Hand Washing in Roommate Agreement

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I am looking for another roommate, as my current one was laid off and is moving back home. I live in the rental unit permanently and am currently discussing buying the place from my landlord. So, this place is very much home to me.

I didn’t think to discuss hand washing the last time I vetted roommates, as it had never occurred to me that there are adults who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom. Not washing one’s hands after using the bathroom is something I find utterly disgusting and it disturbs me. Not looking for judgement on this; it’s 100% a dealbreaker for me. If it doesn’t bother you, that’s fine. It bothers me.

My current roommate doesn’t wash hands after using the bathroom. I figured I couldn’t exactly ask him to leave based on this, since I had never brought it up. I am uncomfortable about this situation and have had to clean shared touch points in the place daily (twice or more daily for doorknobs and light switches) for my own peace if mind. Given the current pandemic, this doesn’t flag as unusual or offensive.

I am wondering, if I make it clear when interviewing roommates, that hand washing is 100% required after going to the bathroom (for all numbers, not just #2), have it part of the roommate agreement, and make it clear that not doing so is a dealbreaker, how likely is it that people who don’t hand wash after bathroom use will look elsewhere?

I am really tired of extra cleaning and still not feeling comfortable, and just want to find someone I am compatible with with regards to this point of personal hygiene.
 
Actually writing it down and asking them to sign strikes me as over the top. If I was the prospective roommate in that situation and someone I just met asked me to sign an agreement on hand washing, I’d think that person was a control freak and move on. You’re not just going to turn off slobs; you’re going to turn off people who find a written agreement specifying that’s they must wash their hands after going to the bathroom weird. Which is most people.

I’d just bring it up in conversation in a casual way that hygiene and cleanliness is important to you. You could even jokingly mention the thing about your last roommate not washing their hands after the bathroom and gauge their reaction.
 
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I actually did mention that hygiene and cleanliness are important to me with my current roommate and he assured me that they were gor him, too. He’s clean in every other way. Just not this.

Bringing up the handwashing situation as an example to prospective roommates is a good idea. Sends the same message without being off-putting. I will try this instead. Thank you!
 
Do you remember this Seinfeld episode? You could show it to your prospective roommates and watch their reaction.

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I think you are entirely reasonable. I would simply refuse to live with somebody who did not observe good hygiene. I don’t think you need to make it part of the agreement. People who follow good hygiene will do so without needing a formal agreement, and people who do not follow good hygiene will probably not care and will assume that you are not going to be able to check up on them all the time.

I also find that unhygienic people often think that they are perfectly hygienic. I have a friend whose flat is so disgusting that if she offers me so much as a glass of water I have to find some excuse to wash up the glass before I can use it. One time she went to give me a mince pie on a plate that was so disgusting that I had to put kitchen towel on it so that the mince pie would not touch the surface. Honestly, I sometimes find an excuse to arrive with my own food and drink so that I don’t have to touch anything that has been in her kitchen. One time I had to clean her loo before using it. I think what I cleaned off was blood (?!), but I really didn’t want to know and still can’t decide what would be the worst option. I am not exaggerating: she once announced that she was considering hiring a cleaner to clean her flat “regularly”. She elaborated that by “regularly” she meant four times per year! But my point is, she actually thinks that she is meticulously hygienic, and she criticises other people for being disgusting. That said, she did once reject a potential flatmate who asked for details about the cleaning schedule!

I think your best bet is when you are looking for a roommate, just make it clear that you are very strict about hygiene. I would just put something like, “I am somewhat pernickety when it comes to hygiene, so if you don’t wash your hands after going to the bathroom, we won’t get on!” This makes it a bit self-deprecating and lighthearted while getting your point across. When somebody comes to view the property, I would bring it up again. Just say something like, “I’m sorry to go on about it, but I have had a bad experience in the past with a roommate who wasn’t very hygienic. I trust you wash your hands regularly.” If the person has an average or below average attitude to hand-washing, they’ll probably think, “Oh dear, I can’t be doing with this malarkey”, and if they are super hygienic, they’ll say, “Don’t worry, I am exactly the same.”
 
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