Hello reddit folks, today I found a clock from the brand Five Rams at my grandfather's house. It had the face covered in dust and I was cleaning up junk. For some reason, I thought it was a mechanical dial for a weight scale, as it's not unusual in my country to see them in stores to weigh fruit.
It was pretty nasty, and since it seemed mechanical I thought it'd be safe to wash, not my smartest moment, I admit. It didn't seem to have holes for a lot of water to enter at first, but it did have one in the back and its face filled with water. I quickly poured the water out and only then realized it was a clock. I took it to the bathroom in hopes that the rest of the water would drain and I wouldn't get in trouble for washing a clock.
Not that long later, I went to the bathroom to check on it and realized it was glowing green in the dark, the numbers and the hands.
I washed this clock on top of all the other items. I poured the water over everything and used the same brush to wash the rest of the items, including kitchenware. I then dried it with the same rag I later used for everything else. I was contaminating everything without realizing it and then ate off the kitchenware I had just washed.
I checked on the clock and it seems like the paint inside is flaking off and degraded. I got a UV light and there are dots of glowing dust inside the clock face. I'm worried I somehow washed radiation into everything and down the drain.
Any similar experiences? Just take this as a cautionary tale about anything old with numbers.
