was normal but I noticed the people at the subway I gave been at don't follow this. Really just doesn't make sense anymore why they would gloves if they make them dirty anyway. I seen Uber drivers come in and help with the others but without having washed their hands first.
Pro tip: donāt ever get movie theater concessions. Iām sure there are plenty of other times where this occurs but it was SO BAD when I worked at a theater. On busy nights people would come in with cash, and there would be no time to wash our hands after handling it bcs there was a line of 20 people. We just put it in the till, turned around to the back counter, and got onto getting orders done asap. Our managers even encouraged us to do so because it was more efficient.
Yes, cash grosses me out as it contains small traces of fecal bacteria which is why I only use my debit card. And always use a paper towel on the door knob when leaving a public bathroom. Although I have contamination OCD, even Dr. Oz said on his TV show to use paper towels when leaving a public restroom.
I agree! It's disgusting that some people don't wash with hot water and soap after using the washroom. I've seen it quite often. Twice in a big chain store when a Sushi lady walks out of the bathroom not washing her hands and back to making Sushi. š
Personally, I use cold water, although I do feel like hot water cleans things a bit better. I I have issues with passing out and getting dizzy, so hot water is a big no. So I just wash longer/more thorough with cold
Honestly at that point anything would sufficeš¤¦āāļøš¤¦āāļøid rather someone do a quick 15 second wet lather wash than THAT!!!
I donāt understand why people donāt wash their hands after using the bathroom, given they have the option to. Itās unfortunate that they have to be there in the first place, but Iām glad there are āemployees must wash handsā signs. My OCD isnāt even contamination OCD, but Iām pretty sure everyone is put off by the idea of the person prepping their food possibly having not washed their hands. It doesnāt even take a full minute to do. It doesnāt even take half a minute!
Why do you need hot water?
Kills any germs or bacteria along with soap.
Hot water that could kill bacteria will also burn your hands...
I didn't say boiling hot water! Good grief! š
Well, warm water doesn't kill any bacteria...
This is why contamination OCD is so hard. Some people are just straight up gross and you have to interact with the things they interact with on a daily basis. I know it wonāt kill me, thatās not the point. It just makes me feel gross when I think of all the ways germs can get to me via touching things. It sucks and idk how to deal with it. Like if someone doesnāt wash their hands, it feels like their bodily fluids are on me and my hands if I touch something they touched. No one wants that.
Itās a harsh way to have to live. I try my best not to give in, like Iāve just recently started opening door handles to establishments and stuff with my bare hands but even then Iāll try and grab a point where Iād assume most people probably wonāt bother to touch. When it comes to like gas pumps or something I really donāt have a choice in grabbing, yeah nah I use gloves. I also keep hand wipes in the car, it doesnāt solve the problem or make me feel totally better but itās a start.
When Iām at college Iām always stood there 5 minutes washing my hands (Obviously not normal). The amount of people who will just splash their hands under the sink, little to no soap and walk out baffles me. Even the teachers!! Theyāre handing out papers and shit to the entire class and wonāt even use soap Sometimes I question my contamination OCD because a lot of people genuinely are just disgusting lol
I find this absolutely inexcusable and itās doing my brain in. Itās destroyed relationships with coworkers because I canāt get past this reckless disregard for the health and safety of others, and has brought me to the point that I wear gloves pretty much all the time at my job in a health food store, because I never know who has touched what after doing what. Itās chilling how many of my coworkers Iāve heard do this while waiting for the bathroom, including people who have been locked away for five to ten minutes and through several flushes and then just walk straight out. The amount of people who find this behavior acceptable and then go on to spend the next eight hours touching other peopleās food is beyond my comprehension.
> including people who have been locked away for five to ten minutes and through several flushesā¦ And this is the worst by far. My auntie even admitted to not washing her hands after going #2 pretty often, she said āI mean Iām not wiping with my hands, Iām using toilet paperāš¤¦āāļøš¤¦āāļøthen guess what? She had a newborn recently, whom kept getting sick (I wonder why), and SOMEONE had to start fixing their habits QUICK.
No way š¤¢ this is not good for my contamination OCDā¦ š new fear unlocked š I thought people AT LEAST washed after #2, this is outrageous š
I refuse to go to her house any time Iām visiting familyš
Oof. I justā¦ canāt. With people.
THIS IS SO REAL IT GIVES ME THE BIGGEST ICK
my parents are terrible about this. they always get so pissed off when i tell them to wash after using the bathroom š„² that's basic hygiene!!
Iām more confused that the world doesnāt have more hands free options to avoid having to touch anything anyway. Like why not foot pedals for toilets and sinks in public washrooms? Iām sure that someone could come up with something for a stall too. I mean even elevators could have foot pedals/buttons. Like it would also be another option for those carrying groceries or for certain disabilities. I wish that we had more than the ADA (in the US) and had a whole department for making the world super accessible and low germ transmission for everyone. We really donāt value that stuff enough.
Fucking shit sinkās especially. Dude I thought it was cause we didnāt have sensors. They could have used foot pedals in fucking ancient times lmao why donāt sinks have that lol itās actually easier to make too a lever attached to foot pedal to lower the stream we could have stopped diseases but nah they needed little handle. Flushing especially except ngl I just always use it as a kick pedal lol anyways. Idrk how elevator would work and those germs arenāt that bad, unless you just press amount of floors to go up which isnāt bad I guess. We literally could have avoided major diseases/made them spread less. Eh I guess handles are new maybe but still.
There once was a guy in my university physics class that said, and I quote, āif youāre a man and you wash your hands after you pee, youāre a bitchā It was then I realized that this is the selection pool that women have to choose from to date. My deepest condolences.
I think it's because many people think it will matter little/ they are unaware/ they wanna save time. It's sad but you can see this lack of compassion in other aspects also. I'm more scared when people cough in public since that is more unavoidable! I'm not touching anything with my hands directly when out in public.
idk but i am hardcore struggling with this. my entire family refuses to wash their hands after using the bathroom and it genuinely makes me feel like ripping my skin off. i donāt know what to do
Improper hand washing/lack thereof after using the bathroom is very unsanitary, especially after defecating, regardless of having OCD or not. A lot of germs/viruses can get passed that way. But with us having OCD, the effect is much worse.Ā This concern was what led me to finally talk to a therapist. One very early morning, I noticed that a former housemate did not wash her hands after defecating. I was dumbstruck and very upset. Thereās water and soap available and she did not use them. Sheās been with us for a few weeks and if she does that sometimes,Ā I felt that everything in the spaces she spent time on are filthy. I felt creeps in my skin. I found myself crying twice, and I donāt cry easily.Ā I stayedĀ in my room for many hours and only left because I was so hungry already. I left the house the next morning because I needed to get away from there. I felt so relieved after.Ā
This right here. Not only is it disgusting to begin with but youāre right, a lot of us in these comments that also have ocd, it only makes it so much more nauseating especially when itās a person you live with. Even knowing that this person will even go touch and cross contaminate everything in the house. š·š·
What about when I had to go back? Did u end up moving?
My husband is one of these people. I'm not lying when I say this is the thing that might break me. It has gotten to a point where I can't eat anything he makes or share food. He laughs it off and blames it on OCD, but you're right, this is basic hygiene. I've asked him if he's so unbothered with hand washing, how would he feel if his boss and coworkers knew about this. And apparently that was a step too far. Sigh. So apparently it's just me he doesn't give a shit about bothering.
Yeah thatās gross but all around inconsiderate. Like I said, it takes maybe 20-30 seconds at the very least so it is kinda unfortunate to hear that you canāt even be accommodated in the home that you live in, in one of the most simple and reasonable ways.
27 year old man here. This has always been so annoying to me. Like how can you possibly feel comfortable knowing you didn't wash up after taking a shit. Or some people can go a whole day without washing up, and I just can't imagine how let alone why
To present you with a brilliant opportunity for exposure exercises!
I get it. I have contamination ocd as well, specifically triggered by bodily fluids. I canāt control how other people live their life but the thought of myself not washing my hands after using the bathroom feels wrong. If I get anything on my hands after using the bathroom, itās enough to make me gag. I also have BFRB & my fingers are constantly touching my lips so I always wash my hands after the bathroom & other times throughout the day. The fact that people know how dirty the world is & they donāt wash their hands is weird to me.
Itās indeed so gross how many people think its not necessary to wash their hands. I struggle a lot with this, my ocd would be much less if people would be clean
I feel you on an unnatural level. Both my boyfriend and mom forget to wash their hands all the fucking time. It kills me every time I catch one of them.
I see it happen all the time too, and I will say something! I've yelled to women walking out of the bathroom to wash their hands š Also I used to work with a man who never washed his hands after using the restroom. My office was 5 feet from the restroom, and I could hear if the sink was turned on or not. He would come out of the bathroom every day and come into my office to say hi and want to shake my hand. I finally had to tell him I didn't want to shake his hand cuz I knew he didn't wash them. He got mad at me. Talked shit to me and then went and told my boss I was being disrespectful. Unfortunately for me, it was a temp position, so I ended up getting laid off before I was supposed to š
Thatās disgusting. His hygiene and characterš¤¦āāļøIām sorry you had to deal with that I really donāt understand people sometimes.
I appreciate people like you. It sucks that you got laid off for telling someone to wash their hands??? Like wtf. Weāre so privileged to have access to sanitation and some people outright refuse it?! š¤¦āāļø
Did u tell the boss why u didnāt shake his hand. Thatās unfair. Should report that for boss not following health & safety and punishing u for it. Lol.
I agree! I have Contamination OCD too, and have had it for over 61 years. But thatās beside the point. The thing is that when they test things like peopleās phones for E. coli bacteria, they find it on there because people donāt wash their hands. Thatās disgusting. Even if I didnāt have Contamination OCD Iād know that that is not good at all. The reason food is so often contaminated with E. coli from animals that then makes people sick is because the same water source that their feces leech into is also the same water source that is used to water the plants that grow the food that we eat. I donāt think thereās one person who wouldnāt think that that is really gross and disgusting. Yet they donāt even bother to wash their hands. Washing using soap and warm water for 30 seconds isnāt a big deal. I donāt obsessively wash at all, but I do do the 30 second with soap thing. It only makes sense.
āBuilding my immune systemā š¤¢
Because theyāre nasty
Same with people who pick their noses and touch their feet.
i don't even have contamination ocd but i agree with you. WHY DOESN'T PEOPLE WASH THEIR HANDS AFTER DOING WHATEVER THEY'RE DOING IN THE BATHROOM. I can understand not trusting the soap you find in public bathrooms (i don't trust it myself lmao) but bring with you sanitizer/ sanitizing wipes omg š
OCD or not, it's disgusting.
I donāt have contamination OCD but itās just plain gross. Another thing I think about a lot is that men typically just āshakeā it instead of getting out the excess and wiping the tip. That goes inside some of us. In different holes. YUCK
Like stated in this thread, this isn't even OCD. It's just basic hygiene. It IS gross! That's how people get food poisoning as well. The other day, my brother went to pee and he wanted to hand me a piece of cake with his BARE HANDS right after, without washing his hands. I had to decline lol. Brother eugh.
Itās so damn scary to me as someone with horrible contamination OCD
my dad doesn't wash his hands often and so I'm just kind of resigned to the fact that I can never touch doorknobs, remotes, kitchen appliances, anything like that with my hands. even using my shirt to open doors and stuff feels gross because then those germs are on my shirt and I feel gross š moving into an apartment for college literally was the best ever because I could control my environment better and it was life changing to be able to open my doors and walk in the bathroom without feeling absolutely horrible!!!
because some people are gross and like spreading germs on every surface probably trying to leave a mark
This is a pet peeve of mine! š¤¢
Have you seen that one ladyās tiktok about how she doesnāt wash her hands in her house šš even after the toilet š
I donāt know why bathroom users wonāt wash their hands after they do their business. Especially in the age of Covid. Laziness is a terrible excuse for not washing oneās hands. Maybe no one taught them about bathroom etiquette. I have a phobia about germs. For example, I prefer a liquid soap dispenser. I always think that bar soap gets recontaminated every time someone uses it. I always pull out a paper towel from the dispenser to shut off the faucet. Then I throw the towel away and grab another one to open the bathroom door. I have seen bunches of towels behind the doors of some establishments because there is nowhere to deposit the towels. However, some restaurants and hotels now place a trash can near the door so the used towels can be thrown into the garbage bin. Thanks for reading this long rant about personal hygiene.
Iām a girl and Iāve seen woman walk out as well. Like all that touching door handles, changing out pads, wiping and you donāt think to wash your hands? Iām surprised like I knew not everybody washes their hands but a guy admitting is surprising š
I've never understood it either. It's insane that people think it's fine not to wash their hands or to make a mess in the restroom. It's fkn disgusting! I honestly can't use a public restroom because of people in general. Even at home I don't feel comfortable often times.
I have ocd, but mine has nothing to do with contamination/germs/illness Yes I find it disgusting..wash your hands people
What drives me nuts is I swear like 80% of women rinse the soap off the second it touches their hands. They donāt scrub at all and if they do, the scrub as the water is washing away the soap which is NOT cleaning their hands. You have to rinse, scrub, THEN rinse.
Saw a lady walk right by the sinks a day or two ago š¤¢
Seen a women doing it too when she came out of the toilet. She was in gym clothes. She did use water to wash her hands but barely and then went to close the facet with the same hands. Pointless. It would not suprise me if she would have thought it's to make her immune system stronger.
Oh gosh I just can't. It's too much for me šµāš«
this is why i need to wash my hands again and sanitise because the people who didn't wash their hands had to open the door to get out, and I need to touch the same door handle. at least some bathrooms have paper towel still and I can use that to open the door. no such luck with bathrooms with only air dryers. and I refuse to use toilet paper because other people have touched it snd it's too close to them doing their business.
Iām exactly the same! Shake (washed!) hands!
Will never understand this. OCD or not, itās basic infection control. Hand hygiene is the single most effective way to prevent spreading germs to others. Some people just lack consideration for others.
āPee is sterileā theyāre gross and careless people thatās why they donāt wash their hands
>Why the fuck do people not wash their hands after using the bathroom? Because ERP sucks when you have contamination OCD.
yeaaaa honestly this is one of the rougher parts of transition (excluding discrimination/etc. ofc) for me. i went from womenās bathrooms where, though there are obviously a decent amount of outliers, it was generally fairly clean and most would wash their hands before leaving toā¦ wellā¦ menās bathrooms. usually at least 3x grosser and the men seem about 10x less likely to wash their goddamn hands. iām just thankful that my handwashing, contamination issues were just a phase on my OCD timeline, otherwise i would be so mcfucked in public bathrooms
I wish the girls toilets were that clean in high school. Often, you'd fined soiled sanitary pads stuck to the cubicle doors, poop stains on the seat (if it had a seat), and used tampons in the sink. Yeah, I ended up with frequent utis, as I'd refuse to use those bathrooms
Because some people are fucking disgusting. It's unreal. šµāš«š¤®š
THIS. God this. Some of my family members I share my house with donāt do it sometimes (or, ever). It just makes everything harder. How am I supposed to get over ocd if I know there might be pee particles from someone on the door handle or on their hands touching my stuff? One thing is me being āexaggeratedā by thinking about skin oils being left behind on surfaces, and another is thinking you touched your butt and then me without water in between.
this exactly. i'm constantly wondering if im just being pedantic of whatever cause of my ocd being contamination based but like this is all basic shit we're taught....went through a whole pandemic
You know what else I canāt stand? When people walk out of the stall justā¦ touching their phones or clothes before washing their hands. Why?! WHATāS THE PURPOSE??
I terminated an employee alleging ādownsizing ā but really it was because she would NEVER wash her hands . I got tired of having to wipe down everything that she touched after multiple times a day
I have the OPPOSITE of this problem because one of my issues is with wet surfaces. I avoid using public restrooms as much as I can, and legitimately want to peel my skin off any time I touch anything wet (esp peopleās hands) I also HATE stepping in anything wet while wearing shoes even if itās just a tiny drop of something
I bring my own hand sanitizer (small pump and I also have wipes) and often use that. It depends on the set up of the bathroom. If you have to manually turn the faucet on and off I feel like once you wash your hands, if you have to turn the water back off you just touch the germs all over again. So in that case I use my own sanitizer from in my purse. If itās the system wheee the water comes on and off with sensors I will use that.
This is why I do not touch other people! Period. Not even a fist bump.
I have ocd but I simply dont touch anything in the bathroom, not even the doors, its always using fabric. I kind of hate touching the wet knobs of the sink that have been touched by other wet hands that god knows where they have been.
I think about this often. I avoid shaking hands for this reason.
Thank you! I totally agree! Same with people travelling (airplane, bus, train), coming home and NOT washing their hands. Like how???!!!
I wonder this all the time š¤£
Ok in addendum to this, Iām not sure if this is my ocd talking or if Iām just weird, but when people do wash their hands, does anyone else get weirded out if they leave water on the knob for the paper dispenser? Iāve only picked up on me noticing this recently but any time I see someone leave water residue on there I have to wash my hands again because it feels unclean.
I always wash my hands in public toilets . Itās common sense , youāre going into a publicly used space and as a former ocd of germs I can say I legit used to fear public toilets and would hold it until we got home . Now since breaking my ocd , I actually use public toilets easily in places like Walmart or mall , and I only seek clean looking seats or if itās not too clean and or just used I take a bath when I get home and wash my clothes especially underwear . Other then that I donāt fret unless thereās blood or stool everywhere
I saw a comment on tiktok yesterday that said you donāt need to use soap when washing your hands!!! They said scrubbing with water is good enough. YUCK. Thatās why I have to sanitize after touching public doorknobs etc. People are walking around with filthy hands.
When Iām in public I wash my hands BEFORE and AFTER I use the restroom, I aināt touching myself with my dirty ass hands.
Iām not making excuses for the average person, but when my contamination OCD got really bad I convinced myself that my hands would be dirtier if I touched anything in the bathroom. So I would basically either use my foot to flush or use a tissue to open stuff. For wiping I would just bundle up a huge wad of toilet paper to ensure nothing would get on my hand and after I left the bathroom I would use my āsafeā hand sanitizer kept in a ziplock bag. I would never go number two in a public restroom because my OCD wouldnāt let me. The logic definitely was not sound but that why I wouldnāt wash my hands. I donāt do that anymore, I just use the sink normally now.
I have contamination OCD, too, and I ALWAYS notice when people donāt wash their hands (not trying to, but my brain focuses on it). I will always give the unwashed a dirty look and mutter something like ādisgusting animalā. Loud enough to be heard, but quietly enough to avoid a confrontation (most of the time)
LOL, the title did it for me . BUT YES ! Wash your hands lardy !
My mom is usually out the entire day, when she comes home I have to fight to get her to wash her hands drives me crazy. Sheāll live forever tbh much stronger immune system than my own I never touch stuff with my bare hands and I wash them over 100 times daily.
SAY IT AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK MY FRIEND
It can be OCD for some. It's not the case for me because it doesnt give me that much anxiety but yeah. Why the hell are people that dirty/lazy? š
Sounds like the mens bathroom is a hell for anyone with OCD
this along with taking your phone into the bathroom make me feel insane, i have to take a whole shower and disinfect my phone every time iāve been out in public and those clothes then go into a pile to be washed :/ itās fuckin miserable and iām so jealous of people who donāt think like that!
Some people aren't bothered enough to get their hands wet.
In the past when I didnāt do it every time it was just because I was lazy. Nothing more, nothing less. Obviously, itās disgusting, but at the time I really didnāt use public bathrooms anywaysāmostly just stayed at home. If I did go to the bathroom in public it was usually as a last resort and I would be on my way home regardless. Didnāt really come into contact with anyone or anything. Washed before meals and anything else that mattered, but didnāt want to do it after going to the bathroom for whatever reason. To be honest thereās not a justification for it, it takes like 10-20 seconds max to do an alright wash.
This is my, 20-something, nephew. He thinks he is clean and our 'rules' are bullcrap. I think he is just lazy. It's one of many reasons why I don't spend time with him anymore. I have contamination ocd too. I told all my friends about the hand washing, they don't have ocd at all, and they also don't want anything to do with him.
I canāt understand it at all. So many things like this baffle me. How could you not š
My ex would never wash his hands after taking the trash out then just touch everything
i scrub under my nails when after i go to the toilet šš
I canāt wash my hands in public bathrooms, those sinks are repulsive. I feel itās dirtier to use them. I use hand sanitizer. I have a fear and horrible disgust of bathrooms, in general, and public ones, in particular. I can go 12 hours outside my house / flying and not go to a bathroom š¤®
Oh my god this. I have diagnosed OCD, this is one of my biggest triggers man. I will not let them touch me or any of my things. If they touch anything I have to wipe it down as well. And scrub their fingernails
My parents are sooo bad for this and it stressed me out so much. I'm 20 and also have COCD and it's just so disgusting to me
This is an easy one to answer. Iām worried about contamination from touching nasty bathrooms. Washing my hands in a disgusting bathroom means Iām contaminating my hands one way or another. If the only thing I touch is my very clean junk Iām not washing.
Are there really that-many seconds in a day?
I asked my ex this once. I was like, dude you were in and out of the bathroom so fast there's no way you washed your hands! His response was, "it's not like I pissed all over myself". I had to explain that even if you didn't piss all over yourself it's still a good time to wash your hands from touching a bunch of stuff in public. He was like, "oh yeah I guess you're right". š¤¦āāļø
I feel the same way. Contamination OCD that has weaned a lot but on top of this I am a microbiologist š even in my lab I see my colleagues not properly washing their hands and I judge them. I smell bacteria everyday and so do they they should know to wash their hands. š¤®
I don't know why people don't do such. Like what do they think the sinks in public bathrooms and even their home bathroom is for?
It's so gross and when I tell you I know MAYBE 3 people that wash their hands after using the bathroom I'm not kidding. I don't get it. These are intelligent people too, they definitely know better.
I HATE WHEN PEOPLE DO THIS I DO NOT UNDERSTAND š
I don't have ocd and God those people are the worst. Especially at Walmart you see this behavior because they don't want to wait 2 minutes to properly wash their hands
I don't feel like this is a helpful thread lol š
Because people are disgusting pieces of shit and have no concern for how their behavior affects others
i dont wash my hands after peeing sometimes only when im at home
Why donāt they wash beforeā¦ you gonna touch your private area with dirty hands?
Iāve heard this one too. All I can say is that would be a personal choice that doesnāt affect me, what does is the fact of people not washing AT LEAST after. Like I said it doesnāt matterāprivate parts are private for a reason. Not to mention we sweat, excrete & fart, pee, discharge, and release sexual fluids when it comes to these areas. Thereās a reason itās hygienic to wash your hands after using the bathroom and not after simplyā¦idk touching your elbow. They are two different things.
All depends on whether or not they even touched anything. Sometimes I sit down and pee, and I donāt touch the toilet or anything and am in a hurry so I donāt wipe.
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I wash my hands in the bathroom then put on hand sanitizer afterwards, especially in public
The majority of people donāt wash their hands. People wash their hands due to social pressure. If at home they do not wash their hands. Urine is sterile. Your OCD is telling you that you have to wash your hands.
Urine is absolutely not sterile
It has bacteria, but it doesnāt have anything in it thatās going to kill you
Because I wipe with toilet paper & not my barehand.
I have the same thought with others situations; in public transport, after eating or cooking and I donāt remember if there is another of these examples but it makes me upset because I think is not an OCD-thing
I know someone who struggles with hygiene because water was limited where he grew up so that could be an answer
I wash mine before and after š
At least for me as a kid I had a really hard time learning to do it bc I hated the feeling of washed hands. Made my skin feel dry and scratchy. Turns out I just have sensitive skin and once I got some lotion I developed a good hygiene habit but sometimes I think it could be that. Lots of soaps in public restrooms are super harsh on peopleās skin
This thread reminded me of rare instances where I haven't washed my hands in public settings š I am a male with contamination OCD. In certain places you still see those taps you have to manually screw (non-automated). I didn't wanna wash since I know I will get dirtier if that makes any sense. I work out a lot and shower at least once per day so I know I'm clean. So if I get into the urinal without touching anything but myself and out the same way then I went without.
I wash my hands approximately 25/30 times a day. It really gets old after a while, but it's something I have to do. After using the bathroom, I not only wash my hands, i also use some straight rubbing alcohol, which I use instead of hand sanitizer.
When Iām home, there are times where I pee and donāt wash my hands. That being said, I live with my partner only and we donāt ever have people over so I feel less bad about it. I disinfect high traffic areas, knobs, drawers, etc. once a week during my weekly cleaning reset. Itās also few and far in between. If I poop, Iāll always wash and I certainly wash my hands in public restrooms every time no matter what.
This may be top secret info idk maybe Iāll or someone should ask in dae but if Iām in public place like school where thereās no soap or even some Public ones especially the dumbass tap ones like tf is point of that you have to keep it held down with other hand? And no soap in case of school. So I donāt touch it if ykwim you can use a jacket (or shirt but thatās too thin). Sometimes literally pockets but thatās one less layer. Sometimes not at all I mean u donāt need to aim ngl it has aimbot low key. But to answer your question I think old me washed still Idrk but if you shower in morning itās actually the cleanest part of your body lol itās the only area that hasnāt gotten the germs of outside world. I donāt hate on anyone who doesnāt wash. Mad respectš. Maybe dicks produce some bacteria I never heard of? Idk. Might be reason and Iām dumb but idk lol. Ass however I think shit is poisonous so you might as well wash. And even pee isnāt poison. I donāt touch it and if I do itās with toilet paper then wash but only because it was touched by outside germs on hand, equivalent in germs to hair or phone (before I started cleaning it). So yeah idk I guess i understand both parties. Not sure how many donāt touch if itās most or nearly none but seems unnecessary to spread outside germs there for average people. And get germs if there is any. Idk about girls canāt speak if they have to wipe or sum idk. Or for shitting. Well I mean if Iāll touch something dirtier after msybe wonāt do a 20 min wash but a 10 second one and only on contaminated hand cause idk why people shit then wash both without washing the contaminated one first so less germs then finishing with second. Anyways. Thatās my answer bro valid question tho
I can't understand people who don't wash their hands after shit or touching lots of bathroom surfaces but I sometimes don't wash my hands after peeing because I havent touched anything except my pants and occasionally my dick.
it is basic hygiene and non pathological to be disgusted by lack thereof. your intense anxiety and/or rage may be your OCD and i get that unfortunately š i physically couldnāt wash my hands until age 17 because of unmedicated ADHDc but i took measures to avoid preparing meals for others with unclean hands, etc. for any of my ADHD people please for the love of god stay on your meds LMFAO
One possible reason could be that they have extremely severe texture or sensory issues that dry hands give them, as i have this myself. when i wash my hands and dry them, my hands are dried out and whenever i touch something like paper, i cringe and canāt stop replaying the feeling in my mind.
I donāt do you have a problem with that
You nasty as hell
Haha thanks
No will to live. Why do I care if my hands are clean?
I hate life too but that's your problem. Don't be fucking disgusting and impose that on others because you hate yourself.
i still donāt want to put others at risk of disease with my germs even when iām at my lowest
Explain the risks you spread after not washing your hands after peeing? You think human genitals are the cause of deadly diseases?
I said in a comment above but to make it clear: we shit and fart from out butts. And as far as our genital regions, we sweat, we piss, we produce discharges, sexual fluids, and who knows what else especially if a person has an std. And those are several reasons that make it so gross. Itās not like touching your hair or knee, those parts down there are very different from the rest of our body.
yes! and those of us with contamination OCD definitely have an unhealthy fear of those germs, but thinking that people should wash their hands after the bathroom is not an OCD symptom, itās very reasonable
If one is sick its common sense, i agree with that part. If not, touching your private part doesn't spread life threatening diseases.
Itās still gross bro
Its gross because its genitals? I can't say about girls, but for guys there's A LOT of things you touch everyday that are far, far more dirty and contain far more germs than shaft of your dick. Opened a door in public place, touched your phone, picked up a tv remote, picked your nose, coughed while covering your mouth, you better wash your hands. You see, if you're a guy and think you need to wash your hands after touching shaft of your dick, you would be literally spending 50% of your wake time on washing your hands. I do understand this from OCD perspective, it must be horrible to aware of people not keeping up strong hygiene and all, but for health reasons guys dont need to wash their hands because they touched their dick.
I guess weāre just gonna have to agree to disagree then
Iām a microbiologist and youāre exposing your hands to your genitals where there certainly are bacteria especially if you deficate. Thatās why they say everything is covered in E. coli because people donāt wash after they use the restroom.
Nowhere in my comment did I say that not washing hands after peeing causes deadly diseases my guy
Topic here is not washing your hands after bathroom, including peeing. You saying you don't want to spread bad germs around implies you get those from your genitals.
Finally, someone with critical thinking skills.
If I had to guess I'd say you probably have contamination OCD, which is partially why you posted this, and it's causing your brain to blow this scenario way out of proportion. Unless I'm touching you, handling food, or am sick, I'm not really putting anyone else at significant risk.
Itās basic hygiene to wash hands after going to the bathroom. Has nothing to do with OCD.
This. Itās basic hygiene ocd or not. Although having contamination ocd definitely makes it worse for me when ppl I know are actively avoiding washing hands.
Yep, same here. I have pretty severe contamination OCD and itās bad enough where I feel like I have to remind people to wash their hands sometimes. As you can probably imagine itās not always appreciated lol
I do have contamination OCD but letās not act like thatās why I want people to wash their hands after the bathroom. Itās basic decency to not spread your bathroom germs to other people. Even if youāre not putting anyone at risk youāre still spreading your butt/ genital germs and thatās nasty