[Maven]

I know this is a weird question, but I find that PC is a great place to ask weird questions! I have OCD, but you don't have to have OCD to relate to my question, and be able to answer it.

I rarely wear long sleeves, even in winter, because it's difficult to wash my hands and not get the sleeves wet, which is an OCD issue for me. I've tried pushing them back, but sometimes they get stretched out and fall back in place. I've folded them back, but that still leads to stretching. I hate ruining the look of my favorite long-sleeved items but my OCD wins out. Any suggestions how I can avoid getting my sleeves wet? I try to wash just my hands, but normally, I also wash my wrists as well. I don't want to wash just my fingers, because the idea is to get my hands washed, after all. Do you have a secret, or do you just not worry if the sleeves get wet? Thanks!

[KUREHA]

I know how important hand washing is - you just got to get the sleeves wet - I was never really bothered about that - just as long as my hands were clean.

[Nicks_Nose]

Most of my tops are elbow length in sleeves.

[ECHOES]

rubber bands to hold them in place while you are washing?

[beauflow]

what about rolling them up a bit before going to wash them.....

like not just pushing back, and not excessive big roles but just a few little ones,. Usually with most of my sweaters the cuff for the wrist is smaller than my forearm (course I am not skinny either so that may be helpful with this )......

Not sure if that is helpful or not, but an idea.

[notz]

I push my sleeves up above my wrists and "pinch" the excess fabric to my rib cage with my inner elbows. It doesn't work every time but often enough to repeat it.

[thickntired]

Maybe try using purell in addition to washing your hands? Like purell your wrists etc. I sometimes like to wear fingerless gloves then I just purell my fingers. Keeps the flu away, right? Lol

Good Luck,

TnT

I have a friend with the same issue. He wore short sleeve shirts all year round to avoid the problem of getting the shirt cuffs wet. When he came down with pneumonia, I insisted he buy some long sleeve shirts to keep warm. He raised the issue of wet shirt cuffs with me. I told him it was not a big deal. Wet shirt cuffs will dry. There is no need to wash all the way to one's wrists. I usually stop just above the knuckles and do the thumbs separately. I think Purell is a good product but it contains alcohol which is drying, especially in winter weather.

[Rose76]

Kind of on the same idea as the rubberbands, but gentler: Maybe you could use a pair of those fabric covered hair scrungies. Use one on each arm to hold each sleeve away from your wrist. Like you, I wouldn't want to get my sleeves wet, and I would want to wash my hands thoroughly.

Mainly, I wanted to commiserate with your dilemma. OCD seems to always come up with a twist to every problem that is hard to keep up with. I know because I've had similar problems all my life.

[Maven]

Thanks, all. Unfortunately, wet sleeves is an issue for me, since moisture attracts bacteria. I recently heard a statistic about thousands of germs transferring from hand to another hand it touches if the hands aren't dried completely. I overdry. So I put lotion on before bed.

Purell is a problem for me. It kills the germs (although it may create super-bugs, depending who you ask), but they're still on your hands. Ick. I just cringe at that.

I fold my sleeves (when I wear sleeves) and hope that they don't slide back down. While I usually wear short sleeves (even in winter), I'm quite warm, because I wear a hoodie and/or a full coat, as the temperature calls for.

i always wear short sleeves, so the sleeves hardly touch the sink anyway

not a problem for me

[Rose76]

There is also the option of 3/4 length sleeves. They were the traditional length sleeve for nurses (before the age of scrubs,) to deal with just the problem you are describing. Fob watches pinned to the uniform were also traditional to avoid having the watch interfere with scrubbing up. These concerns were not considered obsessive, either. Also, a ring of any complexity (as opposed to a simple wedding band) tends to be a habitat for germs.

A bar soap that used to be popular with nurses was Palmolive. (Less drying.) Whether or not a soap is "antibacterial" is really less important than how well the hands are lathered and rinsed with whatever soap. Another traditional - and good - idea is to avoid touching those spigots with bare hands.

Originally Posted by Maven

...I rarely wear long sleeves, even in winter, because it's difficult to wash my hands and not get the sleeves wet, which is an OCD issue for me. I've tried pushing them back, but sometimes they get stretched out and fall back in place. I've folded them back, but that still leads to stretching. I hate ruining the look of my favorite long-sleeved items but my OCD wins out. Any suggestions how I can avoid getting my sleeves wet? I try to wash just my hands, but normally, I also wash my wrists as well. I don't want to wash just my fingers, because the idea is to get my hands washed, after all. Do you have a secret, or do you just not worry if the sleeves get wet? Thanks!

Maven, a woman after my own heart.
I thought I was the only one....
I do wear long sleeves because of preferring the look, but all those things really bother me too!
Usually, I'll roll if a button type shirt, push if it's a t-shirt type shirt, and use the notz method for those sleeves that have been damnably stretched and won't stay. (The "notz method"! At last there's a name for it! )
(OCD, yes, though it is the least problematic of my dx's).

Edited to add: Ooooh, yes, 3/4 sleeves... do like them!

[ECHOES]

Well, keep in mind that we are supposed to have some bacteria around. Bacteria isn't all bad and a healthy body can tolerate some bad.

I read an interesting article that the germs on the hands vary by the part of the hand: germs on the one part of the palm are different than another; germs on the fingers are different than those on the palms, etc.

I don't try to keep my hands germ free, just clean. My main focus is my fingertipsbecause those are what will touch my mouth, nose, eye and could transfer germs. So I use my knuckle to push elevator buttons, vending machine buttons; I use the heel of my hand or the back of my forearm to push open doors.

I like the 3/4 length sleeves a lot! They don't get in the way of my working.

[Rose76]

I do the same thing with the elevator buttons. We are unusual in doing that, but I don't think we are excessively cautious. We just have thought it through more than most have. Years ago, it was more common for people to where gloves, even in good weather. I think that came, at least partially, out of a desire to avoid nasty things in the environment.

Echoes is right. Contact with bacteria is part of normal life. Actually, we need it. It is the good bacteria on us, and inside of us, that helps crowd out the harmful bacteria. When a baby is newly born, hospital staff encourage skin-to-skin contact between baby and mother. That is partially to allow the baby to pick up normal skin bacteria.

[Maven]

I also like 3/4 sleeves, but love a good graphic tee, so that's mostly what I wear. Only problem is, they're usually men's shirts, and I think I look a bit sloppy because of it. I do have women's shirts and tees, too, but not as many. Men's shirts come in more fun designs, unless I want to buy online at prices I can't afford. I get all my clothes at Walmart. I hate that; I'd like to be thinner and richer, able to shop where I want, get what I want, and look good in it.

I don't really worry I'll get sick; I just can't handle the thought of having those little bugs and icky bacteria/the gunk that forms on unclean surfaces on me. Yes, I know they're there no matter how much I clean, but I do keep my hands washed in hopes of not catching colds. I HATE catching colds and flu, and just don't want to deal with it. It increases my OCD and my panic, too.

I, too, usually use a knuckle to push elevator buttons (which I do as little as possible, since I'm panicky about being on an elevator), credit/debit card machine buttons, etc., or I touch with a sleeve or even a plastic glove, if I can do it inconspicuously.