Disinfecting supermarket shopping ?

[Sue3111]

After the recent newspaper article on Washing your weekly shopping - advising that theres no need to continue disinfecting shopping as the virus is airborne. Are people still going to clean items brought from supermarkets?

It’s bonkers that people ever did this and it’s even more bonkers that it’s still happening a year on.

Which newspaper had the article? I've not seen it.

I did it once last year in April. I then thought I cannot possibly do this every time I shop! So I stopped and just wash my hands after shopping.

Same! I did it once! After that I came in washed my hands, put the shopping awash and washed my hands again!
I also wash my hands when I've opened the Post/ parcel - I don't think that's a particularly bad thing!

Ive never done it.

We’ve never done this, but I was talking to a chap at a kids sports club tonight who is started washing all of his shopping (he said in bleach) last March and is still doing it.
I was gobsmacked to be honest

I’m still wiping all shopping. It doesn’t take long and puts my mind at rest.

@Hiphopopotamus

It’s bonkers that people ever did this and it’s even more bonkers that it’s still happening a year on.

I agree.

God reading this and feeling like a lunatic 🥴
Still doing this, all packaging is removed wherever possible, everything I reasonably can sanitize I do and use a vegetable wash on all fruit and vegetables (I've always done this pre Covid though)!?
Wouldn't have occurred to me to stop now, but I'm clearly quite alone

I watched my friend and her boyfriend do this last year just before the first lockdown I thought it was them being ridiculous didn’t know it was a thing

@Iheartmysmart

Crikey! I can barely be bothered to put my shopping away yet alone disinfect it first.

🤣🤣

Never did it either nor the quarentining of mail people were at last year. It always seemed like bonkers overkill to me.

I've never done this. It has always been next-level crazy.

It reminded me far too closely of some of my schoolfriend's OCD rituals with too little likely benefit.
It wasn't long before fomite transmission was found to be very low risk. Most of the time, sanitising or quarantining items is just something you can add on to a risk assessment to make it look like you're doing something practical.

I wash my hands after food shopping as they always felt grubby and dusty anyway.

Never did this. I did watch a woman wipe down all her shopping as she was picking it up from the shelves the other day. Using same gloved hands and cloth to wipe everything.

Never did. Completely unnecessary. Handwashing is sufficient.

@doubleshotespresso

God reading this and feeling like a lunatic 🥴 Still doing this, all packaging is removed wherever possible, everything I reasonably can sanitize I do and use a vegetable wash on all fruit and vegetables (I've always done this pre Covid though)!? Wouldn't have occurred to me to stop now, but I'm clearly quite alone

No, you're not alone.

I have underlying health issues, I wasn't classed as ECV at first as they didn't look at the combination of underlying issues or realise how bad the virus would be for one of mine (I'm diabetic) but I have been exceedingly careful throughout.

I get shopping delivered, I put the non fridge/freezer items in bags/boxes into the spare/storage room. They stay there until they're needed, if it's only a day or so after delivery, they get carefully wiped down. Sealed items like milk/cream/cheese etc goes into a bowl of cold water with dishwashing liquid, washed,rinsed,dried& put in the fridge. Vegetables go straight into the huge drawer (hands washed after getting them out etc). Freezer items wiped.

I have it down to a fine art, it doesn't take long.

Post/parcels opened and envelopes/packaging put in the recycling or bin.

Obviously the risk of getting Covid us higher if you stand face to face breathing in someone's exhaled breath, but that doesn't mean there's no risk of getting it from the droplets the deposit onto goods/door handles/money etc.

As for WHO - according to them it wasn't airborne, it wasn't passed from one human to another - they're as good as fucking useless.

It's been shown to have been picked up from surfaces, in countries where the backwards trace and an item
Touched, swabbed positive and was the only contact people had.

Whitty won't be standing there telling you it's impossible to get it from touching surfaces, so don't hold your breath

I never bothered doing it. I thought it sounded a bit bonkers even at the height of the pandemic last year.

@DramaAlpaca

Never did. Completely unnecessary. Handwashing is sufficient.

Now I appreciate that for most adults handwashing is sufficient because you are aware of what you're touching.

For those of us with small children and toddlers it's a constant game of in and out of the fridge/cupboard/pantry they touch, faff, lick, bite and trail it around the house.

I feel better knowing that everything in the house is fine if they touch and don't wash their hands because it's had a quick wipe on entry.

God knows it's hard enough to stop my toddler licking the swings and eating food found on the slide at the park I don't want to police him in my house aswell!

I remember reading a thread last year and a poster had a book delivered via Amazon. They were disappointed because they couldn't read it until it had been "quarantined" for 2 days.

I felt like I lived in a parallel universe and this has just sent me back there 😂

I did it without fail for a year but since the numbers came down recently I've stopped. But I still get deliveries and when I do my mum's shopping I do pick the products from the back of the shelf so there is less handling. She's had both vaccinations now and I've had the first.,

I watched my mother wiping down some shopping last year and stood there having a chuckle. She couldn't understand why, until she picked up a pasty in a paper bag and I asked her how she was going to make that bugger "covid secure".

I do wander at what point people who do stuff like this because of COVID will deem it ok to go back to normal life. The virus is going to be around for a long time.

Never did it.

I was pregnant last year and April time my midwife asked me what I was disinfecting my shopping with. I told her I wasn't and she was horrified and told me I must disinfect everything that entered the house. She was so forceful about me not doing it. I asked my consultant who I aw right after who laughed and said do what you want, but there is no need you'll only cause yourself stress.

Did it at the beginning. Realised last year it wasn’t necessary re Covid.

Kept doing it because I like the feeling that everything that goes in the fridge etc is just cleaner and also ready to use.