Obsession with Cleanliness

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I am obsessed with things being clean and I worry it might limit my opportunities.

Whenever anyone visits my apartment I watch where they sit and where they put their handbag or anything else down. Then when they go I disinfect the chair they sat on and where the bags were placed down. I do this because many people have sat on a bus seat, bench or other area where dogs might have defeated, shoes may have trod or dirt may have gathered.

Everyone who comes in has to take their shoes off.

If j go to someone else's house and they drop something on the floor and pick it up if they don't disinfect it it makes me worried. I will!! Usually disinfect the item myself. Then I have to wash my hands after cleaning the item.

When I see people do things like sit on a pavement outside it makes me feel Isick, the thought of all the dirt.

Anyone relate?

Someone wants me to take my guitar to an event where people will be playing together. I'm dreading taking it out. The carrying case will touch the floor and seat on the bus. Then the floor of the place I am going to. Then when I get the guitar out what if that ends up touching the floor?

I will feel I have to scrub it all with disinfectant and then wash my hands.

I think this way of thinking is really disabling me but I can't stop it.

I get this too, though slightly less extreme than in your case. It's OCD and I'm trying my best to combat it.

For me it's not my space being clean; it's me being clean that I'm obsessed with. I worry about hygiene. Even if I've showered in the morning, I feel the need to shower again if it's hot out. I sometimes brush my teeth 3 or 4 times a day. I shave my legs at least twice a week, even in winter. And I change my sheets every 3 days or so. Is that a little bit obsessive?

Have you got any tips?



I think the changing the sheets that often is excessive. I would say once a month is more than regu!at enough! But with my habits I can hardly lecture you.

I wish I was obsessively clean. I'm the exact opposite, i'm obsessively messy. I spend all day worrying about all the cleaning up I need to do, rather than just doing the damn stuff.