I have this near paralyzing fear of my beer getting contaminated. I try to sterlize the primary fermenter like 1 minute before I pour the wort in, and if I leave it standing there for a couple of minutes I start getting panicked. I would never open my primary during fermentation for fear of infection. I have this fear that I'm going to think that it is done fermenting, then open it and it won't be...This is what happened my last batch: I thought the beer was done fermenting so I started cleaning the bottles without opening it to see if it had reached final gravity, about half way through I realized how stupid that was so I opened it. Now here is the real obsessive compulsive part 
I want to take a hydrometer reading so I need to put the lid somewhere, I try sliding it to one side but the perspiration starts going all over the floor so I flip it upside down quick and the airlock starts pouring into the beer, in a panick I take the lid and leave it in the bathroom sink and take my reading. The beer is ready for bottling but I still have half the bottles to wash. Now I can't just leave the container open, because the BEER WILL DIE!!! and I can't put the lid back on because it has been sitting in the sink and is contaminated, I decide to disinfect the lid about the same time that I remember that I'm out of the disinfectant. I decide to leave the lid off and continue with the bottles but I'm just thinking of the poor beer sitting downstairs, alone, helpless, so I run back down and put the lid on anyways and hope for the best...Anyways the beer turned out fine but I was wondering if maybe I'm overdoing it a bit and what are the necessary precautions if you are going to open the fermenter and close it again.
I want to take a hydrometer reading so I need to put the lid somewhere, I try sliding it to one side but the perspiration starts going all over the floor so I flip it upside down quick and the airlock starts pouring into the beer, in a panick I take the lid and leave it in the bathroom sink and take my reading. The beer is ready for bottling but I still have half the bottles to wash. Now I can't just leave the container open, because the BEER WILL DIE!!! and I can't put the lid back on because it has been sitting in the sink and is contaminated, I decide to disinfect the lid about the same time that I remember that I'm out of the disinfectant. I decide to leave the lid off and continue with the bottles but I'm just thinking of the poor beer sitting downstairs, alone, helpless, so I run back down and put the lid on anyways and hope for the best...Anyways the beer turned out fine but I was wondering if maybe I'm overdoing it a bit and what are the necessary precautions if you are going to open the fermenter and close it again.
