Cleaning/washing passport

eskbanker

phatbear said:

From someone who knows please dont wash your passport. It could cause delays getting into the UK or prevent you from not being let into other countries at all.

The double negative of preventing you from not being let in is something to aspire to!

TELLIT01

With all due respect, if the OP needs to clean a brand new passport, how will they cope with travelling with said passport.

olb81

I know it sounds mad, but I somehow can manage to contaminate things myself, with my thoughts. 
I'm fine with officials touching it, it's not about germs, I am not worried about getting ill. 
Last year on holiday with a previous passport I had to store it in a rucksacks separate front pocket and only touch it when I had to get it out and each time had to wash my hands after at the nearest toilet in the airport. 
I was hoping with the new one I'd not allow it to go down the same route but as my mind is very self critical I wasn't able to keep it clean in my mind.
Looks like I'll have to wipe it on the outside and store it in its own pocket on the outside of my bag again.
The worse thing is washing my hands too much they are pretty bad at the moment.

Emmia

olb81 said:

I know it sounds mad, but I somehow can manage to contaminate things myself, with my thoughts. 
I'm fine with officials touching it, it's not about germs, I am not worried about getting ill. 
Last year on holiday with a previous passport I had to store it in a rucksacks separate front pocket and only touch it when I had to get it out and each time had to wash my hands after at the nearest toilet in the airport. 
I was hoping with the new one I'd not allow it to go down the same route but as my mind is very self critical I wasn't able to keep it clean in my mind.
Looks like I'll have to wipe it on the outside and store it in its own pocket on the outside of my bag again.
The worse thing is washing my hands too much they are pretty bad at the moment.

I think you really need to seek treatment for your OCD if you're not doing so already.

olb81

I've been to several therapists but nothing really works. It's like I just get a bad /sick feeling that follows me and attaches to objects. It's like a fear of not being in control, of going mad. Defi itely not germs.
Like I said most things I can clean whether washing clothes or wiping things but some objects are more difficult.
I kind of wish we could have a passport stored on our phones as that would avoid the problem.

PoGee

olb81 said:

I've been to several therapists but nothing really works. It's like I just get a bad /sick feeling that follows me and attaches to objects. It's like a fear of not being in control, of going mad. Defi itely not germs.
Like I said most things I can clean whether washing clothes or wiping things but some objects are more difficult.
I kind of wish we could have a passport stored on our phones as that would avoid the problem.

Use religious incense/ incense sticks to remove the bad/sick feeling that may be attached to objects. But not too much on the passport as passport control might think you're hiding something!

Emmia

PoGee said:

olb81 said:

I've been to several therapists but nothing really works. It's like I just get a bad /sick feeling that follows me and attaches to objects. It's like a fear of not being in control, of going mad. Defi itely not germs.
Like I said most things I can clean whether washing clothes or wiping things but some objects are more difficult.
I kind of wish we could have a passport stored on our phones as that would avoid the problem.

Use religious incense/ incense sticks to remove the bad/sick feeling that may be attached to objects. But not too much on the passport as passport control might think you're hiding something!

Why exactly would that help? I'd expect the solution for the OP is probably more complex than burning incense.

olb81

It would be better for me if the passport was just a card with a chip like a driving license. That's easy to clean. It's the pages and edges on the passport that isn't straightforward. Guess I'll be washing my hands excessively in the airport. Hopefully once in hotel I can put it away and enjoy the holiday. 

Beeblebr0x

I know this is very easy to say, but I do have long experience with general anxiety disorder. Try a day without washing anything and seeing if any of your fears come to pass. I can virtually guarantee they won't.

TELLIT01

@Beeblebr0x  If only it was that simple.  I have a friend with OCD and even he acknowledges that his actions around his OCD aren't logical.  That doesn't mean he's able to resist all the impulses. Do you really think people with severe OCD haven't tried?