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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Wearing disposable gloves to supermarket

233 replies

Balhammom · 29/03/2020 20:24

Curious to know if I’m being OTT or if others are doing this too?

My logic is that I’m going to be handling lots of dirty surfaces that others have also touched. I don’t want to transfer these to my car. Hence, I wear gloves to do my shop and pack, but remove them before getting back into my car. I also immediately disinfect my shopping and (eg) bank card once I get home.

OP posts:
Branster · 30/03/2020 21:36

😂😂
But it might reduce transmission so it’s worth doing it. There’s no clear cut answer until someone tells us exactly what it is happening.

Walkaround · 30/03/2020 21:43

It might mean there aren’t enough gloves to go round for people who actually need them you mean. 😂😂

Walkaround · 30/03/2020 21:44

I haven’t seen any official, scientific sources advising people to wear disposable gloves to the supermarket. Until I do, I say it’s the wrong thing to be doing.

theschoolonthehill · 30/03/2020 21:59

I think there is increasing evidence that masks are actually quite helpful.

The Czech Republic certainly believe they have slowed down the spread and take a look at their figures.......

They are making their own homemade masks from fabric. They don't have the waterproof layer on the outside presumably but they must prevent some if not all droplets.

Manchestermanchester · 30/03/2020 21:59

@redsky21 yeah same. I thought corona is caused by coughing and breath?

Branster · 30/03/2020 22:14

walkaround I only had one pair from a box of hair dye, that was my lot!

In Austria they are introducing compulsory rule to wear a mask when entering the supermarket (basic model, handed in as you enter the shop) and In Japan they routinely wear masks even when they have a cold. The figures from Japan are impressive.

Obviously if there was less spread from coughing, sneezing, breathing, shouting, singing, dribbling whatever then there wouldn’t be as big an issue about surface contamination. Start at the source.

In Netherlands (I think, can’t remember exactly, it was in the news today) they had to reject a big face mask delivery from China as they were substandard for hospital use. I don’t know what exact type of masks.

Tonyaster · 30/03/2020 22:17

We were offered a box of masks from a chinese supplier. Lots of them are recycled apparently, so no thanks

LeGrandBleu · 30/03/2020 22:42

Recycled! Eurck!
we are discussing DIY face masks here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3866451-Sewing-your-own-mask

OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow · 31/03/2020 16:22

@theschoolonthehill yeah. There was a virologist in news who said it helped. No waterproof layer, but double 100% cotton with a pocket inbetween. They boil them after use and they put tissue and stuff into the pocket as an extra filter. Waterproof layer couldn't be boiled I guess.
It's not about mask preventing you from catching it, more about preventing you from spreading it.
Some are super cool too.

Alessi89 · 09/04/2020 23:27

Had wondered if this was just a London thing, but went out today and about half the people walking about in my town are wearing latex or other gloves (and about the same wearing masks).

mous · 10/04/2020 00:04

yikes

I didn't read whole thread so sorry if this has been said

Don't wear disposable gloves, they will not protect you or others unless you don and doff every time you pick up something new or handle something again, and could lead to higher risk transmission

Disposable gloves such as latex / vinyl / nitrile - all desperately needed for critical frontline workers btw - are not a good idea to wear to a supermarket due to multiple surface contact

This is because disposable gloves are intended just for that - to be disposable after one medical procedure and one / minimal surface contact (e.g. holding a sterile needle while other hand presses on site - both hands have gloved but are in contact with one thing only, say RH needle, LH derms, before going in the bin). Glove hold needle, other glove on skin, both gloves in bin. Single contact with site for both.

These kind of gloves have a complex, particular kind of surface you can't really see with naked eye, usually a diamond pattern shape. This is for strength and security during clinical procedure and even then gloves tend to tear or can get microscopic (or visible) rips if you leave them on say more than 15 min (surgical gloves different procedures). You should only be doing ONE procedure with them and ONE surface contact then into the bin after peeling then off correctly (don and doff). Think about it - imagine a nurse / doctor who wears gloves to intimately examine a patient then doesn't take them off before picking up clipboard, pen, and writing notes (TBF I do see this, but just pretend it never happens for this scenario). Then someone else comes along and picks up clipboard. What if patient site was infectious? (Even if not - ack). You just instinctively know the gloves should come off BEFORE touching a new surface.

Wearing these medical (usually blue) gloves might be the worst thing for the supermarket. That raised pattern, intended for strength not multiple surface contact, can pick up particles and pass them from one surface to another.

In a supermarket, you handling multiple surfaces - picking up fruit, then plastic packets, a box in freezer, pushing a trolley, coins in purse...insert that Edward Munsch screaming face here. So many and unthinking multiple surface contacts with a degrading disposable glove made for strength and single procedures...

Imo this is more likely to transfer the virus, if it is surface contaminate borne, than not. You pick up a bit of fruit someone has coughed on. You put it back. You pick something else up. You use the same gloved hands to pick up everything else around supermarket on your trip...It is also likely you will be putting gloves under strain you can't see, causing those little stretches and tears. And peeling them off incorrectly.

If you use other disposable gloves, the same principle applies - you should use them just for handling one surface. E.g. the ones you pick up bread should not then be used to pick up apples. So really if you wear gloves you should be donning and doffing every time you touch something new which is about fifty billion times in a supermarket.

A homemade facemask, while not clinically effective, provides a useful physical barrier to droplets etc in supermarkets and stops you touching your face.

Please don't use disposable gloves on your supermarket trips, the end.

mous · 10/04/2020 00:28

P.s. going by SARS behaviour, believe there is risk in surfaces as vectors IF there is a high traffic on those surfaces. You know....like a supermarket. Your disposable glove with its specially constructed microscopic diamond surface can transfer those particles from a) surface to surface and b) those surfaces have high chance of being handled by someone else in short amount of time. Doors and trolley handles. I mean, if you don and doff correctly, you might be okay...for now. But the old person picking up those oranges you put back might not be. If that doesn't persuade, to put it in purely personal terms, the more people who get it, the less likely it is that you or a family member will have a positive outcome if you do end needing clinical intervention.

I get it totally. We want to feel safe and protect ourselves and our families. Gloves seem to make sense but like with any tool they have to fit the purpose. Gloves touching multiple surfaces does not fit a purpose of preventing viral transmission.

You can use a small bottle of soapy water and paper towels if you don't have sanitiser, even perfume sprayed all on your hands (although everyone will probably hate you), and a homemade mask imo is good enough for every day protection. If you are not in clinical procedure or environment, a homemade cotton mask worn 1.5 hours max is fine. I wear one for the supermarket and rub my hands frequently with sanitiser. Imo gloves are counterproductive and may even make you into a vector.

Thelnebriati · 10/04/2020 00:50

I have several cuts and grazes on my hands so I'm wearing gloves. Hand sanitiser is just too painful.

mous · 10/04/2020 01:29

I'm sorry, that sounds difficult.

A possibility if you have multiple open cuts on hands is you could wear gloves and spray sanitiser on the gloves instead after you handle something, as much as you remember too. It's not ideal by any means but it would be better than gloves touching multiple surfaces without a form of scratch sterilising between (or frequent removal, which is not practical for supermarket).

The issue the surface of any glove can transfer contaminant to multiple surfaces. Thus is not usually an issue of you are using gloves for cleaning, or single use, but it is in a when gloves have contact with multiple surfaces as particles cling to the surface and might pass from one surface to another.

There are a lot of unknowns about the virus but there was some evidence SARS did transmit through multiple and short-lived but high traffic surface contact like elevator buttons, door handles etc as well as through aerosol. This might behave the same way.

BritWifeinUSA · 10/04/2020 01:34

We have to wear gloves and masks to go shopping here. The gloves do make you more conscious about how often you touch your face.

mous · 10/04/2020 01:50

I wonder if US scientists have criticised this practice publicly, or underlined the negatives to it. I don't think that is a fair or healthy demand to put on the public for reasons above. Obviously, you might say the same thing about bare hands in terms of multiple contacts, except we are encouraged to sanitise hands frequently including while shopping, and people won't be sanitising the surface of a glove in same way moving around a supermarket. Imo it gives a false sense of security and really reduces likelihood of people sanitising (gloved) hands between touching surfaces. And disposable gloves lead to poor practice and misuse.

Gloves do help with face touching awareness but possibly turn people into temporary vectors as well so...yeah. Facemasks are a good idea though, that's great they are encouraged / mandatory in US supermarkets.

mathanxiety · 10/04/2020 03:11

If you wear gloves to handle oranges in a supermarket and put some oranges back, would the old person next handling the oranges be ok if he or she wore gloves?

we are encouraged to sanitise hands frequently including while shopping,
This is not possible. There is no hand sanitiser available. Gloves are the next best thing. Even kitchen rubber gloves.

mathanxiety · 10/04/2020 03:12

Gloves and masks for supermarket shopping here too. I went out today and noticed many home made masks.

Balhammom · 10/04/2020 08:39

Fair point about not buying up medical grade disposable gloves.

I had a few boxes anyway, which were already open. However, once i have used them up I will switch to marigolds.

Again, conscious that gloves still transfer contamination, but the main advantage for me is that (i) gloves remind me not to touch my face, and (ii) when I have completed a task (eg shopping), I can remove the gloves and hence not transfer contamination somewhere else (eg to my DC, if they’re will me and I need to strap them into a car seat or touch them for any other reason).

OP posts:
Ledkr · 10/04/2020 08:44

I wear them and I leave my shopping in the boots for as long as I can too. I only take out and wipe down stuff that has to come in.
I shop for a shielding so I then use gloves to repack it two days later and deliver it to him.
Nothing is 100 percent safe but we have to try.

MogeatDog · 10/04/2020 08:56

I was wearing them - I have dyshidrotic eczema - so I can't wash my hands properly or frequently as they are blistered, cracked and raw and I'll leap 10 stories high if you come near me with hand gel! But I then discovered I'm allergic to nitrile gloves, and the mess they left my skin in I'm terrified to try anything else. So now I don't touch anything when I'm out (online food deliveries) - I carry colloidal silver spray which may or or may not help - but I don't have much choice. Frequent, properly thorough hand-washing is not going to work for me.

CoronaIsComing · 10/04/2020 09:11

YANBU to wear them but YWBU to then throw them on the floor when you’ve finished with them like lots of people around here 😡.

Summerofloaf · 10/04/2020 09:48

It’s a waste of time and gloves. You see loads of people in shops in gloves on their phones. Just transfers any virus onto their personal things.

OTOH I’m on the alcohol hand san every 5 minutes. Pick a few items. Sanitise. Scan shopping. Sanitise. Get out bags and card. Pay. Put card back. Sanitise. Pack shopping in bags. Sanitise.

mous · 10/04/2020 09:48

I suggest soapy water in a bottle and paper towels or even perfume (ethanol) if you can't find sanitiser.

I understand the people saying they have hand conditions but kind of surprised to the reaction of what I've said to 'hey gloves more likely to make you a vector and a bad idea in supermarkets' has been 'yes, but it's okay
for me right?' 😂 (actually probably no for you as well, but never mind).

You can make efforts like home made masks sanitizer or even soap in a bottle, I know it's effort but to reiterate disposable gloves are not intended for multi surface contact and their surfaces provide grip for particle transfer and if you use marigolds you are still touching multiple surfaces and potentially making yourself a vector. And if everyone wears them, multiple contact contamination. I know its a bit of extra effort but surely to reduce vector probability a homemade mask for face touching is better....? Or soap in a bottle and s bit of kitchen roll with you? Or perfume (ethanol) on hands? Gloves are not a good idea for the wearer as well.

I'm out of this thread, although it was interesting to see the 'me and my own' mentality in action. It doesn't work with viruses because the more people who are in hospital the more chance you or a family member have a poor outcome if you do need clinical intervention. My ICU ward is totally full and at least two adult wards are turning into covid wards. This also means other adult specialties are now having to work on covid and acute respiratory. This is not a good thing. You don't want rheums which is some specialising in your bad ezcema skin on acute respiratory and trying to figure out what to do while someone's dad arrests. Specialities become deskilled in other areas or never developed the complex skill set for another area at all. Clinicians are not one size fits all. And we are soon going to be down to our last boxes of gloves.

Plus disposal gloves not made for the rigorous (to a glove) activity of shipping and handling, there will may well be tears, rips not visible to naked eye, the grip of the glove can transfer particles back to you.

Disposable gloves are a potential form of viral transmission

They may make you into potential vectors when you are touching lots of things with them

They encourage the high traffic, short surface contaminant traffic that might actually lead to vectors and transmission as with SARS - that is the thing to worry about with surface to surface, not washing your post in bleach

You can make alternatives of both sanitiser and homemade masks to help cut multiple surface sterilisation and face touching

Byeeeeeeeeeeee

mous · 10/04/2020 09:54

@MogeatDog

That sounds really hard and painful to deal with. Can understand if not totally support from medical pov people with chronic skin condition wearing gloves (although suggest sterilising glove surface frequently too) but in your case you can't even do that.

I don't know about silver benefits, but UV sterilising light may be an option for you?

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