When is it appropriate to wash your hands?

As a person recovering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (particularly with hygiene rituals), I wonder how often it is OK for me to wash my hands while still being in the %26quot;normal%26quot; range. Here is my guess for appropriate circumstances, if anyone has suggestions, especially for the last instance:


1) before eating/handling food


2) after using the restroom


3) whenever hands are tangibly dirty (as in, have food/dirt on them, etc)


4) MISC - after working with raw meat/eggs, petting an animal, dusting your house, etc


5) When returning from a public place where you had to touch a lot of communal items (e.g. handrails, library books . .. )





Please give me your opinion, especially on situations similar to 4 and 5.|||Once you have to think twice about putting your hand anywhere sensitive on your body then wash it: if it%26#039;s not clean enough to rub your eye or put in your mouth or touch your privates then wash it. In my opinion this is the only time it becomes necessary. Otherwise use Purell hand sanitizer anytime you receive documents from others or shake hands or enter or exit a public domain.|||Perfect!!





That is how I wash my hands!!


When u walk in the door from a public place u should always wash your hands!|||I%26#039;m a fan of the small hand sanitizers. I keep one in my office, house, and in my purse at all times. Oh, and I have one in my car for after pumping gas. I worked in the food industry forever and saw way too many videos about people not washing their hands after using the restroom. I have no problem telling people that I%26#039;m a germaphobe and wash my hands after everything. I also use the excuse that it is for their own good since my husband is a high school teacher and we all know how many germs are floating around over there!|||On every occasion it is highly important to wash your hands!|||I agree. I wash my hands after most of those and do not have OCD. I DON%26#039;T usually wash my hands after petting my own animals..I know my pets are disease free. I DO wash my hands after coming back from the store, etc. I never get sick either. HTH|||thats sounds just right|||I would also add after shaking hands with alot of people. If you go by your list, I would not include you as an OCD.|||Hi, Rachel





I think it is appropriate to wash your hands in all the cases you have mentioned above. You don%26#039;t want to over-do it by repeating it without being necessary. An easy example would be - you just washed your hands after visiting the bathroom. You went into you living room and then decided that it%26#039;s time to go to kitchen and cook. There is obviously no need to wash your hands now. also, you don%26#039;t want to be overly concious about it. For example, if you just petted your neighbor%26#039;s cute and healthy-looking cat on your way to work. I don%26#039;t think it is reasonable to return home for hand-washing before you continue your way. But if you are about to eat your dinner I%26#039;d say wash your hands. I wash my hands even after petting healthy animals because I know they like to roll around everywhere.





Since you asked in particular about 4 and 5 - yes, I think it is normal to want to wash your hands after those activities. However, it is important not to stress about being unable to do so if you don%26#039;t have a chance for it. Just get into habit of not rubbing your eyes or licking your fingers, that should be good enough to keep you healthy. Then wash them according to the list.|||I%26#039;m the opposite of obsessive compulsive and your list of items is exactly what I do.


It is not too much at all.


I especially like to wash my hands after I%26#039;ve gone somewhere out in public. I just feel dirty or something.|||wash your hands at every opportunity! you never know when someone there before you left a big bugger on the buggy handle at the supermarket! yukkk!!!|||Just wash your hands every chance you get. Or invest in some anti-bacterial lotion (even though it actually kills good germs on your hands) if you%26#039;re so crazy about it.





Definitely 4 and 5. Wash your hands before and after working with raw meat and eggs because you never know what you are giving someone or what the meat/eggs is giving you. People never realize how many germs are on keyboards and handrails, so I%26#039;m glad you realize this.





But, really, just wash before you eat. That way you won%26#039;t be washing them every 5 minutes. ;)|||you are right on all these! I%26#039;m ocd, i%26#039;m doing better...maybe i%26#039;ll try your list|||I think your list is pretty good, although I wouldn%26#039;t wash my hands after touching library books. Germs have a very short half-life, meaning that many of the individual germs in a group of germs deposited by someone on an item die very soon after they are deposited. As the previous person mentioned, there are pretty much germs on everything, but in such small numbers that they are not likely to make you sick. Also, you don%26#039;t need to worry so much about touching metal objects (coins, railings, etc.), because germs don%26#039;t live very well on metal.





Best wishes for a life of wellness!|||Sounds good.|||That is very appropriate. I would add: everytime I walk into the house, whenever I finish pumping my gas, and before I leave work.|||After touching your pet,


Before going out.


Before sleeping|||Well what you have stated all are correct and should be practiced.On 4 and 5 very much so due to e-coli. and germs from others that touch things in public. I always when I come home from shopping I was my hands. Your fine, at least you will not catch as many bugs as most.|||all 5 would be appropriate|||always,....exept after sex|||the 5 you mentioned seem to be standard|||Good list. This is the info from the CDC, in case you haven%26#039;t seen it.


%26quot;When should you wash your hands?


Before preparing or eating food


After going to the bathroom


After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has gone to the bathroom


Before and after tending to someone who is sick


After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing


After handling an animal or animal waste


After handling garbage


Before and after treating a cut or wound%26quot;





Also, they advise washing hands for 20 seconds. (The amount of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice!) I know I do not scrub my hands for that long.|||You are correct on all of the above. You should wash your hands or keep hand sanitizer handy for situations like #5. I keep a travel pack of disenfectant wipes with me to wipe the handle of the shopping carts and to wipe my hands if I have to handle a lot of communal items.





Now that it%26#039;s cold and flu season you%26#039;ll want to make sure that you don%26#039;t touch your face, nose or eyes especially after touching communal items.|||I think in all 5 instances I would wash my hands. This is not about etiquette. It is about cleanliness. I believe all examples you gave are adequate reasons for maintaining good grooming habits as well as remaining healthy. Worrying about what is %26quot;normal%26quot; has nothing to do with it. If your hands are dirty, wash them. (Try not to focus on that question throughout the day). Also, antibacterial hand gel is good for just a quick scrub. Even though I use it alot, I always try to wash my hands with warm water and soap before eating/handling food.|||All of the above and I would add %26quot;Before handling babies%26quot;. Your body has an amazing immune system and that starts with your epidermous (Skin). Trust your body to do it%26#039;s job, be smart where you place your hands and how your hands touch your eyes and nose. I would also recommend a daily dose of vitamin C to maintain and support your immune system. This daily dose will also add in gaining confidence that your body is completely capable of fighting off an amazing array of external environmental nasties... Good luck!|||Yes, all those situations are appropriate and if it makes you feel better there are the bottles of sanitizers that you can put on throughout the day, many people have them at their desk or in their bag and use them whenever.|||Sound right to me. And if you have a problem w/ your hands getting raw, use cheap vodka to rinse them w/ instead of washing at home occasionally, like for 5).|||I am a nurse and all of these times seem perfectly reasonable to me. I even like to wash my hands after I have used a public railings to climb stairs or a public computer at work. Hope this helps.|||your list sounds just right to me. thats the way my mom taught me. its good to keep clean because there are lots of germs out there. your doing good!|||after touching something dirty|||the first 3 are appropriate i dont think you need to wash ur hands after dusting unless ur hands are covered in dust then wash them plz! its not necessary to wash ur hands after going to a public place these germs are not strong enough to hurt u. there are germs everywhere that are not gonna hurt u.|||You should wash your hands after all of the above listed.