# Germaphobes and hygeine nazis: Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539 "2010-12-17T18:35:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/21 "2010-12-17T21:45:22Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > You can’t help what you’re squicked out by. What you CAN help is what you do to avoid what squicks you out, or what you ask others to do so you can avoid the boogeyman. Sure you can. You can either think it through rationally and adjust your behaviour until you get into a new routine, or with more immediately physical worries, you start interacting with the squick until you are desensitized to it. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/22 "2010-12-17T21:57:37Z")
You know how people all think they drive perfect, and that the people who go slower than them are idiots and the people who go faster are goddamn maniacs? I think it’s the same thing. Most people think they take proper but reasonable precautions, and anyone who takes more is a germaphobe and anyone who takes fewer is filthy. Of course, everyone has a different line for proper but reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/23 "2010-12-17T22:00:59Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > At times, I think it goes back to the old idea that increased sensitivity to things is a class marker. It’s _trashy_ not to be bothered by dirt, so if you are really, really bothered by dirt, you must be really, really not trashy. > > For example, I am not at all freaked out by hair. Hair just doesn’t register as particularly dirty to me. If I were alone and found a hair in my food, I’d probably just pick it out and go on eating. But if I was with work people and they saw it, I’d (mildly) freak out and wouldn’t eat it, because I don’t want them to know that I am the sort of person that would eat food touched by a stranger’s hair. I hadn’t thought about the aspect of it. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![lisalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@lisalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisalan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/24 "2010-12-17T22:03:13Z")
My name is lisalan and I’m a germaphobe. I admit it. I am just like Putty (Sp) on Seinfeld:D ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/25 "2010-12-17T22:09:46Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > At times, I think it goes back to the old idea that increased sensitivity to things is a class marker. It’s _trashy_ not to be bothered by dirt, so if you are really, really bothered by dirt, you must be really, really not trashy. > > For example, I am not at all freaked out by hair. Hair just doesn’t register as particularly dirty to me. If I were alone and found a hair in my food, I’d probably just pick it out and go on eating. But if I was with work people and they saw it, I’d (mildly) freak out and wouldn’t eat it, because I don’t want them to know that I am the sort of person that would eat food touched by a stranger’s hair. I think you may have something there. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/26 "2010-12-17T22:27:38Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > You can’t help what you’re squicked out by. What you CAN help is what you do to avoid what squicks you out, or what you ask others to do so you can avoid the boogeyman. > > Washing your hands after handling raw chicken is reasonable. There are real bacteria in raw chickens that can make your life pretty unpleasant. I think totally avoiding chicken because of this would be going too far, though, unless someone in your house really were likely to die as a result of getting salmonella or campylobacter. > > I don’t get the people who take elaborate precautions to avoid catching a cold. It’s a cold, people. You’ll be a bit under the weather for a few days. (This doesn’t apply to someone who’s more likely to get serious complications from a cold, such as an immunocompromised person) A cold isn’t going to kill a person with a normal immune system. > > ETA: And doing germophobic stuff _when you can’t even name the specific disease you’re trying to avoid_ is ridiculous. I’m looking at you, people who carry around a bottle of Purell everywhere you go. Well, lots of things aren’t going to kill you or are kind of vague threats, but that doesn’t mean you need to embrace them. Lyme disease isn’t going to kill you, but you’d still check yourself for ticks after hiking in the mid-Atlantic region, right? Getting a fender bender in a parking lot isn’t going to cause you any serious harm, just minor cosmetic damage to your car, but you still take care in parking lots, right? It may be a minor inconvenience, but it’s still pretty much avoidable if you’re willing to take literally a few minutes spread throughout the day to treat your body properly. And as for your last point, that’s probably one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Can you name every pathogen that can cause food poisoning? Probably not. Do you still want to avoid nausea and vomiting and diarrhea even if you have no idea what exactly has infected your digestive tract? Probably yes. Normal people do not pick specific illnesses that they want to avoid; they simply want to avoid disease in general. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/27 "2010-12-18T00:17:02Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > You know how people all think they drive perfect, and that the people who go slower than them are idiots and the people who go faster are goddamn maniacs? I think it’s the same thing. Most people think they take proper but reasonable precautions, and anyone who takes more is a germaphobe and anyone who takes fewer is filthy. Of course, everyone has a different line for proper but reasonable. Actually, I know I am filthy, the complete opposite of germaphobe. The last time I lived by myself, my house was a disaster zone. I shower everyday, usually wash my hands after the toilet, and personal hygiene in general, but I’m not good at cleaning stuff, things, the house, etc. I need to improve in this area. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/28 "2010-12-18T01:25:05Z")
> [@Acid\_Lamp](#): > > Knock it off. There are plenty of dopers who self describe as such. I was trying to have a sense of humor about it. :rolleyes: Knock it off your own self. I was reacting to the ongoing attitude around here which you seemed to be channelling that if you don’t go out of your way to eat other people’s feces, you’re a germaphobe. “Oh, I just tell the waitress to shove the lemon wedge up her ass then stick it in my drink. I ain’t no _germaphobe._” This is a good place to link this video - [the Mythbusters take on the best way to sneeze to contain the germs.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3mP1tgz__I) (Starting at 2:45.) Take a gander at how far the droplets go when you try to contain a sneeze in your hand - it ain’t pretty. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/29 "2010-12-18T01:30:00Z")
I was in China during SARS. Judicious handwashing, coughing/sneezing into your armpit, using hand disinfectant a lot, being careful about rubbing eyes/nose/mouth etc is the name of the game. You wanna make fun of me go ahead, but SARs and other contagious diseases are not a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/30 "2010-12-18T02:48:06Z")
I used to use hand sanitizer at my work keyboard, but only because it made my hands smell good and feel less greasy. Other than that, I’m less sanitary than average and I get sick approximately never. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/31 "2010-12-18T02:53:58Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I used to use hand sanitizer at my work keyboard, but only because it made my hands smell good and feel less greasy. Other than that, I’m less sanitary than average and I get sick approximately never. Please to share name of sanitizer? Every one I’ve ever used made my hands smell just awful. Dried 'em out, too, but that might go into your “feel less greasy” thing. Still, the smell - bleagh. Terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/32 "2010-12-18T07:42:04Z")
> [@Hedda\_Rosa](#): > > But I knew a woman who would clean her laundry basket out with bleach spray so that she wouldn’t have to put her clean clothing back into the same basket that her dirty clothing came out of. And I’m taking normal family laundry, not like working on a pig farm or something. That is taking it all a little to far. > > (I kinda always wondered why she didn’t take the next logical step and have 2 different baskets.) I’m not that neat or abnormally clean but a few years ago it occurred to me that putting the dirty underwear in the wash was pretty similar germ contact-wise to going to the bathroom so now I wash my hands after. I have considered washing out the basket but never have gone that far. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/33 "2010-12-18T07:45:15Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Knock it off your own self. I was reacting to the ongoing attitude around here which you seemed to be channelling that if you don’t go out of your way to eat other people’s feces, you’re a germaphobe. “Oh, I just tell the waitress to shove the lemon wedge up her ass then stick it in my drink. I ain’t no _germaphobe._” > > This is a good place to link this video - [the Mythbusters take on the best way to sneeze to contain the germs.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3mP1tgz__I) (Starting at 2:45.) Take a gander at how far the droplets go when you try to contain a sneeze in your hand - it ain’t pretty. :eek: Let’s see. How should I put this. I know: Take your response in **prr** ’s animal lovers thread. Then look at yourself. Nothing you have said was in the OP. Of course it was going to look like you were threadshitting. And, while you may not have OCD, you do have what people tend to think of as OCD: an anxiety disorder that apparently manifests in you fearing germs. Of course sneeze droplets go everywhere. Why should I care? The germs in one droplet will not make me sick. In fact, because I have OCD, I get really angry at people who use fear to try to motivate, especially with typical OCD topics. I’m happy I got over my germ fixation, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/34 "2010-12-18T07:54:26Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Seriously - whose face has been in your phone? I think the idea is that you should disinfect a shared phone, like a family landline, not your personal cell phone. I’ve also heard that you should clean your phones to get the oil from your skin off them so you don’t get pimples, but who presses their cheek into a phone like that? I’m okay with being called a germaphobe because I take a bit more than minimal precautions to avoid germs - pretty much the ones **China Guy** mentioned. I haven’t had a cold in over 18 months, and used to get 3-4 colds a year, so it seems to be working for me. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/35 "2010-12-18T07:58:12Z")
> [@Hedda\_Rosa](#): > > Well hell, **I** don’t do it, but I don’t think it is all \*that \*wackadoodle. YMMV. IMHO. Etc etc etc. It kinda is _that_ wackadoodle. Who the hell disinfects a doorknob? I have never heard of anything quite like it and I work (not _live_, thank God) with some severely paranoid germaphobes. Well, I thought they were paranoid, I guess this thread’s raised the bar a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/36 "2010-12-18T14:47:57Z")
Actually, your door knobs probably have way more nasty microbes on them after a week’s time than the seat of your toilet. Although if you don’t have lots of house guests, they may be germs you live peacefully with. But yeah, I guess I’m kind of germophobic, but I think it’s fairly rational. For instance, if I sit on a wet public toilet seat, I find it unpleasant, but I don’t worry about catching something. I don’t hover or use an ass gasket - if I see it’s wet, I’ll wipe it off then sit on it. Because people don’t carry lots of germs on their thighs, and urine is sterile. Now the handle of a grocery cart? Ewwwww! Probably a dozen or more people have rubbed their mitts on that, after coughing and sneezing into their hands, wiping their kids’ noses, or licking their fingers after having that sample from the deli. You bet your ass I’m going to wipe it with one of the provided cloths, or use sanitizer on my hands after putting the cart back. And yeah, I try to open the bathroom door with a paper towel, because a few people will wipe their asses or change their tampons, and not wash their hands before exiting the bathroom. I’m also careful with raw meat - I wash my hands well and clean surfaces with a dilute bleach solution. Now, part of this is that a cold often isn’t just a cold for me. It’ll become a sinus infection, then I have to deal with nasty side effects from the antibiotics. And anyone who’s dealt with a kid under three who has the pukes understands going all out to prevent them from catching a stomach virus! ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/37 "2010-12-18T17:22:01Z")
> [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#): > > For instance, if I sit on a wet public toilet seat, I find it unpleasant, but I don’t worry about catching something. I don’t hover or use an ass gasket - if I see it’s wet, I’ll wipe it off then sit on it. Because people don’t carry lots of germs on their thighs, and urine is sterile. Interesting. Me too, I always just wipe and sit. I always figured if people were always getting some kind of ass-sickness from using public toilets we’d hear more about it. I suppose it happens, but sure seems that the more likely method of getting sick is touching something a sick person has touched then your touching eyes or mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/38 "2010-12-18T17:31:31Z")
Yeah, that reminds me of the other reason I’m a little . . . intense about using hand sanitizer with my toddler. She sucks her thumb, so keeping her hands clean is really important. The rest of us mostly need to wash our hands before eating, and if our hands are germy the rest of the time no big deal. But she’ll touch every nasty thing in sight and pop her thumb in her mouth. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/39 "2010-12-18T18:20:00Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Let’s see. How should I put this. I know: Take your response in **prr** ’s animal lovers thread. Then look at yourself. > > Nothing you have said was in the OP. Of course it was going to look like you were threadshitting. Good point. I’m still annoyed at how people who basically follow **Qadgop’s** (a doctor in real life) guidelines are mocked on this board, but this probably wasn’t the time and place. > [@](#): > > And, while you may not have OCD, you do have what people tend to think of as OCD: an anxiety disorder that apparently manifests in you fearing germs. Of course sneeze droplets go everywhere. Why should I care? The germs in one droplet will not make me sick.\ I don’t, actually. I have a realistic dislike of being sick, which manifests in washing my hands with soap and water when I’ve been in situations that are known for transferring contagion - like doctors recommend. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539/40 "2010-12-18T18:21:46Z")
> [@Terraplane](#): > > It kinda is _that_ wackadoodle. Who the hell disinfects a doorknob? I have never heard of anything quite like it and I work (not _live_, thank God) with some severely paranoid germaphobes. Well, I thought they were paranoid, I guess this thread’s raised the bar a bit. Well, when I worked at a clinic we had the phones and doorknobs disinfected _at least_ daily, and during outbreaks of this or that several times a day. But that’s because the halls were full of sick people and their offspring had terrible hygiene in regards to coughs and sneezes because, well, toddlers are like that. They have to be _taught_ to cover their mouths and noses and not wipe snot on the walls, they aren’t born knowing that. When we started doing that rates of strep, staph, and other infections in the staff plummeted. Of course, we were a _clinic_. The point being it may an entirely reasonable thing to do in context, but paranoid in another. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/germaphobes-and-hygeine-nazis-why/564539.md?page=3)