Still wiping down groceries?

[Cam77]

Just wondered if anyone is still doing this? At the beginning we were told the virus can live on surfaces for X number of days, but as far as I’m aware, the powers that be never elaborated on whether it was a real risk of transmission.

I have elderly parents and am being extra cautious for their sakes. I was about to stop wiping a few weeks ago but then number started going again when I live. I know the risk is super small, but anyway, anyone else still consider this worth doing? Or was the science updated somewhere to say there’s no risk of transmission from groceries/parcels etc?

Because I'm basing my assumption on the evidence presented in the article - there doesn't seem to be any possible way for human-human transmission to have been the initial cause. Ardern may have access to more information on which she is basing her statement. But I don't. And much as I think she is wonderful, I fear that statement sounded a bit like wishful thinking

You've just stated that the article says it is most likely to be human to human - that is as just much evidence as there is for anything else.

However, that doesn't fit your agenda so you are ignoring it.

I'm done with this shit.

@SockYarn

Not so much climate change *@InDeoEstMeaFiducia*. The germ phobes and their need to nuke all germs is going to rob us of. Effective antibiotics too.

The amount of plastic is shocking- gloves, wipes, thousands of cleaning product bottles, bags for decanting.

Single use plastic has almost become the desired alternative.

Because COVID! Covid is king! It's shocking, isn't it? Not a single thought to the environment, other than we should all stay locked down forever so we don't every use motor vehicles again, instead we all just starve to death whilst the economy crashes round our eyes but we should be thankful we didn't die of Covid.

Climate change went out the window it seems once Covid was on the horizon. You'd think it went away.

Ugh i know. Sick of seeing disposable masks littered everywhere. Kids now have to take school in plastic bags which are now binned. Anti bac wipes. So many more things.
Im using spray cleaner (not aerosol) and kitchen roll. Or bicarb & vinegar. And im transitioning over to Method rather than harsh chemicals (apart from for cleaning my toilet- pry that bleach bottle out my cold dead hands!)

Yes, I'm wiping down groceries, I actually sanitise all the packets/boxes etc. I always washed fruit anyway even before COVID, and I always washed fridge items (eg. milk cartons) before going into the fridge. I don't want things that have been handled by others putting germs into my fridge when I have other food in there.

I just feel safer with things being clean, and it isn't harming anyone else, so I shall carry on.....

Yes I am. Doesn’t take long. Happy to reduce any risk of getting it if it takes 5 mins.

Think it’s crazy not to but know those who don’t think it’s crazy to do so.

Definitely not, never have done

I wash my hands when I get back from the supermarket and after I've put the shopping away but that's it

I'd drive myself nuts if I started that, it'd be a slippery slope to setting off my long cured OCD

I'm sick of doing it, but I still do and probably will continue until something changes drastically. It's only once a week, usually, and it makes me feel a little safer.

I use watered-down bleach and washable rags, so I don't worry about the environmental impact, and I rarely use bleach otherwise, always finish antibiotics when they're prescribed, etc., so not planning to feel guilty about creating superbugs, either.

Think it’s crazy not to

It's crazy not to do something that hasn't been suggested by any official body? Or which has in fact been said to be unnecessary and not based on evidence?

Okay...

No, never did.

I agree there is a terrible environmental impact of Covid in general and it bothers me, but please don't automatically conflate those of us who wipe their groceries with those who are creating unnecessary waste.

Yes I'm washing my hands more and using sanitiser, but so is pretty much almost everyone. To wipe the groceries I'm using a sink of Milton and old rags which then get washed. Milton, handsoap and sanitiser aside, no additional products. No wipes.

The amount of plastic bags which have arrived with online shopping is crazy, but they are all being used up as him bags, which I now haven't needed to buy. And Sainsbury's at least are back to bagless deliveries.

Would love to know what a him bag is . Should of course have been bin bags!

chuffin government advice was to clean stiff for those exceptionally vulnerable. In the May previous threads where ridicule has been thrown at those of us who have I posted the gov.uk link. I am not vulnerable. Three relatives are. I choose to take 5 mins (no wipes have never bought a ‘wipe in my life) wiping down stuff which comes into my kitchen and fridge. I honestly don’t know why it angers/upsets so many to the point of ridicule.

Yes, still washing the shopping. Mostly with hot water and a bit of Fairy, not bleach - it breaks down the virus very effectively.

I don't wash my hands every time I grab a snack from the fridge or make a cup of tea, so I'd rather know everything in there is safe, and it doesn't take long.

I never wiped down groceries or "quarantined" my post. The people I knew who did this are paranoid types who are unable to assess risk and act appropriately.

I think the reason most of us think it's totally bonkers is because it's a lot of effort in order to eliminate what appears to be the tiniest risk ever.

We all know that the most important method of transmission by far is person to person contact. Agree with others that the reason we're told to wash our hands after touching surfaces is because lots of different people are touching them repeatedly and constantly, especially things like door handles, handrails.

Even if you accept that it is possible to catch covid from a packet of biscuits someone has previously handled hours before, you have to look at the numbers. The numbers of people who are contagious are far lower now than in March. A number of people who are contagious are in hospital/care and won't be in the supermarket. Most people who know they are contagious do the right thing and don't go shopping or to work. So you're left with the small percentage who are either contagious and don't know it, or who are contagious and don't care (and who are well enough to be out and about).

It really is such a tiny possibility that someone with active Covid happens to be in the same supermarket as me, and picks up the exact same packet of biscuits or can of soup that I later touch.

I also think there is a thing as being "too careful" - eliminating every single risk is impossible. You'll drive yourself crazy if that's what you're trying to achieve.

I use a washable dish cloth and soapy water to wipe my shopping down. Maybe some method spray. No disposables.

There's probably quite a low risk in my area judging by the hospital data (no one has died of it since July 10th) but I can't see any harm in it and may continue indefinitely.

@HeronLanyon

chuffin government advice was to clean stiff for those exceptionally vulnerable. In the May previous threads where ridicule has been thrown at those of us who have I posted the gov.uk link. I am not vulnerable. Three relatives are. I choose to take 5 mins (no wipes have never bought a ‘wipe in my life) wiping down stuff which comes into my kitchen and fridge. I honestly don’t know why it angers/upsets so many to the point of ridicule.

Fair enough if you're vulnerable and it makes you feel better crack on but I think it's a bit much to say you think people are crazy not to when there is no evidence to suggest it's necessary.

The amount of plastic is shocking- gloves, wipes, thousands of cleaning product bottles, bags for decanting

Wonder if people who write messages such as this are on the baby-boards telling posters not to use disposables and wipes and generally buy foods in bulk and suchlike to avoid packaging.

Somehow, I doubt it.

@DullDullWeather
Can I just ask, non aggressively, if those whom did or do wash things down, get food delivered during the Lockdown (as in a restaurant or fast food delivery)
No we didn’t get any takeaways during lockdown and still haven’t.

No just no.

No, no T/A or coffees, etc. since March.

*Wonder if people who write messages such as this are on the baby-boards telling posters not to use disposables and wipes and generally buy foods in bulk and suchlike to avoid packaging.

Somehow, I doubt it.*

I try and apply these principles to every aspect of my life and would try to gently encourage, not bully or emotionally blackmail, other people to do the same.
Obviously all this goes out the window when someone is ill & or knackered, you tend to go for the easiest available option. So its not my place to criticize others.
People are merely pointing out that the environment no longer seems to be a priority to TBTB

Actually, "people like this" (that would be me, as I wrote the post) don't go anywhere near the baby boards. Because my youngest is 12 and it's all a distant memory.

But I practice what I preach - soap bars in this house rather than plastic bottles, haven't bought wipes in at least a decade, cleaning products are refillables from Splosh, everyone has their own sports bottle for water, beeswax wraps instead of clingfilm, actively try to avoid polyester/acrylic clothing, the face coverings we are using in this house are homemade with cotton and hairbands rather than throwaway.

But the people who have totally bought into the fear and the germs are sold on the disposable. Use it once, throw it away. No "risk" of contamination in your sink from a cloth, or the possibility of germs left on a solid bar of soap. Advertising preys on it - have you ever considered how much bacteria there is on your washing/carpet? (Well no actually, not until you mentioned it).

But the people who have totally bought into the fear and the germs are sold on the disposable. Use it once, throw it away. No "risk" of contamination in your sink from a cloth, or the possibility of germs left on a solid bar of soap. Advertising preys on it - have you ever considered how much bacteria there is on your washing/carpet? (Well no actually, not until you mentioned it)

Well good for you.

But no. Not totally sold - and again your post creates straw people who because they use wipes should also potentially be scared of their carpet.

And that isn't why I use disposables for some items. It's because some things (like butter, for example) can't easily be washed.

But I suspect that those who use disposables and baby wipes are doing far more harm to the environment. Maybe someone should tell them?