It was the maggots in the carpet incident that got me thinking about hygiene. We suspected Tyson the cat's bluebottles. It was horrific; we had to tweeze the wriggly larvae from our (regularly vacuumed) carpet. Previously, I had thought it un-Bohemian to live in a sterile environment, but my concerns about cleanliness had got the better of me and I decided to grow up.

Week One: no more unwashed fruit for me. Before, I barely washed after visiting bathrooms, never mind before eating. I occasionally don't use Tyson's special plastic spoon to serve his food either, eliciting dismay from my partner. However, I'm very good at dental hygiene and cleaning, so I'm not beyond redemption.

Week Two: an annoying internal voice is reminding me of all my nasty foibles. I am now washing my hands a lot (and using hand cream as they are now very dry), washing my veg and spraying my hands with Germa Clenz when I am about to eat food after travelling on buses. I eye the steering wheel in my car with disgust before scrubbing it.

Week Three/Four: complained to gym manager about lack of fellow cleaning enthusiasts; notices will be put up I am told, and the gym mats may be cleaned. I'm still concerned about how no one washes before meals except in US TV shows. On the whole, though, I am a lot better; I may even start polishing the halo that has appeared above my head.

I'd say I've become slightly neurotic, but I intend to keep it up; better safe than sorry.

Dr Valerie Curtis, director of the London Hygiene Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, says you should just wash your hands intelligently, ie after going to the bathroom, cutting up raw meat, and/or washing your baby's bum. That's where the problems with contamination lie. You don't have to wash obsessively all the time.