19 Perfectly Common Things People Find Disgusting, But Others Don't Think Twice About Them
It's pretty funny how everyday things that seem perfectly normal to some of us can spark feelings of discomfort or disgust in others — revealing how our "ick factors" can truly differ from one another. For example, some people HATE the feeling of lotion and have difficulty putting it on their body when they need to.
Recently, Reddit user Jazzlike_Razzmatazz wanted to know the common things that give people the icks when they asked: "What is the thing you find disgusting but others don't?"
The thread got over 6K responses. Below are the top and most often repeated comments, and maybe you'll even agree with some of them:
1."Breathing someone’s 'breathed' air. Like, laying under the blanket and facing my now ex-husband was physical torture. The air felt warm and used, lol. And yes, I know it’s irrational and in my head, but I hate it."
"The relief I feel about not being the only one, omg!!! Even as a child, I hated it when my mother breathed in my direction when we'd snug together in bed because I couldn't handle breathing in someone's exhaled air. I always felt like a bad person for moving further away from ppl due to that 😭."
2."Toddlers with food on their faces. It drives me nuts. I just want to get a washcloth and clean their face off."
"As a toddler teacher, I take care of 10 1-year-olds every day. Food and boogers crusted on their face are unacceptable. Not only is it gross, but it’s bad for their skin, too. :(I hate when parents drop them off all crusty. The first thing I do when they leave is get a warm washcloth and clean them. It is not hard, in fact it’s the bare minimum of care."
3."Don't get me wrong, I floss, but when people do it in front of me, I find it disgusting."
"Right?! Especially in a common area. Like, dude, nobody wants the flecks of food from between your teeth sprayed on the couch we all sit on! Do that shit over the sink."
4."People wearing their dirty shoes on their couch or bed. It seems like it’s commonplace."
"I feel the same about people who get to their hotel room and put the suitcases they've just rolled along the street straight on their beds. Gross."
5."Eating runny eggs."
"I literally can't even be at the same table with someone who eats them. I can't smell it. I can't even look at it. I'm with you."
6."Hair when it’s not attached to a body. Hair on soap, hair in bathroom sinks, hair on the floor, in the shower, etc. Freaks me out for some reason."
7."Empty glasses of milk. The little bit left behind always makes me wanna throw up for some reason."
"I was staying at a friend's house when I was maybe 10. I finished my glass of whatever I was drinking, and a layer of moist milk gloop was stuck to the bottom. I instantly Exorcist vomited all over their kitchen."
8."Sitting in a warm seat someone was just in. Absolutely disgusting."
9."The texture of wooden cutlery."
"I have a similar reaction to anything paper or wooden in my mouth. Tongue depressors, etc."
10."Socks! Unfortunately, I have to wear them, but I hate them. Unless it's fluffy ones. The second I am at home, normal socks have to go."
"I refuse to wear socks unless absolutely necessary. I hate the feeling."
11."A microfiber cloth is the worst texture ever."
"I hate the feeling of it on my fingertips. Makes me shudder all over."
12.Bellybuttons. I have an irrational hatred of them. Whenever my ex would rub his belly button with his finger, I would almost gag. I can touch and clean my own in the shower, of course, but I have to almost disassociate to get the job done. There was a Levi's commercial a decade or two ago where the bellybuttons would sing, 'I'm Coming Out' and the visceral reaction I had to it still haunts me to this day."
13."Cotton balls and Styrofoam."
Thatphichai Yodsri / Getty Images, Dem10 / Getty Images
"COTTON BALLS: I have hated them my entire life. I can’t stand touching them!!!
14."Dirty keyboards. Especially a mechanical keyboard with tons of chips and hair. Disgusting as shit."
"I can't fathom how they even get that gross. I barely ever clean my keyboard, but there's never any hair, crumbs, or grease on it. I just don't touch it when my hands are dirty. It's that easy."
15."Greasy phones, greasy laptops, greasy cabinet doors, greasy fridge doors, And, of course, the main culprit, GREASY FINGERS!"
"I’d like to add greasy eyeglasses to this list. Sometimes, you run into people whose lenses are so coated with grease and smudges I don’t understand how they go about their day like that. Just effing wipe them off. It takes two seconds."
16."Feet. They gross me out so bad."
"I know!!! It's like the complete opposite of a foot fetish [for me]. I’ll never understand it, and how it’s the most common fetish baffles my mind."
17."Earrings. Not when they're in someone's ear, but when I have to touch them when they're not. Just a piece of metal that's been through someone's skin disgusts me irrationally."
18."Eating cake after someone has blown all over it. Especially when a little kid has blown all over it."
19.And lastly, "The sounds people make when eating. Literally turns my stomach."
"Had to mute a stream the other day when the streamer started eating... Like bro, close your mouth."
You can read the original thread on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
