I have contamination OCD and i found a cockroach in my dryer the place where things are supposed to become dry and clean. Im freaking out and im having horrible anxiety about anyone using the dryer again. I saw the cockroach in their after all my clothes were done drying when i was grabbing them out it moved and ran away to idk where. It fucking freaked me out and i dont even wanna keep the clothes. Im not sure what to do. The clothes are worth money but is keeping them worth my constant remembrance. And ill never feel like they are clean now. I am also having anxiety about anyone using the dryer again since it may have an infestation somewhere in it. My dad said he will still use it.. meaning if he does anything he wears will get contaminated and the whole house will be contaminated i just cannot deal with it all. Fuck.

I have bad contamination ocd as well, so I know how awful it is. It feels soo real, but you'll see that as time passes by the fear will loose its intensity. Remind yourself that it's just ocd and not reality, and try to focus your energy on other things. It will get better! :)

Did

I freak out over different stuff all the time. A big issue for me is the feeling of getting "outside contamination" into the house. I wipe doorknobs, phones ++ until it feels "safe" and clean again. If someone has been to a public toilet and then comes to the house... omg.. ? I know its completely unnecessary and that the only thing I get out of it is anxiety and exhaustion, but its hard to think logically when ocd kicks in. Also remember, if you hadn't noticed the cockroach you would have just wore the clothes as normal and you would be completely ok. But since you did notice it your ocd is trying to scare you with all kinds of made up scenarios. Don't listen to it :)

Dont listen to it in what way like how...... im so exhausted omg

I thiught about if i didnt see the cockroach all would have been ok but since i did im so fucked up over it. Another thing my ocd done is look at things extremely careful and with extreme detail.

I know it's hard! People around me tell me not to worry about stuff all the time and I just don't know how to stop. The stress is horrible when it kicks in. And being extra aware of details is a part of the ocd that is soo exhausting. I always find a reason to wash and freak out over contamination, because I look so detailed at everything. Lately I've been trying to just have a quick overlook instead of looking at things closely. If you hadn' seen the cockroach, it would still be the same situation, but without the anxiety. And nothing bad would have happened. Just focus on that. Sometimes I find out later about something that triggers my ocd, but I wasnt aware until maybe days after and THEN start washing and freaking out. But the situation was the same the days I didn't know about the "contamination", when I was feeling okay and calm too. It weird how ocd works. Hope you feel better today! :)

What would u do if u saw the cockroach in the dryer with all your dried clean clothes in it ?

Is it cockroaches specifically that triggers the ocd or all bugs in general? I have seen bugs walk over my clean clothes before. Even my pillow once! I let them out the window and don't think more of it. I don't think of them as contaminated for some reason, but I do think they look creepy, so I get it. Did you wash the clothes again or are you waiting for things to calm down? :)

I finally washed them today it is more cockroaches but yes all bugs do bither me cockroaches are the worst.