AIBU to think this is incredibly wasteful, hysterical and doesn’t make sense anyway?!

[Dennisreynoldsduster]

I’ll caveat this by saying I have experience with anxiety and have been anxious about the media frenzy and increasingly disturbing videos/info coming out of China regarding coronavirus.
So I’m not belittling anxiety.

However my friend informed me today that shes been to Costco and bought toothbrushes in bulk and is using a NEW toothbrush every time she cleans her teeth to avoid “bacteria” on the brush because of coronavirus.
She doesn’t seem to be introducing other precautions such as washing her hands more, antibac gel or whatever, this seems to be the summation of her efforts.

It’s batshit right? It’s not just me? I was so astonished I couldn’t quite articulate my argument as to why this will make no difference at all other than to point out that it makes no sense!

Madness

Surely she's taking the piss.

Tesco value toothbrushes are cheaper

People have gone crazy.

She also needs to learn that Coronavirus is a virus. Not “bacteria”. There is a big clue in the name.

Genuinely thought she was joking. She was not. The mind boggles.

That way madness lies.

Yanbu, your friend is being ridiculous.

I used to have a friend whose boyfriend binned a pair of socks at the end of every day. No OCD or anything similar - he just "liked wearing a brand new pair of socks every day" and couldn't see the problem.

It's bonkers. What a waste of plastic!

That’s insane. It’s one thing to be worried about the virus but your friend is something else!

given there's a clue in the name (virus not bacteria)...

Who is going to breathe their bad germs on her toothbrushes? Does she wave her toothbrush around clinic corridors inbetween uses?

Is this another example of believing that germs spontaneously and magically generate out of thin air?

How would the bacteria get onto the toothbrushes in a way that it wouldn’t also get into food? The fact that it’s not bacterial anyway is just the icing on the cake really...

Poor thing, having those levels of critical thinking skills. Must be a hard old life.

@firstimemamma arghhh who ARE these people?!

I mean if she’s going to do that she should probably bin all her clothes, bedding, plates, etc etc each day as well. Same logic. Won’t suggest it, doesn’t need ideas with this level of bonkersdom...

She's protecting herself from herself.
Which is fine whilst she self -quarantines.

After that all bets are off

Bonkers and totally unnecessary

More likely she read the toilet saga here🙈
Also...
MN maths..😂

But if coronavirus is on the toothbrush that she's used to brush her teeth, then... the... the coronavirus has come.... FROM HER OWN MOUTH! No amount of toothbrush changing will stop her getting it if she already has it... Which she must have if it's getting on the toothbrush that she just used.

I have literally no idea what her logic is here.

I mean in a very tentative way what she's doing almost makes sense - there's a lot of suspicion that cornavirus can be spread via the fecal-oral route. Flushing the toilet spreads poo particles that could rest on your tooth brush. But that's always the case and if there was infected poo particles on your brush then someone crapping in your loo has already been infected. Plus... it's a bit bonkers... and pretty unlikely.

Tell her to shave her hair off just in case germs are stuck in there.

I'd never write about my "friend" in such a way on the internet. You're not her "friend". End of.

Batshit First class! never heard such stupidity!

@izzywizzygood Have you been to Costco recently and bought some toothbrushes?

Completely batshit

@izzywizzygood you must be @Dennisreynoldsduster ’s (non-)friend? If so, sorry but you are bonkers.

I agree it doesn't really make any sense medically, but if it makes her feel calmer fine, she's not harming anyone

Have you mentioned to her that the toothbrushes were probably made in China?!
You and I know that makes absolutely no difference because viruses don't live on toothbrushes, but seeing as logic doesn't apply here you might as well have some fun!