Goes in Dirty, Comes Out Clean

Lol. We both live the good life!! Growing up my kids were healthy as horses so I think we are doing the right thing!

Exactly what Nikki posted.

We don't worry about germs much, but do rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, and do use a separate cutting board for poultry.

I don't worry about the kids (or us) and germs much at all, though.

We don't sort the laundry. Most bacteria is killed in the heat of the dryer so I don't worry much about laundry.

The dishwasher though? Food particles can really diminish the performance of the dishwasher, clog water lines, and can sit in the bottom of the dishwasher and cause bacteria. We use the dishwasher only for disinfecting. The dishes go in fully rinsed. That's the only thing I'm really "funny" about. I'm so far from germophobe. I don't mind public toilets, etc.

Sponges? I put those in the dishwasher or microwave from time to time to be disinfected. Moisture + food particles can equal really yucky bacteria. Don't want to spread that around my counters.

Oh, and poultry should have a designated cutting board. I don't mind germs, but I also don't want to invite bacteria that can make me & my family sick. Plastic and wooden cutting boards can get bacteria in the porous surfaces (and in grooves caused by knives, etc.).

You mean, I don't have to feel guilty for not boiling my kids' toothbrushes once a week?

And, it's okay that I put the underwear in the same laundry load as my towels?

And, I can walk barefoot in the grass, and still curl up on the sofa, without washing my feet first?

And I'm not the most irresponsible mommy in the world for all that?

I'm right in there with you. I even let my kids sit in the shopping cart, without spraying it down with sanitizer first.

I am with you on a lot of that...except for the scraping dishes and the cutting board for meat. Our dishwasher sucks, I don't even know why I use it, so if I don't scrape the food then it's just going to stick on. And I have all wood cutting boards and one glass, so I just use the glass for meat.
But, other than that...I get what you are saying. I laugh a LOT when I see moms at parks with their anti-bacterial squirts and lotions....or out to eat...or at the gym...or anywhere!!
I get it if your child has a health issue (like my friend whose son is going through Chemo for a third time), but other than that..."God made dirt...Dirt don't hurt!" (that's what I always say!)
L.

I mostly agree with you. We do use antibacterial soap and I don't use sponges for my dishes because that is a breeding ground for nasty stuff.

I personally believe that all the extra and extreme obsession w/ hand sanitizer, all the strong/antibacterial cleaners etc is why there are so many "antibiotic resistant" health issues and such because immune systems don't get to build up like they did when we were young. Not to mention, many of these cleaners are hazardous to our health and do leave residue which in turn we come into contact with.

hmmm i do all of that except we have 2 counters that are butcher block and use one for veggies, fruit and non raw meat and then other for raw meat.

You can get very sick if not. it might be in my head...but thats the only thing i do as far as sanitary precautions. oh and i scrape dishes before they go in the dishwasher not because of sanitary reasons because it doesnt clean them if not. if food is stuck on them that food is actually sanitary and not filled with germs i J. dont feel like washing them again

I'm with you. :) Just because I can, I'd like to throw out that studies have shown that antibacterial soaps actually don't do anything more than regular soap. It's the scrubbing that gets germs off of your hands/bodies, and using those antibacterial soaps just helps the bacteria to build up immunity.

I do have a different cutting board for meats, but that's really just because when we moved temporarily at one point, I accidentally left my cutting board behind and had to buy a new one, so now I have two. Granted, my cutting boards are plastic, not wood.

That's funny.

I'm with Amanda L. Anyone that will open the door to a public toilet or open or close the door to a stall in a public toilet can't possibly be worried about germs. If they bother to think about it at all. Imagine where all those hands have been before they opened the toilet stall door. YUK!!!

If you can touch the toilet stall door lock, you can certainly use a cutting board for many different kinds of meat.

AND what did your mom or grandma do 50 years ago before all of these "dangerous germs" were discovered? She used the same knife to cut up the chicken as she did to cut the tomatoes and lettuce for the salad and she didn't even wipe the chicken "juice" off.

And what did your pioneer forefathers or mother do. The cooked and cleaned and their kids grew up and became your ancestors.

The media has made too many people paranoid.

Good luck to you and yours.

I AM WITH YOU!!!!!

That's all I can say.

youre doing better than me.. i dont even sort whites.. well as long as its not the first time something with color has been washed.. my fiance has a few pairs of pink socks/underwear and a couple pink undershirts because of a red pool towel that i washed not knowing it was the first time it had been in the washer.. i learned my lesson after that .. as far as everything else you said i am the exact same way.. we're definatley a "3second rule" kind of house... i just posted the other day about my philosophy on how kids need to be exposed to soem germs while theyre young so theyre not always sick when they get older

I agree with your philosophy. I do sort colors and fabric textures because I've had difficulties when I haven't. I do reds and darks by themselves. I've found that blue jeans will dull the colors and turn whites grey. And washing towels with clothes makes it more difficult to get the towels dry in the dryer. They take longer to dry.

For me, I do whatever works. I use public toilets and touch everything public. I don't even wash my hands frequently unless I'm sick or around someone who's sick. Of course, at 69, my immune system has had years to build up immunity. lol

And I do rinse of dishes because my dishwasher is old and can't handle gunk. Whatever works is good with me.

My daughter pretty much has the same philosophy. Her sister is a clean freak and her kids are sick a whole lot more often than my daughter's.

I agree with you! I do scrub dishes and sort colors, but otherwise I'm right with you. And I do have a special sponge for the bathroom, but that's because that sponge is IN the bathroom, and I'm too lazy to carry it anywhere else.

When I do manage to give the place a good scrub-down, I think super-hot water is a much safer, more effective cleaning method than most of the stuff on the market. Bleach for the bathroom, eco-friendly cleanser for the rest.

I'm actually very interested in the hygiene hypothesis, which has it that the vast majority of bacteria are beneficial, and sometimes even essential, for human life. Only a teensy, tiny percentage are pathogens. When we get things so squeaky-sterile that we eliminate contact with the good bacteria, all sorts of problems -- including, possibly, autism -- ensue. Not proven (in science, the burden of proof is really, really, high) but interesting. Show your brother this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/opinion/sunday/immune-d...

I don't use sponges at all because I find them kind of gross. I use dish clothes for dishes, rags for cleaning, and just change them daily. I do scrape the dishes so the diswasher doesn't get clogged, but I don't rinse them. My underwear can be washed with my towels. I use public washrooms. I don't buy hand sanitizer, or any anti-bacterial products. I use dish soap for most cleaning jobs. Some of the parents who bring their kids to the babysitting room at the Y want us to sanitize each toy before we allow their child to touch it. Ugh.

I do keep 2 different sponges, in part because the one I use for dishes has a handle for soap. I don't like to sit on a public toilet or allow my DD to sit on one if I can help it, but I don't freak about door handles. So it varies. Some dirt is OK but I don't take in more germs than necessary.

I wouldn't mix cleaning sponges with dish-washing sponges, or use the same cutting board for raw meat/poultry as I do for fruits and veggies, but pretty much everything else I am on board with you.

My sister always poo-poos me because my house isn't as immaculate as hers (granted, she lives above her place of employment (their family biz), and her husband helps her a ton, and both of their kids go to daycare or school before she even leaves the house each day, but I digress...) Anyways, miracle of miracles, her kids have ALWAYS gotten sick more frequently and more severely than mine. I stopped sterilizing my babies' things at 4 mos, always used tap water, and never freaked out about a dropped bottle.

The one thing that I am EXTREMELY precautious about is fecal matter--my cousin's daughter picked up e.Coli from her daycare when she was 4 years old and died from it. Her siblings also got sick, but thankfully recovered, as did my other cousin's kids who went to the same center. Anything having to do with the bowel movements I am VERY careful about.

I am pretty much the same as you. I do have a separate sponge for my toddler to use. She loves to scrub the floor with her own little tupperware of water any time I sweep and mop. So, her grimy little grey sponge is kept for her for each time she wants to do this. :)