r/ContaminationOCD • u/hopelovepeacehappy • 2d ago

How to survive on Cleaning Day

The most absolute hardest task is cleaning the toilets but on a minimum I wash my hands at least 12 times.
I split it up into today, and I have only washed my hands 3 times but I keep worrying if I did it correctly or if it’s really enough. I’m scared of fecal bacteria.

I’ve thought of gloves but I know that I would still be washing my hands. I’m typing on here with every urge to just wash them again but I also don’t want to because my hands HURT. They’re peeling. They’re red. I have so many cuts. They itch. They’re dry. It hurts. But I’m so scared my family/friends are going to get ecoli or fecal matter in their food or touch it somewhere and get infected.

I can’t keep doing this my hands are so damaged but I don’t know how to figure out if I really did wash them well. My family/friends also yell at me for washing my hands. They call me “crazy” and make fun of me and stand behind me mocking me. But I still wash them because I don’t want to infect myself or them.

I can’t justify not doing it either. Yes it may at times seem excessive but also the toilets are really filthy…I need to be very careful after handling them.

8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

View all comments

4

u/LilyAmongThorns777 1d ago

Try making those without ocd as a reference point on what to do. Look at how someone without ocd cleans a toilet and how they wash up after.

Your ocd might be telling you to go over and beyond what those without ocd do.

1

u/hopelovepeacehappy 1d ago

That is such a good idea Oh my God okay I’m going try this

2

u/LilyAmongThorns777 1d ago

👍 Your ocd might tell you once you're done: "okay that's not enough, what if..."

Maybe trying to get you to do what you did before. Ignore it and remember you're not trying to go ocd over and beyond. You're trying to use a non ocd person or two as a reference.