Furious about towel

LegacyUser

Bit of background here. I'm a young women in early 20's who suffers from mild anxiety and mild OCD. Because of this, I'm generally very protective of my personal things, e.g. leave my toothbrush in my room and have my own mugs and so on. I used to leave my towel in my room in case my flatmate used it but it got damp and gross in there and I figured that nobody would be as disgusting as to use someone else's towel. Well, I was wrong. Came home today to have a shower after work and the towel was missing, found it in my flatmate's room. Makes me wonder how many other times she's used it without telling me - I could have easily used it then without knowing. I looked online and you can get things like scabies, molloscum, even genital warts from sharing towels. I feel absolutely furious that my personal space is invaded, and that I'm now going to worry for about a year about what I've caught because she was so selfish. I feel like a wreck right now.

LittleBook

Explain your condition to your flatmate, buy a towel rack for your room, try not to worry about it ... I'm fairly sure you would have noticed if it she'd used it before.

422nd

I think you should be fine from any of those things mentioned if you just wash the towel and then just ask your flat mate not to do it again. You said yourself your OCD is mild. Put it in the bin if you don't want to use it again. I'm sure your house mate won't use it again if you say not to.

Redpunto

yep - bin your towels and pick up some nice ones in pennys. Some people just dont think, I dont have OCD and that would p*ss me off as well but I wouldnt worry about catching anything.

LegacyUser

found it in my flatmate's room.

you also invaded her personal space by going into her room tbh

Miss Fluff

What a cheeky scabbing b1tch. I'd be furious too, it's absolutely disgusting to take such a liberty.

You can't change what has happened, and you just have to presume it was a once-off. By the same token, I'd make it clear to her that you find it unacceptable.

Bellablue

Bit of background here. I'm a young women in early 20's who suffers from mild anxiety and mild OCD. Because of this, I'm generally very protective of my personal things, e.g. leave my toothbrush in my room and have my own mugs and so on.

Hi OP,

I can relate - only my OCD and anxiety wouldn't be described as mild! :rolleyes:

As 422nd said - best thing to do would be wash the towel, continue to use it and ask your flatmate not to use your stuff again.

When things like this bother me now, I try to approach it from a different angle. In this case, for example a.) you say how many other times might she have used it - exactly! More than likely you're ok and if you hadn't found out she'd used it then you wouldn't be worrying or b.) think to yourself how many other people in the world are sharing towels, toothbrushes etc and they are all (mostly) ok.

I wouldn't advise throwing it away. Even with mild OCD niggles, the best thing to do is try not to give into them, and that way they hopefully won't grow into anything else.

Bella

PS - don't look up all the "what ifs" on the net - you'll drive yourself crazy!

IzzyWizzy

dramaticdrama wrote: »

you also invaded her personal space by going into her room tbh

You don't know what relationship they have. I go in and out of my flatmate's room as I please, the house phone and router are in there. She comes into mine all the time to borrow my fan or my curling tongs. It's hardly the point here, is it? If my towel went missing and I know I didn't move it, I'd be looking in peoples' rooms as well. One thing sort of overrides the other, and using someone's towel exposing them to all your germs and bodily secretions is hardly akin to taking a peek into a bedroom. :rolleyes:

Denimgirl

Thats a dirty biatch your sharing a flat with! I think most people have mild OCD i think it's more called good hygene!! your right to put it in your room!along with your toothbrush some people don;t give a sh*t they will use other peoples razors roll on deodorants so your right to put them in your room! as the other poster says put ypur towel on a towel rack or radiator!

Firetrap

I wouldn't be one bit happy at someone else using my towel either but perhaps this is the first time she's used it? That she got out of the shower, realised that she'd forgotten to bring her towel in with her and used yours? I assume she has her own towel?

I've also learned that if you go look up things like this on the internet, you'll always find someone writing about worst case scenarios. Let's say you have a sore finger, you google it and next thing you're reading that your arm is going to have to come off asap. Yes, it is disgusting that someone else used your towel but I'm sure lots of people have wittingly or unwittingly shared towels before and never suffered any ill-effects. Most regular people don't have scabies or other nasty things.

The best thing to do is to keep your towel in the room as others have suggested. Perhaps get one of those little wire drying racks that sit on top of a radiator and put your towel on that so that it can air dry.

DACSTER

worried86 wrote: »

Bit of background here. I'm a young women in early 20's who suffers from mild anxiety and mild OCD. Because of this, I'm generally very protective of my personal things, e.g. leave my toothbrush in my room and have my own mugs and so on. I used to leave my towel in my room in case my flatmate used it but it got damp and gross in there and I figured that nobody would be as disgusting as to use someone else's towel. Well, I was wrong. Came home today to have a shower after work and the towel was missing, found it in my flatmate's room. Makes me wonder how many other times she's used it without telling me - I could have easily used it then without knowing. I looked online and you can get things like scabies, molloscum, even genital warts from sharing towels. I feel absolutely furious that my personal space is invaded, and that I'm now going to worry for about a year about what I've caught because she was so selfish. I feel like a wreck right now.

That's really silly. I've lent my sleeping bag to loads of people and never caught anything, ok it's a bit stiff in places but it's still comfy - once I even found a fiver in it, wonder what that was all about?

Are you sure you are not using your pretend OCD to be a bit of a madam?

desolate sun

Are you sure you are not using your pretend OCD to be a bit of a madam?

The OP doesn't have pretend OCD, she has OCD. If you've never experienced it, then you have no idea how stressful it can be. I would have a very mild form of it. I wash my hands after almost everything I do, so would wash my hands dozens of times a day. But that is very mild.
I am squeamish about cleanliness though and the towel situation would make me nauseous.
But OCD is a very real condition and it's not helpful saying the OP is making it up.

Nevyn

Unhelpful and off-topic posting will get you banned from this forum.
Do take time to read the charter which contains the rules and abide by them.
Have a nice day.
Thaedydal

DACSTER

desolate sun wrote: »

The OP doesn't have pretend OCD, she has OCD. If you've never experienced it, then you have no idea how stressful it can be. I would have a very mild form of it. I wash my hands after almost everything I do, so would wash my hands dozens of times a day. But that is very mild.
I am squeamish about cleanliness though and the towel situation would make me nauseous.
But OCD is a very real condition and it's not helpful saying the OP is making it up.

Do you know how many germs and bactaria are transmitted when kissing someone? let along making the beast with two, three or even four backs?

I have a mild form of OCD too. I have to make words out of car registrations. Sometimes I can stand there for hours. Just looking.

Nevyn

desolate sun if you have an issue with a post please report it.

DACSTER this is not a thread to debate types of OCD, continuing to do so will be off topic posting.

DACSTER

Thaedydal wrote: »

desolate sun if you have an issue with a post please report it.

DACSTER this is not a thread to debate types of OCD, continuing to do so will be off topic posting.

Ok, gotcha. I think the OP should explain her problem to her house mates and that it upsets her and then everyone knows where the stand, sharing a house can be difficult.

I just saw a blue car go by and made the word "FUR"" from it's registration. Yay me!

LegacyUser

You don't know what relationship they have. I go in and out of my flatmate's room as I please, the house phone and router are in there. She comes into mine all the time to borrow my fan or my curling tongs. It's hardly the point here, is it? If my towel went missing and I know I didn't move it, I'd be looking in peoples' rooms as well. One thing sort of overrides the other, and using someone's towel exposing them to all your germs and bodily secretions is hardly akin to taking a peek into a bedroom

with all respect thats a bit of a contradiction no? if they have the kind of relationship where they go into each others rooms then borrowing a towel may not seem like such a big deal? with respect to "bodily secretions argument" come on now thats just a little paranoid, i mean if they share the same bathroom, well then they share the same toilet seat for gods sake...

Its happened me before, gone into shower, took shower, got out of shower thought fup i forgot to bring in a towel, shower is down hall from my room, hmm will i run naked down the hall and hope no one sees me, oh wait flatmates towel is here, it looks clean, so i borrowed it with the intention of washing it, telling her and returning it..its not the huge big deal the op is making it out to be, yes it is to her because she has OCD, but the point is her flatmate doesn't have OCD so to her...well all she did was borrow a bloody towel!

OP im not making light of your OCD,im sure its a terrible disorder, but you're being very insular about this.. she didn't sit in her room plotting to herself..teehee x had OCD, i'll really p*** her off by using her towel...come on now.. look at it this way if your flatmate had a phobia of spiders, and you decided to pick a huge bunch of flowers and put them on the kitchen table, she comes in sits down eats her dinner sees a spider on one of the flowers and freaks out at you "and is absolutely furious at you for invading her personal space' ...would you not think she was over reacting just a tad??*


* of course if she already knows you have OCD and took the towel anyway well then she is of course being inconsiderate...

IzzyWizzy

dramatic drama wrote: »

with all respect thats a bit of a contradiction no? if they have the kind of relationship where they go into each others rooms then borrowing a towel may not seem like such a big deal? with respect to "bodily secretions argument" come on now thats just a little paranoid, i mean if they share the same bathroom, well then they share the same toilet seat for gods sake...

Its happened me before, gone into shower, took shower, got out of shower thought fup i forgot to bring in a towel, shower is down hall from my room, hmm will i run naked down the hall and hope no one sees me, oh wait flatmates towel is here, it looks clean, so i borrowed it with the intention of washing it, telling her and returning it..its not the huge big deal the op is making it out to be, yes it is to her because she has OCD, but the point is her flatmate doesn't have OCD so to her...well all she did was borrow a bloody towel!

OP im not making light of your OCD,im sure its a terrible disorder, but you're being very insular about this.. she didn't sit in her room plotting to herself..teehee x had OCD, i'll really p*** her off by using her towel...come on now.. look at it this way if your flatmate had a phobia of spiders, and you decided to pick a huge bunch of flowers and put them on the kitchen table, she comes in sits down eats her dinner sees a spider on one of the flowers and freaks out at you "and is absolutely furious at you for invading her personal space' ...would you not think she was over reacting just a tad??*


* of course if she already knows you have OCD and took the towel anyway well then she is of course being inconsiderate...

Just...no. Going in and out of someone's room to use a phone or borrow a pen is a million miles away from using personal items which touch intimate parts of your body. Would you put someone's dirty underwear on? Because using someone's towel is at least as manky as that. You can actually catch things from towels. Athlete's foot is contagious that way and so are a number of other skin conditions. Using someone else's towel is just a really bad invasion of personal space. I'd never leave stuff in communal bathroooms if I thought people thought it was OK to just use it. I honestly thought everyone understood that some things are just not OK. Borrowing my milk? Fine. Borrowing my coat? Wouldn't be thrilled, but fine. Borrowing my towel? Absolutely not.

I don't think it's paranoid at all to mention 'bodily secretions'. Only dry buttocks touch a toilet seat, people use towels to dry their genitals. Your comparison with the spiders is not even similar enough to be relevant. A spider appearing a flower has nothing in common with using someone else's towel. And a spider might scare someone, but it won't do any harm. You CAN get things from sharing towels, it's not just a mental thing. You're NOT supposed to share them. Any doctor will tell you that. If I choose to share a towel with my boyfriend, and I often do, that's my decision and my risk to take. I wouldn't appreciate having it forced on me.

LegacyUser

Just...no. Going in and out of someone's room to use a phone or borrow a pen is a million miles away from using personal items which touch intimate parts of your body. Would you put someone's dirty underwear on? Because using someone's towel is at least as manky as that. You can actually catch things from towels. Athlete's foot is contagious that way and so are a number of other skin conditions. Using someone else's towel is just a really bad invasion of personal space. I'd never leave stuff in communal bathroooms if I thought people thought it was OK to just use it. I honestly thought everyone understood that some things are just not OK. Borrowing my milk? Fine. Borrowing my coat? Wouldn't be thrilled, but fine. Borrowing my towel? Absolutely not.

fair enough ..different strokes i suppose, personally i would find someone going into my room without permission, the height of disrespect and a complete invasion of privacy, if someone borrowed my towel though i wouldn't see it as a huge deal, they've taken it from me so they're the ones at risk of catching something, as long as they wash it before they give it back, i couldn't give a c***...

And a spider might scare someone, but it won't do any harm.

its highly unlikely a towel will either..its not as if the girl put the towel back in the bathroom..if she did i could see your point, but for all the op knows she could of had every intention of washing the thing before she gave it back..

You CAN get things from sharing towels, it's not just a mental thing. You're NOT supposed to share them. Any doctor will tell you that. If I choose to share a towel with my boyfriend, and I often do, that's my decision and my risk to take. I wouldn't appreciate having it forced on me.

you can but its highly unlikely...i'm sure if her flatmate had some kind of contagious skin disorder or genital warts shes not going to go around using other peoples towels, the likely hood of her actually having something which can be transmitted is pretty slim tbh..

I don't think it's paranoid at all to mention 'bodily secretions'. Only dry buttocks touch a toilet seat, people use towels to dry their genitals.

if you want to be really paranoid about it you could equally say germs can be transmitted in the air when the toilet is flushed, how do you know the flate mate doesn't *ahem* wipe and then flush the toilet with the same hand, transferring germs to the handle etc etc

IzzyWizzy

dramaticdrama wrote: »

fair enough ..different strokes i suppose, personally i would find someone going into my room without permission, the height of disrespect and a complete invasion of privacy, if someone borrowed my towel though i wouldn't see it as a huge deal, they've taken it from me so they're the ones at risk of catching something, as long as they wash it before they give it back, i couldn't give a c***...

It's only disrespectful if they haven't OK'ed it. In plenty of houseshares, it's agreed that it's fine to go into other rooms to borrow something (preagreed). In my house we have no living room, so the house phone/internet stuff is in my flatmate's room, it would be totally unreasonable of her not to let people in there. It's a downside of having the biggest/best room. I have a massive fan that people just come in and borrow - it's totally normal for many people to go in and out of rooms but that doesn't extend to borrowing personal items. And I think the point was the OP was afraid they had borrowed it and NOT washed it afterwards. Although I'd still be annoyed if someone borrowed my towel at all, what if I needed a shower and came back and had no towel, etc? That would be putting me out. If I needed a towel, I'd go out and buy one. I'd never think of using someone else's, tbh.

its highly unlikely a towel will either..its not as if the girl put the towel back in the bathroom..if she did i could see your point, but for all the op knows she could of had every intention of washing the thing before she gave it back..

you can but its highly unlikely...i'm sure if her flatmate had some kind of contagious skin disorder or genital warts shes not going to go around using other peoples towels, the likely hood of her actually having something which can be transmitted is pretty slim tbh..

Some people just don't give a sh*t. Plenty of people walk around barefoot when they know they have verrucas/athlete's foot. People are selfish.

if you want to be really paranoid about it you could equally say germs can be transmitted in the air when the toilet is flushed, how do you know the flate mate doesn't *ahem* wipe and then flush the toilet with the same hand, transferring germs to the handle etc etc

That's totally different. You wash your hands after using the toilet. It's just not the same at all. I don't know why you think it's awful to go into someone else's room while using someone else's towel is fine. To me, the latter is a MUCH more serious invasion of personal space and security. I leave my towel/toothbrush/razor in shared bathrooms with the faith that nobody is going to touch them because you just don't do that.

LegacyUser

IThat's totally different. You wash your hands after using the toilet. It's just not the same at all. I don't know why you think it's awful to go into someone else's room while using someone else's towel is fine. To me, the latter is a MUCH more serious invasion of personal space and security. I leave my towel/toothbrush/razor in shared bathrooms with the faith that nobody is going to touch them because you just don't do that.

People consider different things an invasion of personal space, to me my room is *my* personal space to relax in, i don't like people coming in, its just my pet hate, on the other hand i don't have any huge paranoia about disease/germ transmission... look you're entitled to your opinion, but by the same token i'm entitled to mine, i was just giving another viewpoint...just because its your opinion it doesn't make it fact people have different boundaries, to some people taking a towel doesn't equal the end of the world! as a side note no where does the OP say she has permission to go into her flatmates room , all im saying is maybe the girl forgot to bring her towel into the shower with her - if you forget to bring a towel into the shower, you're not going to go out naked to the nearest shop and buy a new towel ?? its hardly crime of the century..in my opinion...again- just giving another viewpoint!


anyway i don't see how any of this is relevant to the OP

IzzyWizzy

dramaticdrama wrote: »

People consider different things an invasion of personal space, to me my room is *my* personal space to relax in, i don't like people coming in, its just my pet hate, on the other hand i don't have any huge paranoia about disease/germ transmission... look you're entitled to your opinion, but by the same token i'm entitled to mine, i was just giving another viewpoint...just because its your opinion it doesn't make it fact people have different boundaries, to some people taking a towel doesn't equal the end of the world! as a side note no where does the OP say she has permission to go into her flatmates room , all im saying is maybe the girl forgot to bring her towel into the shower with her - if you forget to bring a towel into the shower, you're not going to go out naked to the nearest shop and buy a new towel ?? its hardly crime of the century..in my opinion...again- just giving another viewpoint!


anyway i don't see how any of this is relevant to the OP

She didn't say she DIDN'T have permission. You were the one who turned it around and acted like she did something wrong when for all you know, it could be absolutely fine for her to go into the flatmate's room. There's nothing indicating otherwise. You're the one who brought it up and no, it's not relevant. That's my point. The OP has OCD, she's upset about someone using her towel, most of us here think it's a massive invasion of space and really inappropriate. I actually find it really alarming that people think it's OK to use stuff like this. Yes, I would get out of the shower, cover myself with the clothes I wore in and go to my room to fetch my own towel. Why would I need to go to the shop? Why would I leave my flatmate without a towel while I used, washed and dried hers? That's really selfish. The borrowing-without-permission alone would be really rude, without the adding fear of catching something.

Seraphina

i have to say, even my total bum friend who was crashing in our spare room while he saved money for a deposit, my friend who borrowed and used everything without asking, asked permission to use my towel, explicitly stating he would wash it before return and promptly bought his own towels the following day (he had turned up at short notice to start a new job and not packed properly)

we have a few small communal hand-drying towels in our house, but outside of that, its just *really* not the done thing is it? i would definitely be annoyed by that, and i'm pretty easy going

tinkerbell

OMG I would be absolutely FURIOUS if someone used my towel. I mean I wouldn't care if my boyfriend used my towel but if anybody else used my towel, I would be so so so annoyed and feel so repulsed by it all.

I defo am a bit obsessed by cleanliness and hygiene, making sure I wash my hands, etc. so this kinda thing would FREAK ME OUT. OP - your house mate was rude, selfish, ignorant and a complete and utter bitch. Big frikkin deal if she went into the bathroom and forgot her towel - that's her problem, she has absolutely NO RIGHT to use yours. Omg I can't believe the nerve of some people - that is completely invading your personal space, is so disgusting for hygiene reasons and ugh!! ugh ugh ugh ugh!!!!

I haven't shared a bathroom since first year of college, always have had my own ever since then (well live with my bf now but that doesn't really count as sharing a bathroom when it's sharing with your other half - you're not gonna mind sharing personal space with your other half like!).

Seriously though - you must be so distressed right now, I have mild OCD with the whole hygiene thing and this sort of thing would really really upset me. I just hate the idea of personal space being invaded, just hate it. I think the best thing you can do is either (a) boil wash the towel or (b) throw the towel away and get a new one. Either way - you need to tell your housemate that it was completely unacceptable and disgusting that she borrowed your towel, and there is NO EXCUSE for her behaviour - she was an absolute disgusting bitch taking your towel. If she forgot it, she should've stood in the shower for a few mins after to semi-dry off and then rush down the hall to her own bedroom to get her towel. I'm sorry, but there's just no excuse for using someone else's towel. OR if she had to insist on using yours, then she should have told you and gone and boiled wash your towel after / bought you a brand new towel. Ugh the nerve of some people :mad:

midlandsmissus

IzzyWizzy wrote: »

It's only disrespectful if they haven't OK'ed it. In plenty of houseshares, it's agreed that it's fine to go into other rooms to borrow something (preagreed). In my house we have no living room, so the house phone/internet stuff is in my flatmate's room, it would be totally unreasonable of her not to let people in there. It's a downside of having the biggest/best room. I have a massive fan that people just come in and borrow - it's totally normal for many people to go in and out of rooms but that doesn't extend to borrowing personal items. And I think the point was the OP was afraid they had borrowed it and NOT washed it afterwards. Although I'd still be annoyed if someone borrowed my towel at all, what if I needed a shower and came back and had no towel, etc? That would be putting me out. If I needed a towel, I'd go out and buy one. I'd never think of using someone else's, tbh.


Some people just don't give a sh*t. Plenty of people walk around barefoot when they know they have verrucas/athlete's foot. People are selfish.



That's totally different. You wash your hands after using the toilet. It's just not the same at all. I don't know why you think it's awful to go into someone else's room while using someone else's towel is fine. To me, the latter is a MUCH more serious invasion of personal space and security. I leave my towel/toothbrush/razor in shared bathrooms with the faith that nobody is going to touch them because you just don't do that.

To be honest IzzyWizzy I think you're totally going over the top. Fair enough YOU think using some-one else's towel is an invasion of privacy, But to say that other people are ridiculous for not agreeing with you is emmm a little petulant and childish in my book.

We all have different levels of privacy, and I agree with dramaticdrama - I would feel more invaded if someone went into my private room.

I honestly wouldn't give a f*ck if some-one used my towel. It's going to be WASHED before it's returned to you. What's the difference between that and using a knife and fork after some-one else? It's been in their mouths - covered in their saliva, and then it's washed and you're using it.

As long as something's washed I'd be totally fine about it, wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

tinkerbell

midlandsmissus wrote: »

To be honest IzzyWizzy I think you're totally going over the top. Fair enough YOU think using some-one else's towel is an invasion of privacy, But to say that other people are ridiculous for not agreeing with you is emmm a little petulant and childish in my book.

We all have different levels of privacy, and I agree with dramaticdrama - I would feel more invaded if someone went into my private room.

I honestly wouldn't give a f*ck if some-one used my towel. It's going to be WASHED before it's returned to you. What's the difference between that and using a knife and fork after some-one else? It's been in their mouths - covered in their saliva, and then it's washed and you're using it.

As long as something's washed I'd be totally fine about it, wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

Excuse me - but we are not going over the top here. Using someone else's towel, not even bothering to say it and maybe not even washing it before they return the towel (because let's face it - some people are just disgusting) is gross and a complete invasion of privacy. You say it would be washed after - the OP did not say if her housemate had washed the towel or not. Obviously you would be ok with using a washed towel (I mean you stay in hotels or whatever) but the OP does not know if said towel has been used before, if it was returned washed or whatever, which is plain disgusting.

midlandsmissus

tinkerbell wrote: »

Excuse me - but we are not going over the top here. Using someone else's towel, not even bothering to say it and maybe not even washing it before they return the towel (because let's face it - some people are just disgusting) is gross and a complete invasion of privacy. You say it would be washed after - the OP did not say if her housemate had washed the towel or not. Obviously you would be ok with using a washed towel (I mean you stay in hotels or whatever) but the OP does not know if said towel has been used before, if it was returned washed or whatever, which is plain disgusting.

But....eh people are different. I don't see it as a big deal.
I would imagine some-one would only use my towel if they had forgotten theirs, (I mean - why else would you use it?), so I would be totally understanding.
She found the towel in her flatmates room, OF COURSE she would have washed it, she'd hardly return a dirty towel to her flatmate's room??!! Yes she should have asked, but she was probably stuck. As I said why else would you use some-one else's towel. they're not expensive. And no doubt to me she would have washed it, if you were stuck and borrowed something would you put it dirty back in your flatmate's room? Who would do that?

It's just a blimmin towel! We're on different wavelengths here - I truly don't see it as a big deal.

LegacyUser

most of us here think it's a massive invasion of space and really inappropriate. I actually find it really alarming that people think it's OK to use stuff like this. Yes, I would get out of the shower, cover myself with the clothes I wore in and go to my room to fetch my own towel. Why would I need to go to the shop? Why would I leave my flatmate without a towel while I used, washed and dried hers? That's really selfish. The borrowing-without-permission alone would be really rude, without the adding fear of catching something.

in YOUR opinion its not ok to "use stuff like this" like i said thats fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion. But like i said before that doesn't mean its the way EVRYONE sees things!! most people does not equal all people.I don't know why you find it alarming to be honest, its just a different viewpoint..people are allowed to have their own opinions/view on things..

Excuse me - but we are not going over the top here. Using someone else's towel, not even bothering to say it and maybe not even washing it before they return the towel (because let's face it - some people are just disgusting) is gross and a complete invasion of privacy. You say it would be washed after - the OP did not say if her housemate had washed the towel or not. Obviously you would be ok with using a washed towel (I mean you stay in hotels or whatever) but the OP does not know if said towel has been used before, if it was returned washed or whatever, which is plain disgusting.

I don't really understand why people are getting so argumentative about another persons opinion..is it really that hard to comprehend why someone wouldn't have a problem with borrowing a towel, i mean i completely see where you and izzywizzy and all the other posters who are of the "ewww thats gross opinion" are coming from, but all i'm saying is SOME people (myself included) really don't see it has a huge big (oh my god i'm gonna catch genital warts from a towel) deal! simple as.

lol, its like when i was 12 and boys were sooo gross 'cos they had cooties..its just a towel!

Anyway The point is the OP is basing her anger on ifs and maybes.."if" she took the towel before /"maybe" i could have used it, OP you don't know that for sure, i was just offering another explanation/viewpoint as to why she may have taken the towel, but i think you need to get the facts first before you start jumping to conclusions..OP maybe just sit down and talk to your flatemate rationally, give her a chance to explain herself, but theres no need unleash all your fury on her until you've actually given her a chance to explain, she may just be like me and not see it as a huge deal borrowing your towel, she may have intended to tell you. Just explain to her about your OCD and that you'd rather she didn't borrow any of your stuff.

VinnyTGM

She was obviously in no rush to wash the towel if the op found it in the culprits room.
OP, Seeing as she likes using your stuff, start leaving your used toilet roll in her bedroom, I'm sure she'll understand your not happy soon enough.

LegacyUser

Yeah I agree it's annoying to find your towel has been used by a flatmate and not returned washed, dried and sparkling; I can understand especially if you had OCD, (mild or otherwise) then your mind would be apt to race to all the icky disgusting things that could result;

BUT

I don't think there was the danger that the dirty towel would have been left hanging in the bathroom for you to use unknowingly, and, hands up, you didn't think it would be used if you left it hanging there, so - lesson learned; keep your towel in your room where no-one else can get their stinky mits on it! and talk to your flatmate, if she's a friend and knows you suffer with anxiety / OCD, she'll probably understand and feel bad, and not do it again.

I find that fuming over things with housemates only results in bad feeling and these feelings grow if they don't get out!

As a previous poster who suffers with OCD mentioned, probably best not to agonise through all the possible bad outcomes of this - none of those things will have happened as you didn't actually use the dirty towel..