Germaphobe looking for advice

[Petrichoryl]

Upfront I should state that I am very much am (or rather was) a recovering germaphobe, I used to be much more intense about it before eventually calming down some years ago. This incident frankly fully reignited it.

Recently our family went through a bit of a tragic chick saga with our first attempts at chickens (long story short the chicks arrived all near death or dead in the mail and my mother and I worked hard to try to save them to no success) our strongest two lasted about 3 or 4 days before finally passing. Our house can be quite cold and due to blown fuses and feeding sessions we moved them across the house frequently from the area they were intended to stay originally if they were healthy (a nice insulated bathroom with a heated floor) to other areas and tables from crisis to crisis. We switched enclosures for them multiple times and used many towels and small blankets in the effort of heating and helping them, sat with them on the couch, etc. To summarize: it feels to the awakened germaphobe in me like they have touched every corner of our house.

Company arrived midway through the second day and while it was lovely to have them and they happily got involved, helping us feeding the chicks and caring for them, I feel like their own cleanliness with the chick situation was a bit lacking (sat on the couch with them in their laps, went about touching other things: taking pictures with the chicks, having them on their shirts and clothes before finally washing their hands and not cleaning any of the things they'd touched in the interim). The two chicks ended up passing the night after our company left a few days later.

The chicks had passed (partially due to a mistake I personally made in feeding), we were mourning and distraught and exhausted. It is then that my germaphobia rose up and kicked into overdrive.

We'd washed contaminated clothes in the regular cycles with no added bleach or anything, along with blankets and towels still covered in chick poop, bowls used to feed them that had raw yolk + chick contact were placed in the dishwasher, regularly, with regular dishes. Not good decisions.

I realized all that, and then did some digging for detail in chick contaminants and dangers, becoming particularly spooked about salmonella. Further digging related to that made me realize how deceptively faulty our usual means of cleaning can be.

Did you know the area the Lysol wipe goes over has to stay completely wet for 4 minutes before true desanitization occurs? I sure didn't, and with the usual wipe of it things only stay wet for about 20 seconds. If you put something contaminated in the wash, it spreads to 90% of the other items. When brands (including hand sanitizer!) say they kill however many percent of germs, salmonella can still make it through. Some parts of google say it can live for 4 hours on a surface, and then some studies say it can live for weeks and weeks-sometimes indefinitely. In short the extra knowledge only made things worse.

I'm well aware here that I'm probably not on the side of reason here; that chances are still pretty low that my family will contract it regardless and that proper handwashing before eating and touching our faces can keep us perfectly fine, but for now my panic persists.

I'm getting another load out of the wash in a few minutes now, I used peroxide on it then put it on 'sanitize', but these are shirts that had genuine chunks of chicken poo on them when we threw them in there. Is that really enough? A lot of my favorite shirts are in there, and I'd love to wear them again tomorrow, but lord if I'm not terrified.

If people are willing and see this, I'd love to get some advice from long time chicken keepers, particularly anyone who has frequent contact with the birds or has them inside their house at times. Is there further cleaning I should be doing or am I fully off the edge?

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a nice day!

 

[Kiki]

Do you see a therapist for your germ issue?

 

[kcan2]

It sounds like you have done a great job cleaning and now you're good! Most everyone here has had intense personal exposure to chicken poo, had chickens in the house at one time or another, or not throughly washed up after being outside handling them. Your regular post-company washing habits will be more than enough!

 

[Acre4Me]

Salmonella is possible, but not likely. Assume you bought from a Hatchery that is NPIP, so they meet certain standards/pass an inspection. However, salmonella isn’t necessarily screened for with NPIP.

Chicks create a lot of dust and poop. I can understand how your germ issues became magnified due to multiple locations and people handling them. I can certainly understand how it seems their germs/dust is everywhere. We’ve had chicks in the house before and they are aromatic and dusty, even if they aren’t played with outside of their area it seems like they permeate everything.


You keep washing everything to get through everything, then wipe down everything and vacuum. I’ll often 3-stage the non carpet areas; broom, swiffer, then vacuum …and if I’m really in the mood, another swiffer applied after the vacuum.

Hopefully, you get to feeling clean again.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I have two dogs, 12 chickens (most raised from chicks) and a kid. Between the dogs eating poop and trying to kiss people, the kid not washing hands, the dogs running around outside and the kid dropping food on the floor and eating it no one in my house has ever gotten salmonella. I am not saying it can't happen and obviously we don't encourage the above listed scenarios but they have definitely happened and we have definitely never gotten salmonella. I think the risk of salmonella from baby chick poop is extremely low and you have done more than enough to mitigate it.

 

[Wereplatypus]

Hahah I know how that goes. It's like I know logically that it's fine, but I don't FEEL like it's fine. That's why it's called a phobia- it's not just a fear; it's an irrational fear.
But it sounds like you've done an A++ job at cleaning up. Most have done far less and never had a problem.

 

[getaclue]

When I first read this, while I can't identify with being a germaphobe, I can to some degree identify with your discomfort. Tell everyone in a doctor's waiting room, or in a hair salon that someone just left and they had head lice, then watch what happens. EVERYONE will soon be scratching their heads, and most will experience a non-existent crawling sensation on their scalps. None of them have head lice, so the itching, and crawling sensation is pure imagination. Some won't feel "clean" until they go home, and shampoo their hair, even though regular shampoo has little value against head lice.

Germs are mainly broken down into two categories which are beneficial, and non-beneficial. Beneficial germs are good, but can be killed with the same disinfectants that kill non-beneficial germs. Non-beneficial germs are further sub-divided. There are plenty of germs that are non-beneficial, but not really harmful. There are others that have the potential of being harmful under the right conditions, but not deadly. Then there are germs that are harmful, or deadly. Fortunately for us, the beneficial, non-harmful, and mildly harmful germs are more abundant that the harmful, or deadly ones.

Normal cleaning, and disinfecting where needed, without overdoing it, tends to help maintain a good balance in regards to germs. While it's doubtful the chicks had Salmonella, the cleaning you've already done will be fine even if they did.

At this point, like with the head lice situation, just keep reminding yourself that the "feeling" is a phantom feeling, not based in reality, and use any coping mechanisms your therapist has given you. If all else fails, talk with your therapist about it.

 

[Petrichoryl]

Do you see a therapist for your germ issue?

Probably should! Maybe sometime soon if this doesn't abate.

 

[Kiki]

Probably should! Maybe sometime soon if this doesn't abate.

I really really hope you can get some professional help. You don't have to continue to worry yourself to death. They, a professional, CAN teach you something useful to not worry like this.