Are you a germophobe?
 

Well, are you? Do you know anyone who is a raging germophobe? Any germophobe stories? Post them here!


I wouldn't consider myself a germophobe, although I also wouldn't consider myself very lenient when it comes to spreading germs, either. I like to rest my feet on tables and things (even with my shoes on), double dip in the salsa, things like that.

My grandmother is a horrible germophobe. She wont let me put my jacket on the back of a chair (bacteria), I have to wash my hands to get anything out of the refrigerator, even if I just came from the bathroom (where I washed my hands. Again, bacteria). Hell, she won't even let me put my hand in a bag of chips more than once. I have to reach in, grab a handful, and put them in a bowl. Oh, and wash my hands before I reach in for more.

I am most definitely not a germophobe. I think it's a lame idea that made this entire industry out of "anti-bacterial" bullshit, which will only encourage us to become less and less immune to things.

Bring on the germs, baby. I need 'em to LIVE.

I have an OCD which causes me to wash or sanitize my hands upwards of 20 times daily. I used to do it more when I was younger, the constant washing robbed my hands of moisture to the point of constantly bleeding & itching. Thank god for purell w/aloe.

Sass: Thank god someone else realizes it. I thought I was the only one who thought all this scrubbing and rinsing and overcooking was bullshit.

(Hilarious side-note: My grandma JUST picked up the phone, turned it over, and said "what's all this goop on the phone?", and proceeded to spray and wipe it down.) lolz

Am I a germophobe? Not in the slightest. I can't fathom a decent example to show how un-germophobic I am, but you know.

I do know a germophobe, though, and that is my grandmother. Every time I go to her house it becomes extremely evident to everyone how anti-germ she really is. =.="

Like Tizzler, I also have struggled with fairly severe OCD, but luckily for me, I grew out of most of it. The thing that remains is above-average hand-washing habits, and this has aggravates my eczema and causes my hands to be constantly cracked, bleeding, and peeling. I feel ya, man, I feel ya.

(Also, I have diabeetus!!)

I am not a germophobe, but I do try to keep things wiped down more often than not. I'm a bit more anal when dealing with raw eggs or raw chicken. If I'm cooking with either I typically end up washing my hands about 5-7 times while cooking, to make sure I don't cross-contaminate and kill my roommates. :p

But otherwise no, not a germophobe.

My grandma is a total germophobe too, and it's getting worse as she gets older. She's always taken Lysol to hotels and sprayed like, everything in the room. She watches entirely too many of those Dateline "Secret Investigations" that swab toilet seats and tell you there's fecal matter on them.

I personally think that one can definitely be too clean. I like cleanliness, I'm no pig, but there's a point where you can put yourself in a little bubble, and then you get sick when anything remotely unhygenic interacts with you. I know a few people who have that problem.

I'm not a germophobe by any means, but I do wash my hands more often than normal. I even used to carry some of that antibacterial stuff with me in high school since none of the bathrooms ever had any soap (or even soap dispensers in some), and that's just nasty. It's a real pain during the winter though, since it causes my eczema to act up and my knuckles crack and bleed if I don't use a some of lotion.

As a general rule, no. I laugh at co-workers who constantly wipe down their keyboards, phones, etc.; it's just your own germs after all. Since I almost never get sick, I don't waste much time thinking about it.

There is one recent exception. With my new job, I now have to ride the subway to work, and the more I look around me and think about all the people who have touched the poles before me, the more I get really grossed out.

Ahaha... 'I like to roll around in animal shit'... awesome.

You know you're not a germophobe when you do things like use your girlfriends toothbrush and tend to follow the '3 second rule' with food.

I used to be a fucker for it as a kid though, I wouldn't drink out of a cup/bottle which anyone else had drank out of, and wouldn't eat the same piece of food anyone had taken a chomp out of. Thankfully I snapped myself out of it fairly quickly.

As I work with chocolate (normally liquified), I'm constantly getting up to my eyeballs in the stuff. Not a germ-o's favorite job I'd imagine... :tpg:

EDIT:
I reckon you're not far off there.

I am not a mysophobe. I do not ever worry about getting sick or washing my hands or sanitizing anything. Consequently, I almost never get sick. The only time I ever wash my hands is when I've done something particularly nasty, like handle meat or eggs, or clean the cat box, or have just taken a shit.

I do, however, have a severe aversion to sharing a glass or straw with other people. Not because of germs, but because I think it's just nasty.

I'm not a germophobe, though I do try to do the basics of being sanitary like washing hands after I go to the bathroom and such. I know some people have a rule to wash your hands after touching the dog before you get food. My girlfriend's mom rarely enforces that, though she does get disgusted by the dog's tongue, as does my girlfriend occassionally, even though a dog's tongue is cleaner than a human's.

The only things I'm irrational about are doorknobs and used straws. Other than that, I don't have a problem. But I'll almost always open doors with my sleeve or glove; I've seen too many people walk right out of the bathroom stall after taking a dump without so much as glancing at the sink.
The straw thing I can't explain.

I can't ride the bus because I feel like I have to boil myself after exiting. I hate going on airplanes and I'm one of those people who open public restroom doors with a paper towel. Whenever I'm in a crowd, I get nervous because I think about where these people have been. I don't enjoy shaking hands. I judge other people's houses when I'm invited over.

I'm kind of a freak about cleanliness (probably serial killer freak) but I don't mind mess, as long as it isn't disgusting. I'm an odd one.

When I'm at work, I wash my hands frequently since I work in a laboratory that has germ-type things (in fact there are signs that let you know when you must wash hands). At home, I'm a bit more lax since it's my house and I clean it. Sometimes. At least enough that its not a health hazard. ;) :p

I don't really care much either. There are some moments where if it's THAT dirty, i'm not gonna touch it, but i'm not a total freak about germs. I could careless if my friends double dip or share my drink, just as long as you aren't down with a sickness, then that's fine with me.

I'm not really paranoid about germs but my wife is mildly germophobic.

Not at all. I'm one of those people who will think "ew... I better go wash my hands" and then forget all about it. Its probably bad at some points... ^^;;

I read somewhere that constantly washing your hands is a signal of guilt. Feeling guilty and want to cleanse yourself of it, or something like that... don't remember where. Probably one of my psychology classes.

Moreso than a lot of the people I know, but not to the extent that it's ridiculous.

I'm highly aware of germs and where I might find them, having worked as a microbiologist before, but I'm not very scared of them.

It's all about keeping perspective -- I mean, just because it's been found flushing a toilet can eject some bacteria into the air from the toilet water, doesn't mean I'm gonna avoid flusing a toilet ever.

And like others have said, sometimes being too germophobic is a bad thing. My immune system is better off from being exposed to a normal level of microbes.

Despite my parental upbringing (particularly my mother) of being squeaky clean, I've rarely taken notice of how many germs I come in contact with.

Granted, I will take notice when somebody does something particularly disgusting and I'll avoid that person, but those occasions are few and far between. At least, to the best of my knowledge.

I'll wipe down my workspace (both at home and work) occasionally whenever I feel like it. I usually carry some Purell and Kleenex in my backpack wherever I go too. Not a germophone, but it's useful since for sometimes since I'm usually on public transit anyway. I wash my hands before and after I eat only too.

Two days ago at lunch I was searching through a pile of beef sandwiches in the cafeteria, looking for the tasty duck ones hidden within. I'd washed my hands about two minutes prior to doing this. Lo and behold, a staff member approaches me and screams bloody murder about it, saying that I could spread all manner of horrible diseases like this.

After washing my hands. And simply touching a few sandwiches. And I'm not ill. And I wasn't playing with my balls or licking the bread or anything at the time.

Seriously, what the fuck.

ummm I'm pretty sure I'm not, just incredible clean. I don't touch anything in public toilets (well except for my self... wait that came out wrong) I open the doors of the toilets with paper towels, uh I make sure to do most things like open doors and hold rails with my right hand so I can hold food and stuff with my left but I still don't usually touch the food directly. And as soon as I get home I wash my hands, I try not to touch stuff on public transport.

So really just rational stuff and I do it subtly so people don't usually notice. But sometimes my friends might look at me strange which kinda makes me think I'm too over protective of myself but then again, they do some gross shit

Although like everyone I like to keep clean and fresh, I don't go out of my way to use only anti-bacterial products and the like. There's not much point unless you feel you're at risk of catching a potentially fatal superbug. As Sass pointed out, the quickest way to weaken your immune system (and especially that of your newborn child) is to keep it away from every source of bacteria known to man. There are studies showing that children born and raised on farms and in contact with bacteria on a regular basis are far less prone to allergies and asthma than those raised in urban environments.

The only time I used anti-bacterial liquid soap, it screwed up my hands. After just a few days of using it, my hands began retaining water and the skin became soft and wrinkly (like it is when you step out of the bath after a long soak). I could clench my fist and water would be squeezed out. Needless to say I soon stopped using it and everything went back to normal.

I wash my hands often, so I don't mind touching anything in public beforehand, unless obviously dirty. I also don't touch my face with my hands after touching these public places, because I don't want to get sick with the cold or something. What I hate is when people don't wash their hands after using the toilet or urinals and they open the door. Oh yeah, I also wash my hands after handling money, before eating food.

I'd like to call myself a clean person, but definitely not a germaphobe. I try not to get too dirty, though.

I tend to keep everything around me clean, but I don't consider myself a germophobe. I always wash my hands before eating and if I manage to hold certain objects that I know are prone to germs.

:gape:


Damn.


Actually out of your hand? Fucking freaky.

Anti-bacteria what?

I am not a germophobe, sure I was my hands after being to bathroom, but who doesn't? Germs don't worry me in the slightest, I not often sick so this is probably why. My work colleagues though, always seem to be wiping down their desks and keyboards, and have a phobia about other people using their phones.

I wash my hands often, mainly because I am always in public places such as University Centre and there are many people who are sick and touch everything. So, its a good idea for me to wash with soap often.

Overall though, I am not a germophobe. I mean, I don't go out disinfecting the world.