I have always been careful to be more casual about anything that could be habit forming - from when we realised our first child would get visibly upset when he spilled something, at the age of 15 months.
It's okay to clean up later it really is. Now he is 5 and he is soo happy when he can clean up his own messes - but I still try keep it casual and relaxed. I think the key, as with so much around kids, is to let them take their cue from YOU. you can be the model to even out compulsive or obsessive behaviours around anything.
But the more you draw cognitive attention to it, the more aware she is likely to be of it.
Can you try distracting her when she starts the routine, like if it starts while you are walking in a shop, take her hand and hold it as you carry on walking?
