Hyper cleanliness?

[bump]

I was watching TV today, and a commercial for some kind of laundry product came on, where this woman drops a sock on the floor. At that point, little animated germs start having a party on it, and she re-washes the sock(!?!), with the voice over saying something about how effective this product is.

Are people really this anal about cleanliness, or is this commercial really kind of ridiculous? I can't help but figure that there's a market segment that this commercial appeals to, and it kind of scares me.

My family's pretty ridiculously clean- microwave the sponges, clean with bleach, etc... but none of us would bat an eye about using a sock dropped on the laundry room floor, or drying a damp one that fell down on the way from the washer to the dryer. It's not like dropping your fork in the toilet then using it after all...

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Originally Posted by bump

Are people really this anal about cleanliness, or is this commercial really kind of ridiculous?

In typical commercialistic fashion, the companies are trying to create a market that either doesn't exist or isn't big enough to be profitable. Their other marketing niches have levelled off or are shrinking so that have to find new ways to sell the same product.

I'm sure there are people that anal and it's kinda sucks that the marketing weasels are targeting them.

[Antigen]

I've never met anyone quite that bad about cleanliness, but I guess it's possible that some people are that obsessed with germs. Awfully small subset of the poputation, though, and it seems like an odd marketing strategy to me. Maybe they were trying to be funny?

In my house, unless that sock fell into the toilet or onto something gross and sticky, I wouldn't re-wash it.

[AskNott]

Ah, the advertising industry! They're the ones who took something 90% of humans have (dandruff) and made it into something we are ashamed of.

[Martin Hyde]

Change that 90% to 100%.

Since all skin cells die and flake off everyone has dandruff. Not everyone has enough to ever matter visually, though.

I have somewhat bad dandruff that I treat with a zinc shampoo. I'm not ashamed of dandruff at all, if I scratch my head because of my scalp irritation and some dead skin comes off it's not like I urinated then didn't wash my hands or came to work in a tank top and boxer shorts.

Just like I'm not embarassed when I sneeze or cough.

To be more specific I don't use the zinc shampoos to cure the dandruff (the only problem I have with it is it's annoying on black clothing) I use it to cure the inflammation that comes along with it.

[dangermom]

The more I think about it, the weirder that ad is (not that I've seen it). Socks go on your feet, which aren't exactly incredibly vulnerable to germs. Socks are what you wear around the house, unless you're barefoot, so they are supposed to go on the floor, right? Unless you wear shoes all the time indoors? And who wears shoes indoors all the time? People in ads, I guess. Probably they have foot fungus problems because of all that shoe-wearing.

If the floor is so dirty that dropping a sock upon it means that the sock becomes unwearable, it may be time to clean the floor rather than the sock. (Maybe the woman lives in one of those homes you see on How clean is your house??)

I can see how, if you dropped underwear on the floor, and it was inside-out, you would throw it back in the laundry basket. But socks?

[Zabali_Clawbane]

Originally Posted by bump

Are people really this anal about cleanliness, or is this commercial really kind of ridiculous? I can't help but figure that there's a market segment that this commercial appeals to, and it kind of scares me.

I think people are being brainwashed by the marketing companies so they'll use more of these products, more often. I think the people who make the product want people to think they should be that anal, so are presenting such neurotic behavior as normal. Just like all those air fresheners that "kill the germs that cause odors in the air", (What a crock that line is, but people swallow it hook line and sinker.) and all those products with bleach in a disposable cleaning cloth, not to mention Lysol and all the antibacterial soaps. If we used all those products as liberally as they portray in the commercials, we'd likely make ourselves and our loved ones ill with respirtory infections from all the widely varied aerosal and fumes.

I've noticed this trend for several years now, and I think it's ridiculous, and also frightening how easily people are buying into it. It makes me wonder how many more supergerms and viruses are being bred due to overuse of antibacterial products? Not that I find the products completely useless. Far from it. I put antibacterial hand soap in the bathroom, I use Lysol (sparingly compared to the commercials), and I use bleach for clothing, and in Comet scrubbing powder. I might use a bleach wipe on the kitchen counter if I prepared fish or chicken on it, but I'm just as likely to reach for 409 and some paper towels. I don't use aerosal sprays to "kill germs in the air", I don't use Febreeze at all because I'm horribly allergic to it, it's way too potent. Instead I burn incense or use a tea light oil diffuser to scent my home. I don't have a putrid melange of clashing scents, a different one for each room. If I drop a sock on the floor I pick it up, get any lint off it, and put it away knowing my (recently washed) hands probably have as much, if not more germs than the floor, and that we'll survive anyway, because mankind has survived in far filthier conditions for centuries. I keep a clean, sanitary house, and I'm not buying into the mentality various commercials want me to, because I know better.

[Colophon]

If I dropped my sock on the floor, I'd be reaching for the mop, not the washing machine

[FairyChatMom]

Originally Posted by dangermom

And who wears shoes indoors all the time?

I do. Shoes or slippers.

And I think the whole germ-phobia has gotten way out of hand! If it's not edible or used to deliver something edible to the eater, and if it doesn't fall in to a slimy, icky, gooey puddle, then it can be shaken or dusted off and that's that. Eons ago, I babysat for a couple who didn't bat an eye when their son used to dog's chew bones as teething rings. It grossed me out at the time, but both the dog and the boy grew up just fine. So much for germs.

[Padeye]

There are a couple of TV ads for Clorox that are the epitome of hyper cleanliness paranoia, the ones that spout the dangers of "body soil." If you make the tragic mistake of wearing a T-shirt that was washed without their brand of sodium hpyochlorite you will be covered in a bubbling cauldron of filth.

[Diceman]

Originally Posted by Padeye

There are a couple of TV ads for Clorox that are the epitome of hyper cleanliness paranoia, the ones that spout the dangers of "body soil." If you make the tragic mistake of wearing a T-shirt that was washed without their brand of sodium hpyochlorite you will be covered in a bubbling cauldron of filth.

I saw one of these commercials. This guy jumps into bed, but he freezes in mid-air above the bed and the bed sheets (which are a sparkling, snowy white) turn into a pool of bubbling brown ooze, while the announcer says something like "If you don't use Clorox Bleach, you're sleeping in body filth!"

It was absolutely offensive

[Anastasaeon]

Originally Posted by Diceman

I saw one of these commercials. This guy jumps into bed, but he freezes in mid-air above the bed and the bed sheets (which are a sparkling, snowy white) turn into a pool of bubbling brown ooze, while the announcer says something like "If you don't use Clorox Bleach, you're sleeping in body filth!"

It was absolutely offensive

I agree, it damn well was offensive!

It irked my husband to death. He commented "They're trying to make us all hypochondriacs, ferchrissake." That's exactly what they want. "You are filthy, but if you buy our products, we will make you clean!"

Frock that.

[Zabali_Clawbane]

Doesn't it make you feel evil enough to say "Yeah, I sleep in body filth every night and love it. Wouldn't sleep any other way!" (or something more creative, but equally as "evil") with a perverse grin if confronted with someone who bought into such nonsense?

[calm kiwi]

help but figure that there's a market segment that this commercial appeals to, and it kind of scares me.

My family's pretty ridiculously clean- microwave the sponges, clean with bleach, etc... but none of us would bat an eye about using a sock dropped on the laundry room floor, or drying a damp one that fell down on the way from the washer to the dryer. It's not like dropping your fork in the toilet then using it after all...

Your family scares me! Microwaving sponges? This is why everyone is allergic to everything! Harden up!

Jeez if people can live through this Tsunami and the poverty and illness that follows then your family is clearly hyper nuts microwaving sponges. Re-washing socks is clearly to nuts to speak of.....typical advertising.

[ioioio]

A few years ago there was a commercial for some sort of feminine stuff (probably douche) that showed an immaculately dressed, skinny-assed model getting ready to use the product. As the commercial ends, she pulls on some elbow-length yellow rubber gloves, gives them a snap, and looks at the camera with an expression like she’s preparing for a particularly nasty Rotor Rooter job.

In real life the yellow rubber gloves are used to protect one’s hands and lower arms from something toxic. If Skinny Model’s feminine parts are festering to the point where she needs rubber gloves for protection, she really should see a doctor, pronto.
If the gloves are for the purpose of protecting Miss Skinny’s dainty parts from her hands, perhaps she could simply wash her hands prior to initiating the procedure.
If Skinny Imaginary Woman simply feels more secure wearing gloves, a pair of wrist-length latex gloves would be sufficient and probably more sanitary.

There were obviously no women involved in the development of the commercial, up to the point of filming with the model/actress. You’d think even she would’ve had difficulty carrying on with a straight face.

[Tupug Anachi]

FWIW, here's a thought. Perhaps the appeal of these products to the average person is that it's an aspect of the environment that they can personally control. We don't have any particular hands-on control over what's spewed into the atmosphere daily, for example, but by Og, we can sure get rid of those pesky germs!

I'm of the opinion myself that we need to allow our bodies some exposure so that our natural defense mechanisms can work properly. I don't resort to antibiotics unless absolutely called for. However, I do wear shoes in the house because I just don't like the feeling of bare floor or carpet on my feeties.

[TroubleAgain]

Oh, geez, yes, my SIL asked me if I am not afraid to use sponges because of the germs. I gave her a and said that it hadn't killed us yet.

[bump]

Generally, your sink and sponges are more nasty and bacteriologically suspect than your toilet. It's probably worth spending a little effort on them instead of worrying about your commode.

Cite: Does flushing the toilet cause dirty water to be spewed around the bathroom? from dear Uncle Cecil.

[butter pie]

Originally Posted by Padeye

There are a couple of TV ads for Clorox that are the epitome of hyper cleanliness paranoia, the ones that spout the dangers of "body soil." If you make the tragic mistake of wearing a T-shirt that was washed without their brand of sodium hpyochlorite you will be covered in a bubbling cauldron of filth.

Haaaaahahahahaha. I'm so glad I just watch DVDs or play video games now, and my only TV viewing is channel 8 and, rarely, the Simpsons. I miss out on all these great commercials.

Whoever really fears something like that would love me. My idea of "clean" as far as clothes are concerned, is "doesn't smell." I wear it... if it smells alright, it goes back on the hanger. If it smells, or I was around someone smoking, or something like that, it goes in the laundry pile. The only thing I wear once and wash is underwear. I'll re-wear socks if it becomes necessary, though I have so many socks it's not really necessary. As for the guy jumping in the brown bed of ooze... I wear the same pajamas for like a WHOLE WEEK without washing them OR my sheets. Feh! Feh I say!

I'm convinced my lack of germ-paranoia has given me a super-strong immune system. The closest thing I ever get to a cold is feeling a bit crappy for a couple days because I can feel my body fighting something off. I don't have allergies. I've managed to avoid taking ANY antibiotics of any form for almost four years.

I also don't have money to waste on overpriced unnecessary cleaning products or ten gallons of laundry detergent a month.

[Bear_Nenno]

Originally Posted by dangermom

I can see how, if you dropped underwear on the floor, and it was inside-out, you would throw it back in the laundry basket.

You would????

[butter pie]

You didn't know? The floor is much dirtier than your squeaky-clean arse.

[Colophon]

Originally Posted by jinwicked

Whoever really fears something like that would love me. My idea of "clean" as far as clothes are concerned, is "doesn't smell." I wear it... if it smells alright, it goes back on the hanger. If it smells, or I was around someone smoking, or something like that, it goes in the laundry pile. The only thing I wear once and wash is underwear. I'll re-wear socks if it becomes necessary, though I have so many socks it's not really necessary. As for the guy jumping in the brown bed of ooze... I wear the same pajamas for like a WHOLE WEEK without washing them OR my sheets. Feh! Feh I say!

Yep and yep. Sheets can go a couple of weeks. No problemo. Fortunately the advert people mentioned hasn't made it to these shores, although if it did I'm sure it would just be laughed off the airwaves. Having said that, we did have an advert a few weeks back for disposable toilet brushes. Yep, simply flush it away to overload our Victorian sewage system, once you're done. It was good for a laugh, though:

"You use the brush to scrub HERE..."
(cut to shot of toilet)
"...and then the brush goes back HERE..."
(shot of toilet brush holder)
"...so next time you use it you're spreading the germs back HERE"
(another shot of toilet. Cut to housewife looking horrified. Germs? In the toilet? Say it ain't so!!)

So, you're saying I should be worried about spreading a few germs in my toilet bowl. Well excuse me, but I don't lick the bowl, I don't eat my dinner out of it, and unless those germs are going to go crawling back up my colon, which of course, is where they came out of in the first place, I shan't be losing any beauty sleep over it. I give it a good squirt of bleach every few days and leave it overnight, and if the fungus grows too tall to comfortably sit down on the seat, then I'll just chop it back a bit.

I'm convinced my lack of germ-paranoia has given me a super-strong immune system. The closest thing I ever get to a cold is feeling a bit crappy for a couple days because I can feel my body fighting something off. I don't have allergies. I've managed to avoid taking ANY antibiotics of any form for almost four years.

Me too, but it's probably even longer than four years. When all around me are people snuffling through winter colds and "flu", I occasionally get a slight sore throat for a day or so and then feel fine.

Don't let the ad men con you out of your health.

[butter pie]

I confess, I got one of those throw-away toilet brush dealie-bobbers. You don't flush it though, you put the little sponge that goes on the end in the trash. Mostly because I'm lazy though. The cleaning stuff and everything is already in the sponge. And I clean the bathroom really well maybe once a month or so, so I don't feel too guilty about contributing to the overwhelming barrage of disposable garbage.

I'm convinced that those and the original Swiffers are some of the best little house-gadgets they've come out with in years. Considering how many useless brooms I've had that were just trash after getting all ratty, a couple of wet and dry paper "towels" from the Swiffer about once a week do an admirable job of keeping my dinky little 1-bed apt kitchen and bathroom floor clean. But again... it's not germ-o-phobe stuff. Anything that makes cleaning faster is good.

[Greywolf73]

My ex sister-in-law has severe OCD which she refuses to take medication for. Back when I knew her, she would wash anything that touched the floor, including bedspreads and dust ruffles, every single day. She also washed coins and shoes in the washing machine and scrubbed light switches so hard with Clorox that the paint would peel off the walls. She bought Clorox and sanitizing wipes in bulk and had them stockpiled in the kitchen cabinets so tightly that there was no room left for food or dishes in there. Strangely, her OCD cleaning didn't extend to dust so the whole house would have a half inch thick layer of dust on every surface, unless that surface was near a doorknob, light switch, or drawer handle.
Of course, she wasn't what you would call normal so I suppose that doesn't answer the question in the OP.

I'm not too germ-paranoid myself, although I do have an obsession with keeping the kitchen counters clean and I use Clorox wipes a couple of times a day especially after preparing food. Bed sheets and towels get washed once a week or so. But to wash a sock after it hits the floor? Nope.

[norinew]

I'm with the crowd that thinks the advertisers wants us to think we should be this germ-phobic. I do know one woman who washes her can opener every single time she uses it, but she really is germ-phobic. As far as a sock falling on her floor? Her floor is probably cleaner than the dishes you and I eat off of, so no loss there.

Because I have stackable washer/dryer, probably two or three articles of clothing fall out of the dryer, and onto the floor or top of the washer, per load. If I rewashed everything that didn't go straight into the basket, I'd probably be doing two extra loads of wash a week.

And speaking of laundry baskets, where can you buy disinfectants for them? I mean, your dirty clothes go in there to go into the laundry room, then you put your clean clothes in them, where no doubt dirty clothes germs and body filth still reside!!

I think I'm on to something! Hold on while I call an advertising agency. . .

[Diceman]

Originally Posted by Tupug Anachi

I'm of the opinion myself that we need to allow our bodies some exposure so that our natural defense mechanisms can work properly.

I subscribe to this theory myself. I wash my clothes after every use, but that's mostly to keep them from getting dirty and smelly. My bed sheets get washed once a week, and I don't use antibacterial anything. I clean the apartment so that it looks neat and presentable, not due to some futile quest to eliminate germs from my life.

BTW, I don't have any allergies, and I haven't been seriously ill in years. When I get cold-like symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, etc.) they tend to be mild and usually disappear within a few days.

[Sunspace]

I'm still surprised no advertiser has created a product specifically targeted at eyebrow dandruff.

If I ever see one, I'll know the Apocalypse is truly upon us.

[Padeye]

George Carlin has a comedy bit about hypercleanliness in his book Napalm and Silly Putty. He's against hand washing in order to build up his immune system and says he only washes them when he gets shit on them wich it two, three times a week usually, ROFL. He said only four areas need to be washed on the human body, mouth, armpits, asshole and crotch and they should preferably be cleaned with the same brush.

[yBeayf]

and my only TV viewing is channel 8

...and for those who aren't from Houston, channel 8 is the local PBS affiliate -- by far the best TV station in Houston.

[butter pie]

Originally Posted by yBeayf

...and for those who aren't from Houston, channel 8 is the local PBS affiliate -- by far the best TV station in Houston.

Whoohoo Frontline!

[Regallag_The_Axe]

The best way to disinfect stuff is with fire. Everyone knows this. So, if you want a completely cean house, just burn it down. No more germs. As for the house, that's waht insuarnce is for.
I'm just waiting for napalm to become comercially available for cleaning purposes.