33 Things Easily Grossed Out People Understand

When you live in New York City, you learn to deal with a lot of things you never thought you'd be OK with. Standing on a crowded subway car for an extended period of time seems like no big deal! Carrying heavy bags of groceries for 13 blocks isn't so bad! Spending $16 for guacamole is always totally worth it! An hour long commute is just a teensy bit frustrating. And for most New Yorkers, the things they once thought were absolutely vile (the potent smell of urine on a hot summer day, rodents scurrying around the street, mountains of garbage, etc.) are now maybe just kinda sorta icky. But no matter how long I live in New York, I will still get queasy about things that are even slightly nausea-inducing. It's true: I have to admit, I'm easily grossed out. Things that seem mundane and unremarkable to a normal person regularly cause me to get "grossed out goosebumps" (which, I can assure you, are a thing)!

To the average person, the following 33 items are completely normal. They're just parts of everyday life! But to those of us who are easily grossed out, this list will surely serve as a source of endless gagging. You know you're easily grossed out if you hate...

1. SPONGES

So innocuous, so harmless, and SO. FRAGRANT. Even if you wash your hands repeatedly after touching a sponge, they're still gonna smell like sponge. And the only thing grosser than sponges is...

2. SLIGHTLY MOIST SPONGES

It's like, "Hey! Let's find a way to take something that already reeks and make it even more disgusting!" The most stomach-churning thing about moist sponges? That would be...

3. THE WORD "MOIST"

It has to be one of the grossest phrases in the English language. Almost as awful as...

4. THE WORD "PANTIES"

[SHUDDER] And don't even get me started on the phrase "moist panties." Horrifying. But not as horrifying as...

5. EATING FOOD THAT REQUIRES UTENSILS WHILE RIDING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Noodles are delicious. Noodles ON THE SUBWAY?! VILE. Almost as vile as...

6. EATING FRAGRANT FOOD WHILE RIDING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Indian food is also delicious. Indian food ON THE BUS?! FOUL. Which brings us to...

7. EATING FRAGRANT FOOD ON AN AIRPLANE

Really, strange man in 19C? You couldn't eat that tuna fish sandwich *before* you got on the plane? That's awful. And really, so are...

8. AIRPLANES IN GENERAL

Airplane food. Airplane bathrooms. Recycled air. That strange man in 19C. The dirty tissue balled up in the front seat pocket. The fact you once read that ice cubes on airplanes basically carry diseases. It doesn't matter where you read it. Information like that STICKS WITH YOU, and grosses you out almost as much as...

9. CRUMBS OF ALL KINDS

Especially those mystery crumbs that seem to accumulate in car cup holders, underneath couch cushions, and in the drawers of your refrigerator. Crumbs are evil, but not quite as evil as...

10. HAIR THAT IS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO SOMEONE'S HEAD

Hair that is firmly in place on someone's head: great! Hair that is casually floating in your wine glass: GROSS. VERY, VERY GROSS. Which brings us to...

11. UNIDENTIFIED LIQUIDS OF ALL KINDS

Is it marinara sauce? Tequila? Chocolate milk? Shampoo? If you don't know, you probably don't want to know. But easily identifiable liquids can also be repulsive. Case in point:

12. MILK

The way most people think of curdled, expired milk? That's how we easily grossed out people think of ALL milk. Even when Usher is drinking milk, it's gross. That milk mustache? The stuff of NIGHTMARES. And while we're on the subject of dairy, you know what else is gross?

13. COTTAGE CHEESE

The chunks. And the fact that it's probably expired. Because you know what else is grody?

14. DAIRY THAT IS EVEN 12 SECONDS PAST ITS EXPIRATION DATE

Do. Not. Smell. It. It's bad. And so is...

15. ANY KIND OF FOOD THAT IS EVEN 12 SECONDS PAST ITS EXPIRATION DATE

Just eat your food before it expires! And for the love of God, be careful with...

16. RESTAURANT LEFTOVERS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SUITABLY PACKAGED FOR TRAVEL

Drippy oil! No one wants to have to deal with drippy oil! It's icky. Almost as icky as globby white condiments like...

17. SOUR CREAM

So globby. And so white. Just like...

18. RANCH DRESSING

Not as globby, but still very white. Which brings us to the whitest, globbiest condiment in existence...

19. MAYONNAISE

Mayo is the #1 condiment enemy of anyone who is easily grossed out. The color. The texture. Just think about it...

20. HONESTLY, MAYONNAISE IS GROSS ENOUGH THAT IT NEEDS TO BE ON HERE TWICE

Moment of silence for anyone who has ever had to scrape a blob of mayo off of a sandwich. Unwanted mayo is as abhorrent as...

21. THE SMELL OF KETCHUP WHEN YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY EATING KETCHUP

The smell of ketchup when you're eating it: totally harmless! The smell of ketchup when someone next to you is eating it: VERY, VERY DISGUSTING. Yet somehow, not nearly as disgusting as...

22. COLD CUTS

They're slimy, and it's impossible to tell what kind of animal they came from. And while we're discussing of slimy foods, you know what else is pure yuckiness?

23. HARD-BOILED EGGS

If you're gonna eat that Cobb salad, you'd better plan on showering after. And while we're discussing wet things, you know what's really stomach-churning?

24. THINGS THAT ARE INEXPLICABLY WET

If you're not near a sink, shower, bathtub, pool, pond, or beverage, there is *no* excuse for moisture (yep, I said it) of any kind. And if you are near a bathtub, that's also gross. Because another thing that makes us grossed-out folk gag?

25. TAKING BATHS

When you're taking a bath, you are literally stewing in your own filth. And don't even try to use soap. Soap won't make things any less disgusting. Especially if it's...

26. A BAR OF SOAP

And all of those tiny little hairs that stick to it. I don't care what you say. There's just no way a bar of soap can make anything clean. And neither can...

27. THE LAST INCH OF MOUTHWASH IN A BOTTLE OF MOUTHWASH

Let's be honest, that shit is ALL backwash. And while we're on the subject of dental hygiene...

28. PEOPLE WHO BRUSH THEIR TEETH OUTSIDE OF THE BATHROOM

What are you planning on doing with the toothpaste once you're done brushing your teeth? Are you going to...swallow it? 'Cause if so, that's nauseating. But not quite as nauseating as...

29. PEOPLE WHO KISS THEIR DOG ON THE MOUTH

A dog's mouth may be "cleaner" than a human's, but would you want to make out with a human who eats dirt? I rest my case. And if you think people who kiss dogs are revolting, just think about...

30. PEOPLE WHO SHARE FOOD WITH THEIR DOGS

If you just let your dog lick it, you better not plan on putting it back in your mouth. You'd be almost as repulsive as...

31. PEOPLE WHO SHARE ANY KIND OF FOOD THAT CANNOT BE EASILY DIVIDED INTO BITES OR PORTIONS

Watching someone lick another person's ice cream cone is one of the most gag-inducing things on the planet. Pretty much the only thing that's worse is..

32. LIP RESIDUE ON GLASSES

There's nothing quite as chilling as the faint hint of a chapstick mark lingering on the rim of a glass or mug. The only thing that comes close is...

33. THE FIVE-SECOND RULE

It was on the floor. Just don't eat it, OK? Have some self control.

If you agreed with fewer than 15 of these, congratulations! You're not very easily grossed out! You'd probably be willing to step into a communal shower without shower shoes, and you'd most likely be able to eat at a New York City restaurant with a B rating! And if not, well, just try not to ride any public transit any time soon.

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