i’m a hand washer. i’m a purell user. i use my feet to flush public toilets. i avoid salad bars. i don’t drink out of plastic cups. i use lysol wipes like they are going out of style. some might label me a germophobe. some might think me completely normal and not a germophobe at all (because i’m not the one who is lysol-ing down her keyboard…ahem..)
germs are everywhere. they are in the air we breathe. in the water we drink. on the surfaces we touch. this fact is undisputed. is it possible, though, that some of these germs are SUPPOSED to be there? are not all germs bad? are we possibly doing ourselves more harm than good each time we whip out the purell? are all our precautions stripping us of the antibodies we need to fight the bad germs? have we become, well, too over-sanitized and too clean? are our views too biased – do we only see the bad in germs and not the good?
it’s easy to get panicked in our society. the news is filled with stories of e.coli breakouts on cruise ships, bird-flu epidemics, botulism-ridden food products, a spinach recall. hell, i live in Toronto, the hotbed for the SARS pandemic. and we have yet to pass through a winter without a bad case of the Norwalk Virus going around.
and our shelves and commercials are chock full of new products to chase away the bad germs. oral care strips to remove germs hiding out on your tongue. the ‘one-touch’ tomato. carpet shampoo to kill pet germs. antibacterial everything. we are fighting the war on germs, one product at a time.
what sorts of precautions do you take? or not take? do you use your elbow to push elevator buttons or do you laugh when the person beside you does it? do you wipe down the shopping cart before pushing it? do you use paper towels to turn on and off taps? do you use antibacterial soap or just plain ole’ garden variety soap?
what do you think? what’s your take?
I just don’t care that much. I mean, I care and am sanitary, but I don’t get the obsession some people have. Like one guy I work with uses paper towels to open every single door. It is weird.
Personally, I have a bottle of Purell at my desk and I use it often enough. But, I don’t sweat it. I am a little obsessive about raw meat though.
I never leave the house without my Handiwipes (by them in bulk at Costco!). I am a bit of a germaphobe, I hate to admit it, but I am. I have gotten better in some ways and worse in others since the bunny was born!
I always have to wash my hands when I get home from anywhere. Some of our soap is antibacterial and some of it isn’t.
I am a foot flusher, which has become a bit of an issue since the bunny has been toilet trained! I use my knuckle on elevator buttons. I used to use antibacterial spray all over the house for cleaning, but I have started using 2 bottles (one vinegar, one hydrogen perioxide) for cleaning–it’s working for me!
I’m exactly like LoriD…do my part but am not even close to germaphobe. If you saw places I’ve let my kids crawl around on – lol! Anyway, we don’t get sick often either & I really believe we need to build up our immunity as kids.
Most products kill 99.9% of germs. So the 0.1% is becoming the super bug. I just make sure to wash my hands with soap frequently.
And, I am INSANE in public bathrooms…. foot flushes, paper towel on the door handle….
Don’t get me started!!!! 😉 Mind you, I’ve been much better this pregnancy. I LOVE my purell, though…. I do think that there’s such a thing as being too hygienic. You need to keep your resistance strong by letting it get to work now and then, you knwo?
i have become a real germophobe each baby i get worse.before i had children i would’ve thought you were paranoid.but not now.i should own shares in disinfectant wipes.and bleach.and …but my family very rarely get sick so it must be working what i’m doing.
I like to think I take reasonable precautions, but I am by no means a germaphobe. Not even close. I wash my hands regularly (just plain soap), clean my counters and table with antibacterial cleaner, wash my fruits and vegetables before eating them… that sort of thing. I’m careful about cross-contamination for things like meat, chicken, eggs, etc. I don’t think twice about touching elevator buttons, handrails, doorknobs, etc. My kids happily crawl around the carpet in public places, make friends in the sandbox at the park and eat cheerios that have fallen on the floor. I have the same little bottle of Purell in my purse that my mom put in my Christmas stocking 2 years ago.
I have to say, in 6-1/2 years with three kids I have had to fill a prescription for antibiotics exactly once. Neither of my younger two (ages 4 and 20 months) has ever been to the doctor outside of their regular check-ups. My oldest went once – this year (and got those antibiotics). I have taken 3 sick days this year so far… all because my nanny was sick. I don’t get sick. None of us do.
I do believe that you build up immunity to germs by being exposed to them and that you can over-sanitize to the point that you make your body less able to fight off the bacteria and germs you will surely encounter out in the real world.