Where is the line between normal hygiene and OCD cleaning?
It is difficult to tell whether a cleaning reaction is a reasonable standard or an OCD compulsion because online advice gives completely opposite answers. This leaves people unable to trust their own judgment and leads to spending hours scrubbing with whatever supplies are available.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1asking online forums for outside opinions
- 2challenging the compulsive thought and pushing through discomfort
- 3cleaning the item anyway with wipes, sprays, or washing the cover
- 4letting it slide without cleaning if there is no visual dirt
- 5Using various cleaning supplies and scrubbing repeatedly for hours
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I have contamination OCD and I’m trying to figure out whether I’m dealing with a legitimate cleanliness concern or an OCD compulsion.”source ↗
“I’m trying to figure out where the line is between **normal hygiene and an OCD cleaning compulsion.**”source ↗
“Reddit is tough because I’m getting completely opposite answers. Some people are telling me I’m being ridiculous and that it’s purely my OCD, while other people are saying that cleaning furniture after outside shoes is a normal hygiene preference”source ↗
“I’m honestly just trying to figure out where the line is between a reasonable cleanliness standard and my OCD taking it too far.”source ↗
“I have OCD and sometimes find myself scrubbing away at this thing for hours, using whatever cleaning supplies I have.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5Finding a used bandaid or mystery fibers in shared laundry
- 9How to keep a messy house clean with kids and a full-time job
- 3Pro tips for using a steam cleaner effectively
- 2Swept up rodent droppings and panicking about hantavirus
- 3Why do roommates put unwashed dishes on the drying rack?
- 6How to clean a messy apartment when depressed and overwhelmed