OrganicAnn Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I am not a germaphobe. You may be a little over the top on some of your things. If your DH wants to make his own sandwich on the counter and knows the cat might have been up there, if its okay to him I'd say it is okay. On the sandbox, I would get new sand. First you have evidence that there was a mouse nest. Rodent carry disease and insects. Even without the mice, with the cover open you've probably attacked alot of insects. Nothing like biting ants to make sandbox play unpleasant. Also I think it depends on the age of your kids. Younger kids will put more things in their mouth and that is not good. Do you have a garden? We use old sandbox sand in our garden to improve the clay soil. Just make sure there are not actual vermin, nests, whatever in the sand. Insects don't matter. Anyway, if he can reuse the sand in the garden it might make him feel better about it. In fact you could every year empty out the sand in the fall. Mix it in somewhere you plant to plant carrots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 silverware on the table in restaurants. I always rest mine on a napkin or plate.Once I showed my husband the busboy going from table to table with that same funky dishrag, he understood why.:lol: I am the same way!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I'm with the NOT a germaphobe people. .The only thing that I would care about is the sandbox. I get new sand and a real lid, but that's only because we had one and the cats thought it was the perfect litter box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 You all must have some tiny little sandboxes that you can just up and 'change the sand'. The last one we built was about 20 feet x 20 feet, and it took 16 yards of sand to fill it (according to dh). And I used to worry more about the black widow spiders than I ever did about cats. Those spiders will infest the sandbox toys, the walls of the sandbox, everything. And we've had them everywhere we've lived - up North, down South, out West - everywhere. Just throwing that out there ... as if you needed something else to worry about ... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I would get new sand and find a new system to keep the mice out of there, but the other things would not bother me much. The cats jump on the furniture, walk on the floor, the kids touch them and so on, so those germs are everywhere and thus everyone should be immune to them. The mop just touched every floor in the house, so they would all be dirty too if the mop is dirty. I can see your point about the vacuum if there are clean dishes up on the counter, but if not then I don't see the problem. It sounds like a difference of opinion, and no one is likely to get sick from any of it (other than the sandbox of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsrevmeg Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I am not a germaphobe (unless you ask my very filthy-housed mother). I cannot imagine making a sandwich on the counter rather than on a plate. This is in a house with no indoor pets. I also would not rinse the mop in the kitchen sink. Blech! If I had found evidence of mice in my sandbox, it would be gone. Yuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Honey, you are a little crazy. But aren't we all? We've all got our little picks. It's learning to live with each other's little worries that keeps us together. BTW, mine is walking around in underwear. It's just gross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Ok, apparently I am the only person who thought, "You want clean dirt?" Of course, the rest would not bother me at all. I wipe my counters regularly and my cats are not allowed on them. I clean (with bleach if neccessary) the sink when I am done using it for anything other than dishes and the stuff from the vacuum cleaner that you are putting in the garbage was previously all over your house. I am almost a serious anti-germiphobe but I do realize that I am weird. :001_smile: :iagree:You are not weird. The only weird people I know are germiphobes...:D Yep. With the sandbox, I'd give it a good washout with the hose, and let it dry well in the sun. Then I'd be good to go. Kids should wash well coming in anyway. I don't like non-permeable sandpit covers, the cover should allow water through to wash out the sand regularly, and allow the sun to shine on the sand and dry it. Our family makes sandwiches right on the bench all the time, that's standard practice here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I know of a young 20 something year old who died of hantavirus. I would not mess around with the sand in the sandbox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Yep. With the sandbox, I'd give it a good washout with the hose, and let it dry well in the sun. Then I'd be good to go. Kids should wash well coming in anyway. I don't like non-permeable sandpit covers, the cover should allow water through to wash out the sand regularly, and allow the sun to shine on the sand and dry it. Our family makes sandwiches right on the bench all the time, that's standard practice here. I grew near the beach and spent most of my adult life near the beach. I was always one of those that would just dust off the sand and feed the kids. But..... Times are changing. The beach sand is becoming polluted with really bad things. I still contend that I am not a germaphobe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I would get rid of ALL indoor pets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I'm not really a germaphobe, so I'm w/ your dh on most of the issues. I wouldn't freak out over any of those things. (Think of it as helping to build your immune systems. ;)) However, I would dump the sandbox sand & replace it. And, I would try to keep it covered when not in use. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macrina Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I'm not really a germaphobe, so I'm w/ your dh on most of the issues. I wouldn't freak out over any of those things. (Think of it as helping to build your immune systems. ;)) However, I would dump the sandbox sand & replace it. And, I would try to keep it covered when not in use. I AM a germaphobe- but not this bad. and I agree with the above post. BUT to each there own and I think your DH should lay off and let you have your OCD ways without hassling you! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineFarmMom Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 :ack2:This is one of the most significant reasons I will never have a cat in my home. :) :iagree:I think the cats on the countertop thing is what gives me the most skeeves of all of it. I guess I just picture a cat going to a litter box then waltzing in the kitchen and jumping on the counter. :ack2: There would be no end to the # of times I'd have to bleach my countertops to feel okay about food prep going on there. As far as the other things go, I agree on the mop water and the sandbox as well. I do our mopping from a bucket, then rinse the mop in the bucket. After dumping the mop water, I often pour bleach into the bucket with hot water and stick the mop in and let it soak for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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