neatchee@piefed.social 23 hours ago
So, based on your description and the pictures, here’s my take:
Your family is unhygienic and gross. Water leaking from surfaces can pick up all sorts of gross stuff. Leaving food waste (I see banana peels I think?) out and exposed to open air leads to rotting and mold which can definitely make you sick. Used toilet paper with fecal matter on it left in an open trash can? HELLA gross.
BUT
Your reaction to this environment is going too far. Disinfecting your phone constantly? Concerns about people spitting in the trash? Not eating any leftovers or drinking from any container you didn’t open yourself? These are going too far. As others have pointed out, some contact with germs is important to maintain a healthy immune system.
There’s a middle-ground that both you AND your family are missing.
Wash your hands after using the bathroom and before eating, sure. Don’t leave things that rot out in the open, of course.
Putting the garbage can next to the table while clearing it? Totally fine. Eating leftovers that have been refrigerated for a day? Totally fine.
I understand why you’ve developed hyper-vigilence living in that kind of environment. It makes sense. But I think you’re probably overcompensating.
You might benefit from learning more about the human immune system, food safety, and other science-based topics. Did you know that urine, for example, is sterile? You can literally safely drink human urine (with some exceptions). Feces, on the other hand, is total opposite of sterile.
I’m sorry you have to live in such a gross environment. I hope you can find a way to convince your family to meet you in the middle.
starlinguk@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
I disagree. OP is not going to far. There’s no way they’re going to be completely shielded against bacteria in that house, so it’snot going to affect their immune system. They’re absolutely doing the right thing cleaning their phone and refusing to eat leftovers. Their parents have a serious problem and that place isn’t safe to live in.
neatchee@piefed.social 17 hours ago
This type of environment, and OPs reaction to it, is how people develop compulsive behaviors that are unhealthy. You can hear it in how they talk about even simple things, like their extreme disgust towards saliva deposited in a trash can. Revulsion towards saliva in a trash can is not normal. Saliva left on a surface? Or on their person? Sure, gross. But a trash can is an appropriate place for someone to spit. It doesn’t deserve the vehement disgust OP displays.
I’m not diminishing how unhygienic and disgusting their family is. The photos make it clear that they live in a completely inexcusable level of filth. I just don’t want OP to continue down this path of obsessive, compulsive cleanliness. There’s a happy medium.
Epzillon@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
I can agree with this. The environment is definitely affecting OP in someway, i see the same in their way of writing. I dont think its an unnatural response to this mess theyre living in but i agree they should note this and not make it a habit everywhere else. I can see how it would be very hard to see what is a “normal” level of cleanliness/nastyness if this is how you constantly see your surroundings.