The Rosie and Roula Show

211: Beanies, Gloves and Salt Shakers - The Everyday Things You’re Probably Not Washing (But Really Should Be)

• Roula Abou Haidar and Rosie Burrows

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This episode starts with Roula’s winter rant about beanies and gloves… and honestly, she might have a point. From unwashed hats soaked in sweat and oils to gloves people use to wipe their noses before touching everything else, some everyday habits suddenly feel a bit grim. Rosie tries to keep up while Roula spirals into gloves, door handles, restaurant menus, salt and pepper shakers and the surprisingly filthy world hiding in plain sight.

It’s chaotic, a little confronting and very funny. You’ll either feel completely seen or suddenly compelled to clean every single thing you own.

What’s the one everyday item you think people should clean way more often?


TOPICS COVERED

  • Why winter accessories get so dirty without anyone noticing
  • Gloves, beanies and the hygiene habits most people forget
  • Door handles, menus and salt shakers: the real germ traps
  • The difference between being clean and being “germaphobic”
  • Cultural habits around hygiene and what we overlook
  • Items we use daily but rarely (or never) wash

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Roula (00:02)
was thinking of something yesterday. You know, it's winter weather here in the Netherlands. So we're wearing our hats, beanies, beamees, beanies. I don't know what you call it. Beanies and gloves. And I noticed something. There's nothing more disgusting than these beanies and these gloves. And do you have an idea why I think they're disgusting?

Rosie (00:06)
Mm-hmm.

Beanies,

⁓ no. Because you don't wash them? Yes! This is so true!

Roula (00:31)
Yes!

Rosie (00:47)
I mean, do you wash them? Do you? Yeah. Do most people? Is that unusual?

Roula (00:48)
Yes, of course!

Never heard anyone

washing their, especially their gloves, because, you know, in winter you go outside and your nose runs and then they're like with their gloves and then they take the glove and I put it in the car or under the, I don't know, they're in their pockets and then they wear it again. It's like, is this glove ever getting washed? And I don't dare opening the topic because people think I have a cleaning OCD, but do I?

Rosie (01:01)
⁓ wipe it, yeah.

Yeah...

Yaaaa-

You know what, I just don't

think people have thought about it. I don't think people have thought about it. Imagine if you were wearing a t-shirt all winter and you'd never once washed it. I think most people would go, mmm, yuck.

Roula (01:34)
But gloves and beanies, I mean, all the fat in our head goes also in the beanie. Day in, day out, like the oil, yeah. and people are cycling here a lot, so they do sweat.

Rosie (01:41)
like the oils and the sweat and yeah. mean.

Yes,

they do sweat, but how do you wash a beanie that, for example, is knitted? How do you do that without damaging it?

Roula (01:55)
I put

it in a special bag and I do a hand wash program on my washing machine. Easy. But the gloves? goodness, I don't know. had yesterday I was standing there looking at all, waiting for my son to come out of school, looking at all these people wearing gloves and how they're all like, they even do like this, cleaning their nose with the glove. And then, yeah, and then they go and talk to their son and carry their bag and.

Rosie (01:59)
Okay, okay, so easy. Yeah, that's true.

you

pinching their nose, yeah.

Roula (02:23)
And I'm like, this is so disgusting people. Why do you do this with your gloves?

I don't know if it's just me who have this. Please.

Rosie (02:31)
How often

do you clean your beanies and your gloves? After every use or like after a couple a month or? Okay, okay.

Roula (02:38)
No, like once every two weeks.

Or or if I notice we use them excessively or we've been to the, don't know, to the forest, we've done something active where the gloves are dirty. So I wash them again. And the thing is, I don't know, I really want to know from the listeners in the comments. If you're on YouTube, tell me in the comments right away. If not, go to our website, rosieandroula.com and let me know.

Rosie (02:49)
Mm.

Yeah.

Roula (03:08)
Am I being, am I exaggerating by wanting people to wash their gloves and their beanies?

Rosie (03:15)
You know what, for me it's not really part of my wardrobe, so it's not something I'm overly familiar with, you know, whether I would wash them or not. I don't know, because I don't really wear them. So I want to hear...

Roula (03:28)
Your hat, your summer

hat. Do you wear a summer hat?

Rosie (03:31)
Oh, you know what?

Yeah, actually, yeah, I do wash that because it does get gross. Yeah. It's not like I do it every week, but yeah, sometimes it's like, oh, that's a bit crusty, you know, that needs a wash. Yeah. So tell us Northern Hemisphere friends, let us know your thoughts because you probably, you know, this is a party every day life. Southern Hemisphere listeners, let us know. Should we be washing our beanies and our gloves? I think probably yes. I'm with you Rula. I am with you.

Roula (03:35)
Okay, yeah, yeah.

How can I tell, how can I like spread the word to everybody, to everybody with their gloves and everything?

Rosie (04:04)
Spread the word. So many germs.

At least you're not like touching other people's gloves. That's not really something that happens. Yeah.

Roula (04:13)
no, I won't. I

want that other people gloves. OK, OK. So this is this is one thing we started this episode for me thinking that it's going to take us very far. But it's not it's not. I'm trying to think what are other unusual things that people don't wash and they should And you know what? No. about the shoes, I don't wash my shoes, but I like

Rosie (04:24)
You

Do you wash your shoes? what? Sorry, you had a thought, yep.

Roula (04:41)
I go on the grass and I clean them because the grass cleans the underside of your shoe so so well, especially when the grass is wet. It's like the best thing to clean the sole of your shoes. another thing that I find disgusting is I wonder how often people clean the handles of their doors, especially the toilet doors.

Rosie (04:47)
or like the soul of the shoot. Yeah, yeah.

Mmm.

The things you think

about. ⁓

Yeah, not something I did regularly when I lived in a house.

Roula (05:15)
⁓ Not even the toilet door handle.

Rosie (05:19)
wasn't no no I'd clean the toilet like that's the obvious thing yeah no the handle wasn't I mean maybe in the kitchen yes clean all the handles and everything but yeah never really thought about the toilet door handle it makes sense

Roula (05:21)
Okay.

The toilet door handle has more germs than the toilet seat.

Rosie (05:39)
Yuck. Yuck.

Roula (05:42)
seriously i i'm gonna sound germophobic now because i'm talking about this but these are things that really makes me get annoyed ⁓ also tick me off yeah also what ticks me off now we're talking we did have an episode and we did i didn't have much to say and today i have a lot to say okay salt pepper menu in a restaurant

Rosie (05:47)
⁓ dear.

They tick you off, things that tick you off.

You do have a lot to say, yes.

Yes.

Roula (06:10)
Can

you imagine people with their fatty, dirty hands, went to the toilet, they wash, and then they never clean them.

Rosie (06:13)
Often they look dirty, Ruler. Yeah, why don't they?

Yeah, I'm with you. Yep. I'm always just like, don't touch it too much. Yep.

Roula (06:24)
and the menu and people like reading the menu and like on the menu and then ⁓ yes. Sometimes it's embarrassing because I take my hygienic wipes and I clean the salt and pepper when we sit at the table. It depends what kind of restaurant. If it's really chic restaurant, I wouldn't do it. But I do ask.

Rosie (06:25)
Yeah. like, hygiene is very important to you. I'm learning. Yes.

Do you? Wow. Wow. Yeah.

because they've probably cleaned it, so...

Roula (06:52)
when they come to clean or whatever, I

Rosie (06:53)
Do you?

Roula (06:54)
ask them, you clean the salt and pepper? I try to do it discreetly because this also tells me a lot about if this restaurant's really good quality or not.

Rosie (06:58)
Yeah.

Roula (07:06)
And mostly the waiters and waitresses are very young. So they barely wash their hands after they wake up or their face. I don't know. You know how young people don't care. So I'm like, they of course did not think of cleaning the salt and pepper at the table. Yeah.

Rosie (07:16)
That's a bit of a stereotype, excuse me.

Yeah, that

needs to be done. Yes. Anyone working in hospitality? Just clean down the salt and pepper shakers in the menu. Make it routine. When someone leaves, you know, you wipe down the table, wipe down the bloody salt and pepper shaker in the menu. Okay, yes.

Roula (07:39)
Hold on, Rosie. Maybe the listeners can tell us in the comments on YouTube, on Spotify,

on our website. Please tell me. For the salt and pepper. Okay, I might be germaphobic on all other things, but the salt and pepper. Do you think they need to be cleaned or you don't care?

Rosie (08:00)
And be careful what you

say because Roula might unfriend you if you say the wrong thing. Just putting...

Roula (08:06)
I might come and clean the salted pepper at your house.

Rosie (08:08)
Hahaha

Now I feel the need to go clean

my salt and pepper shaker.

Roula (08:16)
Yeah, so I don't know where this episode came from. It's just a couple of things that tick me off and I just wanted to share them. Because these are the most common things that I think people do not clean. Well, there are other stuff, but this is what on my mind.

Rosie (08:21)
That's so funny.

Yeah, it's a good point. I'm sure.

Yes, it's very important. Thank you for opening my eyes to the disgusting world of beanies and gloves. Gross. Wiping your nose with your gloves, touching everything. No.

Roula (08:40)
Ew.

Wiping your nose. Yes.

Wiping your nose and then peeling a banana and give it to your child. It happens. Okay. Okay. ⁓ guys. Thank you for listening to basically my rambling today.

Rosie (08:56)
You're so precious.

Roula (09:06)
Bye!