You could also point out that they are eating off forks and spoons that were cleaned in the same commercial dishwasher as the glass.

Commercial dishwashers use much hotter water than household versions. The restaurant dishes are almost certainly cleaner than the ones in your cupboard.

These people are suffering from something called “selective squeamishness”.

Hey Marisol,

That just be super annoying to hear. First, you should not care what your friends and family have to say about you drinking without a straw. To answer your question, you could respond with “If you’re concerned about the germs from the rim of the glass, imagine all the toxins and chemicals you’re ingesting every time you use a plastic straw.”

You can also remind them that thousands of people drink directly from the glass without a straw and do not get sick or die as a result from these “germs.” We need to be exposed to some germs regularly to strengthen our immune systems and fight off illness more quickly. If they are that afraid of catching germs, I wouldn’t be surprised if they are regularly using hand sanitizer which ironically makes people more susceptible to catching contagious germs due to its main ingredient, triclosan.

Remember, everyone will always have an opinion. You can remind them how silly it is to freak out about getting sick from drinking directly from the glass and it is not very adult like or classy to use a plastic straw in the first place.

I believe they say that because people put their hands on the glass and they don’t trust the dishwashers to have cleaned it right.

How do I respond?

Keep up the good work! The Trash is for Tossers youtube channel has a bunch of videos to help you get started out with your zero waste lifestyle!
Thanks for the support!

Way to spread the word! Love your pictures and content from your article.