I think a large % of people are obsessive compulsive when it comes to germs.
I mean, we grew up surrounded by germs. For the most part we have had enough exposure to be virtually unaffected by germs.
Sure, some actions require rigorous cleansing, after toilet use for example.
Soap and hot water will suffice.
1 Like
My BH has a theory that there a so many people with allergies these days because they werenāt to play outside in the dirt when they were kids.I think she could be right.
2 Likes
True that. I have no allergies. Bought up in Tasmania, roaming the hills. Catching frogs, falling in the mud. All sorts of fun stuff.
2 Likes
Iām not obsessed but I always wash or sanitise my hands before touching food.
3 Likes
Since covid im extra careful about hand washing after shopping , or home after being on the bus or out and about . Very aware of bugs .
2 Likes
Obsessed with germs? They havenāt killed me yet. Iāve always been a clean personā¦with my body, my home, my surroundings, but I am not paranoid about germs.
2 Likes
Obsessed , ever so slightly OCD maybe .
Everything has to be spotlessly clean.
Since Covid, I wear a mask on public transport.
Iāve always carried Anti bac wipes when out and about ā¦.very useful when using a shopping trolley.
However itās more about cleaning than germs with me
2 Likes
I most certainly wasnāt. From a very early age I was raised by my paternal grandparents and Nan cleaned almost everything with a wet cloth soaked in chloride bleach and that was all. What did not get a good bleaching was scrubbed down with Sunlight soap. Even I was washed with good old Sunlight Soap 
3 Likes
What a woman 
1 Like
I have lots of allergies,yet i played in mud/brookes/climbed trees and much more.
I am not obsessed with germs but do wash my hands before touching food and after i empty the bins.
3 Likes
Itās a fine line between keeping yourself clean and being obsessive about cleaning.
Perhaps the cause of most allergies today is not the enthusiasm to clean everything, but the many dodgy chemicals on the market today to kill everything in sight. Mrs Foxās cleaning cupboard has spilled over into the airing cupboard and even a wardrobe. She has something for every eventuality. If it walks, crawls, slithers or is hidden from the naked eye, there is something that will turn the house into a wasteland for germsā¦And even stuff to make the house smell nice after the battleā¦
My mumās cleaning cupboard consisted of a bottle of bleach and some vim for the stubborn stuff. And like LongDriver, a bar of sunlight or fairy soap did the restā¦
3 Likes
A healthy obsession only, which means i donāt give germs too much thought, and certain rooms get more attention than others, like the bathroom and kitchen for instance.
Too many products on the market to choose from, whereas when i was kid, there was very little choice, and my mother also had just one type of bleach, and general cleaner, that was used throughout the house. Anything more challenging required elbow grease and very hot water.
Definitely since Covid iām more aware of germs when i go out, and still carry a small bottle of anti-bac gel for emergencies.
3 Likes
I donāt think itās true that the majority of people are obsessive-compulsive about āgermsā
It is only a small minority of the population who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorders - about 2 or 3% of the population.
There may be a lot of people who are careful or fussy about cleaning but that is not the same as having an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Although it would be true to say that nearly half of the people who do suffer from OCD have obsessions linked to āgermsā - known as ācontamination obsessive-compulsive disorderā
I am not āobsessed with germsā but, like many people, I am careful about cleanliness and hygeine in food preparation areas to try to avoid ingesting or spreading harmful bacteria.
When people scoff at careful hygeine practices and cite what they used to do in āthe old daysā , they forget that modern farming practices are more intensive nowadays than they were 60 years ago and there is more scope for cross-contamination from certain food sources - e.g. salmonella is endemic in poultry now, so it is necessary to take extra care in food prep to prevent cross-contamination.
2 Likes
And also because most food has to make the long journey across the world it is pumped full of chemicals to preserve and make it look appetising on the supermarket shelf. Even local produce has been treated with chemicals to promote growth and kill the bugs. So you can clean away the germs as long as you like but itās the chemicals that are added to food that will likely kill us or make us poorly.
No , not at allā¦
We ate worms , and played in dirt pits ,and water holes ,when we were kids
2 Likes
Germs as most things Come Good Bad and Indifferent.
By example. āUncomfortableā Athletes Foot. Prevalent at Swimming baths. Can become āSepsisā IF Over sterilised.
A finger smear of āVirgin Olive Oilā, Does the trick,
Thank heavens for Olive & Virgins. 
2 Likes