- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
I have the same issue. I have to wash my hands between each step to avoid spreading the germs and contamination. So simply throwing in the laundry is 15 minutes when it used to take 3 min.
- Date posted
- 6y
That’s cool to know that I’m not alone with feeling that our dirty laundry is dirty. Most people seem to not wash their hands after doing laundry it doesn’t make sense to me lol
- Date posted
- 6y
Once my water heater broke when I was staying at my bfs place for a couple weeks and when I got back and noticed it there was mold in the walls! That sent me into a spiral cuz that stuff could actually kill you if inhaled I was worried I contaminated almost everything in my house I just wanted to leave all my stuff there and move and start over I did move and ended up throwing a lot away but not everything I kept that stuff I needed in a separate area and moved it a few times ( i move a lot) I finally just got rid of it after my last move I just have two storage containers now of dirty stuff I’ll eventually disinfect.
- Date posted
- 6y
I know it's hard for you but keep doing your laundry.
- Date posted
- 6y
Do you use gloves? That’s what I do. What is your contamination issue with laundry?
- Date posted
- 6y
This is so relatable - I often have to put things through the machine five times or more before I can take them out again, and takes me ages to get them in there in the first place. I think it helps to put things on hot washes because that'll kill a lot of things which would contaminate clothes etc. Most things will hold up better than you'd expect in a hot wash. Personally I put everything in a bag I know will survive the machine and then I just chuck the bag in so I can avoid touching the items individually where possible. Then after the first wash I can separate them out a bit. Whatever happens, you do need to force yourself to do it - you'll thank yourself in the long run.
- Date posted
- 6y
Agree with you Shana though one way to probably fight the compulsion is knowing that most people don’t do what we do yet they are still perfectly fine. Hard to do but just a thought
- Date posted
- 6y
Y’a thats true but then again I feel like I touch all dirty things together that maybe others don’t. Like I’ll touch dishes trash dog poo etc and laundry therefore spreading germs to everywhere I feel is dirty but yeah you’re right it should still be fine although maybe I shouldn’t touch trash and laundry with the same hands or gloves ha
- Date posted
- 6y
It’s like I’m confused how much germs will actually harm me and how much of an amount will and whether or not those germs die after a couple days or once dried etc
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
Im having a OCD specifically contamination OCD flare up all month and I don’t want to feel this way going into March, I’ve thrown out clothes, towels, stayed up for hours doing compulsions, washed my hands till they crack and bleed, I have washing pilling up cause I’m so overwhelmed by all the extra things I’ve added cause I thought it was contaminated. It’s completely draining me to the point where I’ve become sleep deprived and are avoiding part of my home because they are deemed contaminated to me…I only moved in a few months ago, I had a roach problem and using baits and insecticides really messed with my ocd too. anyone have any tips or tricks to make this easier? I wasn’t doing this bad in January :( thankyou in advance :)
- Date posted
- 24w
Does anyone have any tips on how to handle contamination OCD?
- Date posted
- 18w
(long read ahead, sorry lol) I’ve struggled with ocd for as far back as I can remember. I find that it gets worse with stress, and recently I’ve really been struggling with the contamination aspect of my ocd. I’m worried about it becoming unmanageable and negatively affecting my relationship with my partner. I’ve been living with my boyfriend since January (got kicked out of my house a week after I turned 18, it’s for the better though my house is toxic as hell) and I love living with him, but him and his family aren’t as concerned with cleaning as I am used to. My boyfriend and I have been together going on 2 years and there’s been many times throughout our relationship that his struggle with depression severely impacted his ability to keep up with cleaning his room. This is something I completely understand because I’ve struggled with it too so i’ve often helped him clean, and since i’ve moved in he’s done so much better at keeping up with cleaning (especially because he knows about my issues with clutter, mess, germs, etc.) He is really good at being accommodating towards my needs (not overly so, i’m aware that recovering includes accepting being uncomfortable), but it’s so hard for me to differentiate between what is the normal standard for cleanliness and hygiene and what’s excessive and unhealthy. I get so stressed out every single day over the thought of how dirty everything is. He has 3 cats that mainly stay in his room (he has a catio attached to his window/side of the house) and dogs which stay on the opposite side of the house and backyard, so there is fur everywhere constantly (i’m also allergic to cats but it’s not severe). I can’t stop thinking about how they are getting germs from their litter box all over everything. They also used to piss under his bed and in his closet when his room used to be a mess and it’s soaked into the floor so no matter what it stinks. It’s so hard to bring myself to walk around the house without slippers because my feet will get visibly dirty and my socks would get covered in hair. I always think about how my boyfriend sometimes walks on the rugs in the bathroom in shoes and all the germs that spreads. There’s so many more things but this is already getting long and I am shaking just thinking about how unclean everything is. I want to deep clean the entire house myself so I can get it to where It’s not like psychological torture everyday and it’s easier to maintain but I have been so busy I don’t have the time. I am worried about my boyfriend thinking I don’t like living with him or that I think that’s he’s dirty but i don’t. We have had several conversations about this and he’s reassured me that he knows none of my obsessive thoughts are personal but I still feel so bad about it. I would like to get therapy to help work through this but currently that is not an option for me. I know things will get better once I get through the main things in my life that are causing a lot of stress and therefore making my ocd flair up, but I need advice on what to do in the mean time. I keep having moments where all I can do is shake and cry and clean and I feel bad for my poor boyfriend who can only sit next to me and try to comfort me or help me clean. I also don’t want to make him worried that nothing he does is enough for me (i’ve also already talked to him about this and told him about how I can never even be clean enough for myself and that I don’t think he’s dirty). There’s been many times where I want to tell him to do things that I think might be my own unhealthy compulsions (ex. not wearing shoes in the house or in our room, not getting into bed with socks on, making sure to completely dry off before getting out the shower, put makeup and jewelry back where they belong right after using them, etc.) but i can’t tell if they’re reasonable or not and i try to not tell him unless it’s something that severely distresses me. I’m aware that everything is going to have germs no matter what and have been using NER’s to help manage my thought spirals/rumination. I know that I shouldn’t keep doing compulsions because it just offers temporary relief and makes the problem worse because nothing will ever be enough. I just feeling so overwhelmed and hopeless and exhausted and want some feedback.
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