I'm so the anti-germaphobe. We don't wash our hands nearly as often as we should, we reuse sponges (but zap them in the microwave often), I don't shower every day, my sons bathe 2-3 times a week, I don't use hand sanitizer unless I'm in a pinch. I'm really bad about the stuff.

And we're almost never sick. We're way healthier than the germaphobes I know.

Anecdotal, I know, but this stuff just doesn't gross me out at all.

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I'm with Judy - I don't give much thought to germs, and certainly avoid using anti-bacterial products, and my family is rarely sick. Instead we follow some simple (and polite) rules: wash your hands before eating or before rubbing your eyes, and don't stick your fingers in your mouth. The vast majority of germs are absorbed through the membranes rather than regular skin, so just touching things isn't at all harmful so long as you're not passing it on to your nose, eyes, or mouth. While of course precautions are necessary, I worry a lot about the resistant bacteria we help create when we go overboard on the cleaning, and what happens to children whose immune systems never get a proper work-out.

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I agree with Sam and Judy - in fact, studies have shown that children who grow up in an ultra clean environment are more likely to have asthma and allergies.

As a side note - there is no such thing as a "germ" - they are bacteria and viruses. When I was in microbiology one of our experiments was to take household cleaners that promised to rid of "germs" and see what they did to bacteria and viruses. Results - most of them were useless - but they can claim efficiancy because they are killing something that doesn't exist!

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I agree with all of the above.

Incidentally, I must say that I remember stories about what's dirtier than toilets. The answer seems to be *very nearly everything* - including playgrounds, sinks, computer keyboards, water fountains....

Toilets *always* have less ick than people think

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We wash our hands before eating, after doing gardening or playing with the pets, after going to the bathroom, after cleaning the cat boxes......and that's about it.

I rarely use the hand sanitizer, unless there is no other option. I've never bothered wiping down the grocery carts at the store and I don't use one of those cover things.

Like the others have said -- exposure to various things is what strengthens the immune systems. If you're immune-compromised then obviously doing those things is important, but for normal people, I just don't think it's necessary or advisable.

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I keep anti-bacterial wipes in my bag and always wipe down the handle of grocery carts and around the baby seat in the hope that it will kill whatever nastiness is on there. I do this because the kids always manage to put their mouths on something when they are sitting there, and I have no idea what might be on there. It isn't just about avoiding things like cold and flu. People and other kids could have transferred anything.

I also make sure everyone washes their hands before eating and after using the bathroom. I can't believe the number of people (woman in my case) who walk out of public bathrooms without washing their hands. If being grossed out by them and not wanting to touch something after them makes me "germphobic", then so be it. I understand not wanting to over sanitize the world, but standards for basic hygiene seem to have been thrown out the window.

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Germs on household surfaces (barring where raw meat has been) don't worry me nearly as much as bacteria on meat and food items that may have been handled by someone that's sick.

I have to admit that I don't like to eat in restaurants that may have illegals working in them because it's my thinking that those employees are not tested for diseases that might be transferable throught their handling of the food.

Some employees of a Chinese restaurant that we loved tested positive for TB and a nurse that works at the health department who is a friend told me that is the one area where chains have it over the other eateries is that they are more likely to screen and test their employees.

Call me paranoid or scarey, but the stats on those lemons makes me think that the salads might be just as germy. My dad never liked to eat out. It used to make my mom so mad when he said the only things he would eat in a restaurant would be a hard boiled egg or a coconut and only if he peeled them himself! LOL


Jan from http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/

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I used to be a freak about germs (whatever they are) with my son and of course he never got sick. Then he went into preschool and was sick off and on for a whole YEAR! His system was shocked! So now I worry about it less and won't shield this next kid as much (and how can I when my son will bring it all home anyway??).

The thing that always confuses me is the sponge thing. I use a sponge twice and throw it out. I use cheap ones so no big deal. My mom uses hers until they basically don't do the job anymore (ew?). We never nuke them but my husband has reasoned with me that uhhhhh you're putting SOAP on it and the dishes. How can bacteria survive that?

Now I'm nervous about my all purpose kitchen cleaner spray. I use it for everything including cleaning areas raw meat may have touched.

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