Should we or should we not be wiping shopping??

[Jaem02]

I know the gov say it isn't necessary but lots of people are still wiping down or quarantining shopping. Should we be?

I wash my hands after putting shopping away. I wash fruit and veg before eating it, I always have. My other food is cooked. I don't think bleaching a can of beans will make any difference when it's being heated through several days after buying anyway, after all it's the food we're eating, not the packaging. I've not seen anything to prove otherwise so it seems pointless.

I previously wiped shopping, but not now

I will say however that it was a total faff and to do it properly definitely took a lot longer than 5 minutes. More like 30. We had to clean down sink, floor (where shopping bags had been) etc afterwards too. I felt being ultra careful was a way to play my part in preventing spread, and if I was high risk I would have continued.

Are we all to accuse each other of being mentally ill when what we might mean is irrational or irresponsible.?

I wouldn’t dream of flinging out ‘mental illness’ characterisations of those refusing to wear masks (on principle) or attending large gatherings or wiping food or not sending a child to a school etc etc.

We’re all dealing with an extraordinary situation - some of us, in all areas of the spectrum of response, may get things ‘wrong’ or take longer to adjust behaviours etc.

Some may have mental illness which affects their response.

Just think it is breathtakingly inappropriate to suggest or diagnose mental illness On these threads. Whether that be in respect of those we may think over or under cautious.

Nope never have. TBH both me and the husband have worked in supermarkets all through the pandemic. Don’t know of anyone in either store who has caught Covid apart from one who caught it on holiday before lockdown.

Never did, or know anyone who did-It seems the levels of crazy apply mainly to MN

only learnt this on mn, never bothered with wiping and not going to start, what's the point ?

Avoiding large gatherings and making it mandatory to wear masks is adviseable though. There is tangible evidence that large gatherings cause spread and that masks reduce the spread.

There is no evidence or even suggestion that wiping shopping has any benefit what so ever.

In every day situations if someone posted here that they had a family member who disinfected everything which arrived in her house it would be suggested that they were suffering with a mental illness.

Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that constant sterilise environments are bad for children’s immune systems as they never get the chance to build immunity to anything. And that’s before we think about the anxieties that talking about the need to sterilise everything is projecting on to children who are often very vulnerable to MH problems.

Hand washing is something which people should have been doing already, so tbh the fact that people suddenly realised they should be washing their hands is a bit grim. But the rest is not.

Never have done !

I haven't wiped down shopping at any point. Were we supposed to?

Just think it is breathtakingly inappropriate to suggest or diagnose mental illness On these threads

I don't personally think it's inappropriate to suggest someone who puts their post in the oven for a few minutes could be suffering from a problematic level of anxiety.

Or that the more people do things like this, the more risk there is for them to fall into issues with their mental health surrounding anxiety, OCD etc ...

Never cleaned or quarantined shopping or post.

I'm not and never have done. My parents have been doing all the way through but they are (or were technically I suppose) shielding so I can understand why they're being more careful.

As long as people aren't driving themselves crazy with worry, if doing things like that make them feel better then why not.

I'm in the older range on here and my DH even more so. We've never done it and I've shopped all the way through

We've followed all the other rules though and both been fine

I never have apart from one time a washing up liquid bottle leaked all other my trolley! I don’t think the science supports it and going to extremes could affect your immune system with such little exposure to regular germs going about your daily life!

People are quite sneery on here about those who do wipe their shopping and I don't know why. I don't wipe mine down but I can't imagine that it would bother me or I would scoff at someone who does. In this situation, we all do what we're comfortable with and that's fine. You're not one of the cool kids just because you don't wipe you're shopping. 🤣

*your

Never did. Never will

Neither i nor anyone i know has done this ever. Really only on MN does it seem to be a thing

I don’t think it’s a MN thing. I know people in real life who have done this and still are. It was recommended early on to do so.

Putting it away without cleaning and washing hands after is fine if you don’t touch it for three days after but if it will be used then you’d need to wash your hands constant lying after touching things again.

@minnieok I saw it weeks ago from an American media outlet and then it was on my Apple news feed yesterday republished in The Sun

People who have quoted scientific advice as there go to for this information, just like lots of scientific advice, I've seen one lot say one thing and another the opposite. Not surprising when new information is being learned all the time.

Nope.
I just wash my hands after opening post, and remove food from packaging and wash my hands.

As an aside, that list of graduated risks from Apple News is bullshit

I think it is strong to suggest mental health issues or low intelligence to people who are cleaning more than others...this is a completely new situation for the entire world so there is no definite right or wrong. I completely understand why anxiety is high in a lot of people, as I say my Mum received a letter and to be told you are very high risk of serious illness and not to leave your house is scary! I am not surprised the anxiety is high for some, I wouldnt call that mental illness at all.

Rather than MN causing a frenzy of negativity, I think it is positive to gather lots of different opinions. I regularly read things I hadn't considered on here and it helps to hear a different perspective! Everyone should be supportive of differing views though

still bleach all the shopping. Even with no virus I would after seeing the colour of the water afterwards!

You don't ever think maybe all that bleach might be worse for you and the environment than a bit of dirt/dust that's actually good for your immune system? Just wash your hands with soap after you've put it away maybe..

I didn't do it even at the height of the pandemic. Just washed my hands after I went shopping. It is highly unlikely you'd catch anything from unpacking your weekly shop....maybe a spider escaping your bananas but that's it