Being overly hygienic is more annoying than being a little dirty. amirite?

People forget how "dirty" we are. I laugh and say we're supposed to experience uncleanliness sometimes. Just wash your hands and don't touch your face.

by Puzzled-Amoeba-3538 2 days ago

Exactly. If a little dirt scared us that much, none of us would've survived childhood. Ever touch a McDonald's playplace in the 90s? That was biological warfare.

by CommercialSpare9539 2 days ago

I have a vague memory of chewing on the netting stuff in one of those, and I did indeed survive

by Fast-Focus-926 2 days ago

Are they somehow cleaner 2 decades later?

by Dizzy_Home 2 days ago

Yet we were healthier lol

by Puzzled-Amoeba-3538 2 days ago

Totally get it. I'm not OCD I'm just passionately committed to the radical concept of not wanting someone else's sneeze molecules on my sandwich.

by CommercialSpare9539 2 days ago

Working as a paint contractor, seeing how people live has scarred me for life with just how nasty some people are willing to live and go out in public all dirty. So while I'm not a hypochondriac, I do get weird about anything secondhand, used, or restaurants. Can't live your life paranoid of germs though.

by genovevaemard 2 days ago

You've hit on a key social friction point. The annoyance is real, but the "why" behind the behavior is often misunderstood. Instead of seeing it as a judgment on you, it's more practical to see it as a reflection of them. Here's a way to frame it: It's Rarely About Superiority, It's About Anxiety. For many, this isn't a conscious choice to be "better." It's a compulsion driven by OCD, severe germaphobia, or health-related trauma. They aren't trying to annoy you; they're trying to manage their own internal panic. You Don't Know Their Medical History. Some people are immunocompromised or live with someone who is. A common cold for you could be a hospital visit for them. What seems extreme is their necessary baseline for safety. Control is a Powerful Coping Mechanism. In a chaotic world, controlling the cleanliness of a chair or fork is one small thing a person can control. It's a way to feel safe, not superior. The most practical plan of action is to choose indifference. You can't know their story. Is it anxiety, a hidden health issue, or a simple quirk? You'll never know, and it's not your burden to carry. Let them wipe the seat. Let them unroll the toilet paper. It costs you nothing. As you said yourself, the best move is to wash your hands and relax. Let that apply to your reaction to them, too.

by kristian83 2 days ago

Came to say exactly this. I took so much crap for how careful I was during the pandemic, but I was raising a very premature baby with lung and heart problems. He vaccine wasn't available for 2 more years. That same child has since grown up and licked the wall of a McDonalds bathroom… We each make decision base on our current limitations.

by Downtown-Taro1622 1 day ago

It's a completely ignorant take. The fact that they think someone is doing this just to be annoying is smooth-brained thinking.

by justus64 1 day ago

At a store I worked at we had a lady that refused to let anyone touch her groceries, her bags, or anything else because of germs. I also watched the same lady sneeze directly into peoples faces without even trying to cover it like at least 5 times

by Fast-Focus-926 1 day ago

Or like…. Idk wear a mask? Cause you are still breathing the hot mouth air of everyone around you, and you are gonna wash those tomatoes anyways (I hope)

by Fast-Focus-926 1 day ago

Contamination OCD != Overly hygienic

by soniagleichner 1 day ago

that can come from trauma like growing up in a hoarder house...

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I'm on lifelong immunosuppression. Last time I caught a cold, it turned into pneumonia and my Dr said a stomach virus could kill me. There are a lot of people out there like me, or that have family members like me. We don't always broadcast it, but you will catch us washing our hands and wiping surfaces often.

by EmergencyBee2417 1 day ago

Preach mate! I swear it's a time waster to wipe off every seat or every cart handle, soap and water exists for a reason. Now if you have a medical disability where your can't have germs thats more sensible but if your the average Joe then you don't need to be doing all that

by Sad_Mechanic_5336 1 day ago

You're not healthier, you just want to feel superior. you are very obviously projecting your insecurity about your cleanliness here.

by ZealousidealBed9398 1 day ago

OCD affects people, you know. Some people don't want to do all of that, they're just having side effects of OCD. Maybe they're performing a ritual to clear their brain, and you're mocking them like "look at this superior being over here". This is why it's important to mind your business.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

"Trust?"

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I think mentally healthy person doesn't care too much. I mean sure, wash your hands every now and then, try to keep house tidy, all the basics but from there and above, there its a thin line to insanity.

by Larkindevonte 1 day ago

Idk, if a little dirty means you can smell BO from 10 feet away, I think I'm taking the hygiene freak

by Grand_Run_9511 1 day ago

True, there's a fine line between being chill about germs and having your scent register as a hate crime.

by CommercialSpare9539 1 day ago

Its also less healthy. Over-cleaning kills all the good bacteria that fights the bad bacteria

by Clarissasauer 1 day ago

That's for inside your body when you're taking antibiotics and antibacterial's.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

but broo unrolling toilet paper to get clean ones should be the norm in public restrooms yrrr 😳

by suzannereynolds 1 day ago

Imo being overly hygienic is worse for you in the long run as you never build immunity to anything.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Until you get hit by food poisoning

by Calm_Dig 1 day ago

I feel like ever since Covid there's been a huge rise in performative cleanliness and hygiene. A lot of it's done to make them feel superior and to find ways to shame others for not doing whatever hygiene practice they've made up.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

No, they may just be being hygienic and you happen to also find it annoying. Why do people think in such black and white terms? Like, you really think hygienic people are out here just doing this to be annoying?

by justus64 1 day ago

hard agree tbh. for many their intent may stem from a place of anxiety and not superiority but it's still annoying a lot of times. I also feel like people try to justify over-cleanliness with pseudoscience nonsense or worrying about germs in instances when it really doesn't matter

by Anonymous 1 day ago

are there people that really act like this? Outside of a tv show?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

That being pedantic, so it is annoying. We need a little dirt to build our immunity

by champlincarolyn 1 day ago

I live my life the exact opposite of overly hygienic people. Always have. One example that comes to mind is tap water. I only drink tap water and free water. Not caring about that is so nice. I couldn't imagine being one of these people that buy water and lug it around for drinking purposes.

by Willing_Limit 1 day ago