Jennifer Aniston doesn’t have kids, but she’s a fan of an item a lot of moms won’t leave home without – disinfectant hand gel. She’s said to be such a germophobe that she slathers the suff on surfaces before she’ll touch them like grocery carts and even door knobs. She also supposedly has a bathroom for guests that she’ll never use due to germs:
“Jen has become nearly obsessed with cleanliness and it’s driving everyone around her up the wall,” an insider told the Enquirer.
“When friends come to her house, Jen insists they use a bathroom that’s reserved for guests only.”
Jen never uses that bathroom.
“She carries hand sanitizer in her purse so she can do the ‘wipe-down.’ In public, she’s constantly wiping grocery carts, hand rails, elevator buttons, door knobs and anything else she come in contact with.”
And when someone reaches out to shake her hand, Jen gets noticeably panicky, added the source.
“I’ve seen her take a deep breath, wipe her hand on her clothes and then pat the person on the arm, just to avoid hand-to-hand contact,” the insider divulged.
[From The National Enquirer, print edition, October 27, 2008]
We just saw photos of Aniston hugging Laura Dern at a party over the weekend. She did put her face to the side, but it’s not like she’s so terrified of human contact that she won’t give someone a hug. This story is likely overstated, but it could have a grain of truth to it. Maybe Aniston does do the “wipe down.” I’m a fan of disinfectant hand gel and always have one with me, but I also have a four year old and anything that can keep him just 10% cleaner is appreciated. It’s also something I considered indispensable when he was in diapers and we had to do a quick change in the back of the car.
This does sound extreme, but as long as Aniston is able to function and it’s not interfering with her day to day activities she should be fine. Considering how much she’s photographed, it’s not like she’s functioning at Monk levels and has to make sure she’s constantly decontaminated after touching people or we would have seen a photo of her disgustedly wiping her hands at some point.
Jennifer Aniston is shown outside Courteney Cox’s house yesterday, 10/19/08. Credit: Bauergriffinonline
I’d say this is bullshit. She touches John Mayer, doesn’t she? And he looks like a walking germ factory. Not to mention Vince Vaughn. And the Laura Dern hug I think might be clutching at (unsterilised) straws!
What a load of crap. And even if it’s true, WHO CARES? What a ridiculously inane story. Yet another example of how this woman is famous for everything BUT her acting ability.
Yeah, it sounds like bs.
*sigh* That’s all I’ve got. Meh.
Not likely either.
I love how this story is right above the one about Anjelina Jolie and all of humanitarian efforts. Poor Jen, just gets the story about how much of a nut case the press portrays her to be.
Some of the grocery carts here have little dispensers of antibacterial wipes attached to them. Strikes me as a little over the top, but whatever.
I carry the stuff too. I don’t worry over dirt or germs, but can not tolerate my hands being sticky, and the gel is great for a quick clean-up.
Oh for God sake, hollywood media, lay off the woman. This sounds exactly like the ‘Katie Holmes sanitises a playground’ story from a few months back.
Though frankly I wouldn’t blame her – the amount of people that think washing their hands after going to the toilet equals a quick baptism under a cold tap is astonishing.
Anyway – it’s easy enough to disprove this story – JA is managing to touch that wall without having to call in the nuclear decontamination unit 😉
Jennifer appears to go out to eat fairly often, and it’s a good idea to wash your hands with a hand sanitizer when eating at a restaurant.
I eat out a lot, and noticed I was getting sick afterward on a regular basis. Since I started using the hand sanitizer (Purel), this hasn’t happened.
Ha. My first thought was, And the problem is?? I also don’t use our guest bathroom, love the disinfectant wipes the grocery store provides (also wipe down the child seat on the grocery cart–diaper germs, don’t ya know), use paper towels to open bathroom doors, etc. I don’t refuse to shake hands with strangers, but I do wash my hands asap afterwards.
I was never a germophobe until I started riding the city bus every day and started coming down with illnesses I never had before in my life. I know it’s a little crazy, but we all have our crazy habits.
I wipe down surfaces too. People can be filthy pigs, and half the time don’t wash their hands after using the rest room. Why wouldn’t you wipe down carts or things that a zillion germy people have touched? Okay, maybe I have a small issue but think about it. Kids are germ factories, and I don’t want to become ill.
maybe jen just feels like i do: people are gross, and i am convinced that many people don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, sneezing, etc. i hate touching elevator buttons or restroom door handles with my bare hands and will often pull my sleeve down over my hand before touching things that alot of people have touched. i use that gel stuff, and i also wash my hands about 20 times a day, but i am also a pastry chef and need to have very clean hands!
If she has a guest bathroom I’m also guessing she also has a live in maid who could sanitize it many time a day. Also, if her guests are so disgusting why have them over to your house? This story is not true or extremely exaggerated.
I use hand sanitizer as well, a lot. When my son and I are out running errands, often if he’s found a feather on the street and decided to inspect it or pet a cat, when we get in the car we clean our hands. When he was three he was sick with a tummy bug for a month, the doc said it kept infecting him, every 5 days his temp would go up over 100 and he would have the runs and was vomiting. Ever since then I’ve been vigilant about keeping his hands very clean. I don’t even know if this stuff works like it says it does but it does work as a solvent to get dirt or something sticky off your hands when a sink isn’t near by. Especially a public bathroom sink which are extremely germy usually. I also have a pack of baby wipes in my car at all times. I guess I’m a bit of germ phobic while out. At home though we have pets and a bit of dirt that you are used to and have built a resistant to is very good for you.
I actually do all of the things listed above in the story (except for not using the guest bathroom. I have a guest bathroom, but if it’s the closest one, I’ll use it. Though I do prefer my own…sorry if that was TMI)
So does that make me crazy? :cringe waiting for response:
I could use a little of her ocd cleanliness, since returning to work, I haven’t been the best house keeper! Hey, if the story is true, I don’t blame her for making guests use a particular bathroon. I have been the victim of terrible sights in my bathroom after certain guests have used it.
these super bugs that people are getting sick with can be tied to our germ-phobic culture.
yes, i agree if you have kids, hose em down every now and again since they touch everything and then put it in mouth. but this over the top protection will only compromise their immune systems in the future.
as adults, sneeze/cough into your elbow. use your damp paper towel to open the lav door. do you all know proper hand washing technique? did you know that you should scrub between finger webs and around nails?
sure the antibacterial hand sanitizer is good for a quick clean, but the alcohol base will slowly degrade the skin on your fingers and actually weaken your skin (and let germs in)!
people are pretty gross in general, and i understand worry if you are immune compromised (old/weak/sick), but eat well, drink water and all will be ok!
i don´t use any of this stuff. and i never got sick. maybe because i ate dirt as a child, fell from trees and bathed in mud.
@Anni:… and went to public school, right? All that you mention plus regular association with other kids is the best inoculation a child can have.
As for JA, my poached egg is almost done.
I call bullshit on this story. Jen Aniston constantly gets her pictures taken by the paparazzi and if she really did wipe down everything she touches in public places, we’d have seen evidence of that by now.
Disinfectant hand gel rocks though! I use it when I’m travelling and when I’m ill and it really makes a difference.
LOL, I have to admit, I’m with Jen on this one. My husband teases me, but he loves it that everything around us is spotless, despite 4 kids.
I don’t know if it’s OCD or what, but the sad fact is, most people just aren’t very clean, and it creeps me out.
Must be slow news day..I call BS on this one.
i wonder how that affects her as a lover. John Mayer probably has to wipe that down too before putting it in. LOL!
I used to get sick all the time but now I carry the wipes with me, (gels too perfumey and melt my hands) and I wash after touching ANYTHING in public. I don’t get sick anymore. People need to wash their hands after blowing their nose or coughing (assuming they are polite enough to cover their mouth) as well as after toilet.
My pet peeve is people who feel it is their duty to pick their nose while driving. (though cell phones have cut down on this)
Do you all think you are in an invisable car? I don’t want to watch that shit and I don’t want to be opening a door after you because I’m guessing if you’re driving around “digging for gold” you aren’t washing your hands before you go on to the next activity.
@ baholicious: yep. and we were a messy bunch back then 😆
gimme some of that egg, will ya?
I don’t get sick (except from drinking too much) and don’t wipe anything down. Maybe the wine is sterilizing my guts? I do believe that you build up immunity by being exposed to bugs…
I was never OCD like this until I started working at the company I work for. It’s such a big place that all types work there. I have literally been walking in the restroom with someone and have watched them walk out without washing their hands. Gross, gross, gross, gross, GROSS! Then, of course, I have to figure out how to get out of there without touching the obviously contaminated door handle. Good fun 😯
Nice to know there are hand washers among us!
I always use a paper towel to open bathroom doors because I don’t trust people’s hand washing.
On an aside though, hand sanitizer should be used in moderation. It creates super bacteria. It kills 99.9%, but what is left is a germ that has a resistance to cleaning and can be far worse to treat than a regular one. Hand sanitizer is non-discriminant antibacterial – it kills our natural bacteria that protects us, which exposes us to even more. People who over use hand sanitizer tend to start getting warts all over their hands because they don’t have the natural bacteria shield to protect us from the viruses that cause warts (and colds!)
I used to get sick fairly regularly, but switched to non antibacterial cleaners for my house after my microbiology prof recommended it, and I haven’t been sick in a long time. It gives your immune system a chance to do its job. This is really important with kids to build up an immunity memory so that they can fight off bugs more effectively later in life. I’m not saying bin the stuff, but not all the time.
I’m on board with not seeing much of a problem with this. Also, I have been leery of shaking hands with people since an incident at work where one of my male managers went into the men’s bathroom as I went into the ajoining women’s bathroom. The walls were so thin I could hear him peeing and flushing but I did not hear him washing his hands, he just shot right out of the bathroom with “penis hands”. CREEPY!
Hi,
Jennifer, You want the surrounding looking cleanly. It is good but not in too much. Let me know more information about OCD.
– Rose.