I had a glass of water that I had already drunk from. Later, I rinsed the glass with tap water, refilled it with fresh water from the tap, and poured that water into a kettle to boil.
A friend saw this and said it was unhygienic and “disgusting,” and that it’s against social convention. I disagreed, because I didn’t spit into the glass, I rinsed it, and the water was going to be boiled anyway, which kills bacteria.
He compared it to a chef double-dipping a spoon into soup, saying you don’t see chefs doing that even if the soup is going to keep boiling. I said that’s different because chefs are cooking for other people and follow stricter appearance-of-cleanliness rules, whereas this was for personal use and poses no health risk.
He insists that even if it’s technically safe, it’s still wrong and gross by convention. I don’t really understand why, and I feel like he’s confusing disgust with actual hygiene.
AITA for thinking this is fine and not unhygienic?
Your oral flora still transferred into the glass and was likely not completely removed by rinsing it out.
Why not just run water from the tap directly into the kettle?
YTA
Is it a shared kettle? If yes, YTA. If it’s just yours, then NTA.
Uh yes, this is crucial info.
Why not just fill the kettle at the tap? Is it that heavy?
Eww, I agree with your friend. If I was to see a friend do that I’d never eat or drink anything at their house. Yta
YTA. That’s gross.
INFO: is this your personal kettle or a communal one? Were you heating water to serve others?
If it’s literally your kettle serving just you then NTA, but the fact that someone else saw you do it leads me to believe others would be drinking from it so YTA. Eww.
This is something I would 100% do in private but not in the company of others because while there is nothing wrong with it I would expect the possibility of other people finding it a little gross. NAH
YTA – keep your germs to yourself, especially with something that is commonly used by more than one person or used to serve guests tea, etc. If you’re relaxed about this they are probably concerned about what else you don’t wash properly.
If the kettle is a shared item, then YTA.
Worse lol OP has commented that it was that friend’s kettle, in that friend’s home. Yes the boiling should kill everything, but it’s definitely a side-eye situation.
If by rinsing it out you meant washing the glass out with soap and a dish cleaner, you’re good. If you meant running it under the tap for a moment, I would never trust you to make my tea again, because what other corners do you cut? You’re still pouring your daily germs, or your cold virus, into the kettle, and now nothing’s clean.
Yeah yeah, boiling water blah blah. It’s still not right, and you’re not guaranteed to kill every germ you introduced.
Biofilm has entered the chat. Also, YTA in the company of others.
INFO:
You’ve already been asked the communal or personal question. Mine is, why bother with a glass? I’ve never seen anyone do that. Just pop the lid off, add the water from the tap, relid it and boil.