How many times a day do you..

wash your hands?

Are you over the top about germs?

Do you use anything other than just soap and water to clean your hands like gels etc?

Or are you at the other end of the scale and are totally lax about washing them?

apart from when I go to the toilet, just before cooking or handling raw meat I don't wash my hands and I only use an anti bacterial gel after I have done a jobby which is once a day for me I wash my hands as normal then apply a small amount of gel rub it in and leave it to dry.

After bathroom, and before cooking for other people, that's about it.  If I am just cooking for me I don't always, although usually they get at least rinsed in the course of washing the food.  I don't cook meat, so no worries there.

I never use the gel unless I am in a situation where no water is available for washing (camping, hiking, etc.)

My take on it is that sanitizing everything and killing all possible bacteria leads to resistant bacteria that are even harder to kill.  Plus my immune system needs the occasional workout or it'll get lazy.

I don't use antibacterial gels ever. I use lysol and clorox on surfaces - once a week at work and every day at home for the basic sinks & counters... once a week for doorknobs and light switches.

I wash my hands when I go to the bathroom, handle food, or if they just feel "ick" which doesn't happen as often since I eat like 10 times a day. I used to work at subway (for 3 years) and this was just before they started making us wear gloves, so I was washing my hands 500 times a day and got used to that squeaky clean feeling.

When I get to work or get home, I wash my hands, because the steering wheel feels icky no matter how much I wash it.

adolphs said: >>

My take on it is that sanitizing everything and killing all possible bacteria leads to resistant bacteria that are even harder to kill.  Plus my immune system needs the occasional workout or it'll get lazy.<<

I COULD NOT AGREE MORE!!! :) ETA: that's why I use lysol or clorox on surfaces, since they don't morph against those like the antibacterials.

i wash my hands after the bathroom and before eating if i'm going to actually be handling the food, like an apple or something. and i wash them right when i get home at night because i ride the T and have to hold onto the poles and stuff. i very rarely use sanitizer, unless in a porto-potty or something.

i also VERY rarely get sick.

I wash my hands after using the bathroom, before eating, before cooking, after working, and before bed. I always try to carry hand sanitizer with me. I like to wipe down my steering wheel, use it after pumping gas, and use it after work.

I wash hands after every bathroom stop, I am allergic to anti bacterial soap. If I use it my hands wind up looking like they have first degree burn.  I only use ivory soap at home( usually bar kind, but have some in dispenser if company comes by sink. In my purse I carry dishwashing soap in small plastic bottle. I have found out that I can use the gel stuff in some brands, some brands break me out too. all in all I don't believe it healhty to use anti bacterial agents for anyone. I believe that the fact that we overuse them has led to resistance etc.  plain old soap will get rid of just about everything that needs to be washed off, the amt. of time that you wash them does however, make a difference. you should wash you hands thoroughly for a minute or so after going to bathroom and pay attention to between fingers and under fingernails. ( all bathrooms in public places now have the antibacterial now so I have to cart my own soap in my purse.... ugh

What I have heard is that studies have shown that it is the running of the water over your hands while you scrub them that gets the germs off, not so much the soap.  So I have tried to start using the "soap twice" method, just so I'm scrubbing long enough - especially with the kids, who put soap on then wash it off.  I don't intentionally buy antibacterial soaps - I just don't look for other options, either.

That being said, I wash hands when I get home from anywhere, even if I didn't leave the car, and I try to instill this habit in my kids as well.  I wash hands after a bowel movement, after cleaning up after a kid's bathroom break, before eating, after loading the dishwasher, before unloading the dishwasher, before cooking, after cooking, and a few dozen other times during the day when my hands just feel icky.

I wash my hands after going to the bathroom, cleaning the litter box, and before and during cooking. I'll wash my hands when I get back from shopping or doing errands where I've been handling money and various surfaces.

I never use the gels unless I absolutely have to, such as a porto potty.

I never buy antibacterial soap. I actively avoid buying it.

I wash my hands at work a lot or use a hand sanitizer...I work with the public, lots of hand shaking and I don't know what they touched last.  At work I also use my version of clorox wipes and cleaners to clean the phones, keyboards, touch screen monitors and door knobs.  When one of my staff members is sick they only phone they use is the cordless and they must disinfect it and everything else they touched at the end of the night.  I also have "staff only" pens and customers are handed the crappy ones. This has worked in preventing us from making each other sick. 

When I am off work I am the polar opposite.  I wash after using the bathroom and before handling or eating food.  I disinfect things one or two times a month in my house.  I only use hand sanitizer if I used a public bathroom. 

I don't buy antibacterial products, except dial soap which I use only on my arm pits.  I don't even take antibiotics unless I have strep or something really bad.

I'm a teacher and work at an elementary school. I was my hands as much as I can. We've got a lot of kids out with this weird bug that I've already caught and our number of students with swine flu keeps going up but they won't shut the school until 20 kids have it so I'm buying some cleaner to at least keep our classroom clean. 

Lessee.... I wash my hands after using the bathroom if I touch urine or poo or anything in a public bathroom. I don't like to touch the sinks and soap dispensers in public bathrooms.  I use my feet to open & close doors. 

I wash them before preparing food and after touching any kind of raw meat. 

After housecleaning, esp after cleaning the bathrooms, after petting my dog a lot, like scratching her if I am going to touch food, as soon as I get home from grocery shopping where I had to use a cart or basket.  I carry sanitizing hand-gel in my purse for when I get in the car and wash them as soon as I get home in tea tree in soap with hot water. 

Kids put everything in their mouths, including their hands which like to touch everything else.  Grocery stores are the worst!  It kinda creeps me out when ppl let their kids touch all the produce! 

Once I saw a lade at the farmer's market getting bread samples and not using the toothpicks provided, just going through the bread with her hands.  I confronted her and another woman chimed-in. 

I know I sound kinda germaphobic, but I had chronic sinus and ear infections as a kid and spent most of the first 20 years of my life on antibiotics which has left my immune-system less than iron-clad. I've spent a lotta time sick working in offices, but I'm happy to say those days are over.

I also use anti-bacterial wipes in my kitchen. 

Oh yea, and I also sign receipts with my own pen. 

I work with toddlers still in diapers so I wash my hands about a billion times a day! Well it sometimes feels like it at least. :-p And throughout the day when I touch pens or other objects or when I just can't wash my hands I use a hand sanitizer to help a bit. I still get constantly sick though, oh well!

Original Post by mspw2:

Once I saw a lade at the farmer's market getting bread samples and not using the toothpicks provided, just going through the bread with her hands.  I confronted her and another woman chimed-in. 

 Once I was a hotel in Toronto, and they had "community bread" in the breakfast room.  Naturally I avoided it, but I observed a woman pick up a loaf, cradle it in her arms like a baby, pressed up against her chest, and proceed to hack off a slice by sawing with an 8" knife towards her body.  I was fascinated that she chose this method, grossed out by thinking about all the people who were going to eat this loaf after she was done with it, and also waiting for the arterial spray when she overshot and jabbed the knife into her abdomen (Darwin's law didn't prevail that day, unfortunately).

Salt and pepper shakers in restaurants also gross me out.  They may clean the dishes and the tables but you can bet those puppies never get cleaned.  If I pick them up, I use my napkin.

Wash after bathroom, before eating, and when I get home. I use purel on my hands in school because it's annoying to go to the bathroom to wash my hands just for pushing the elevator button/opening doors. There's a bunch of sick kids at school right now.

If I get them dirty, I rinse them. If they're REALLY dirty I'll use soap. I also don't wash my dishes very carefully.  And I don't use cleaning products in my house very often.  I just wipe stuff down with a damp cloth. 

and I never get sick! Imagine that.  :]

Before I make the coffee and after bathroom first thing in morning,  after my bus route! (those germy kids!), before gym, after gym, before cooking, after bathroom anytime.  I don't obsess but it is important as a defense.  I just read an article that people tend to use the alcohol gel too much and not wash with soap and water.  I use it some, too, but washing is best.

After potty breaks, before/after cooking, before eating, when I get home, after playing with or cleaning up after the cat and/or dog.

I don't use anti-bac gel very often, but lately I've been using it constantly.  I tore a tendon in a finger and am wearing a gauze covered splint which makes it difficult to wash thoroughly.  Gel to the rescue!

Everytime I change classrooms - going in coming out. At lunch, bathroom breaks and anytime I can think of it. I'm determined not to get sick this year. Plus I use the hand wash.

I have OCD and I used to wash my hands sooo often that they bled. For quite some time I was not allowed to wash my hands at all -- ever -- except in the shower. As soon as flu season rolled around, my therapist allows me to wash my hands after using the washroom or being on a public bus or something with a bunch of people who are coughing and sneezing. I tend to wash more often than that, though, especially at the office if people are sick and they sneeze on work they have to give to me or something. Ick.

I never buy antibacterial soap. I actively avoid buying it.

 

 Same here. It was what was killing my hands. I also avoid using hand sanitizers.