To think that hand washing is all very but

[CreakingatTheWhinges]

Unless it's followed up with robust & antibacterial cleaning of mobile phones, handsets in offices, light switches, door handles - basically anything communal or that we might put near our faces/mouths, then it's all a moot point anyway?
(This is my very 1st AIBU so hope I've done it correctly )

How could YOUR phone be contaminated if you alone are using it and washing your hands scrupulously? Confused here please help.

Because even with scrupulous hand cleaning and the fact that you are the only person touching your phone, you are still touching many things, many times every hour. So your hands and your most touched item, your phone, are still going to be dirty. Unless you literally stopped touching anything. Ever.

I am in a very vulnerable group, yet still responsible for teens. It's very difficult for me to read that some people are not going to bother to make much effort, as they may infect me.

Thank you @LilyMumsnet for moving, Apols for posting in wrong place. Not had much chance to read threads recently so wasn't aware there was a specific section.

Thank you to those who have been kind & supportive. Appreciated.

Complete hygiene is impossible for most of us really. I will not become a slave to every possible source of virus. That is not feasible, and messages like this can cause a lot of worry for those who may be OCD as it is.

We just do the best we can.

I think the hand washing information is great, not enough people do it. And it might help the spread of the FLU going forward,

Everyone with professional knowledge of this has said picking up virus from hard surfaces onto fingers then touching eyes nose or mouth is a major way of passing it on!

That's why the best way to slow spread and save the health service from keeping over is the whole lot of us upping the hand washing and trying not to fiddle with noses and eyes.

Keeling over!

Justanotherlurker can be sniffy about the link I used, but everything I've found says the same. Potentially 2 hours to 9 days, on surfaces. So I'm going to clean for once and try and keep it clean for once.

Justanother sounds very sure too!

I would like them to be right about it, it would make life easier if door handles, shopping trolley handles and the like are fine.

I want to be part of the 20% lol!

I’m not sure we they are so sure when top advice this morning on R4 news was it can live on surfaces so wash your hands.

Isn't the need to wash hands more often than usual exactly because we touch all these other surfaces where we can pick up the virus? Obviously it can't affect you through your hands alone though so if you wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face/mouth/eyes then that should help a lot.

Agree with PP that this approach (handwashing) puts the onus on us. So it's our fault if we end up in intensive care.

Lizzie do you think it’s a ruse then and no help at all?

www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701%2820%2930046-3/fulltext

For anyone wondering about the length of time it might last on a surface.

Good link

Conclusions
Human coronaviruses can remain infectious on inanimate surfaces for up to 9 days. Surface disinfection with 0.1% sodium hypochlorite or 62–71% ethanol significantly reduces coronavirus infectivity on surfaces within 1 min exposure time. We expect a similar effect against the SARS-CoV-2.

Oh god did they not text Dettol spray!😥

I clean everything, when I get into work, I clean my desk , desk phone, laptop mouse, mobile phone, handbag, pass with wipes, wash my hands. I do not touch handles if I can help it.
I try to wear gloves on Public Transport. When I get in I do the same and remove my clothes and put them in the was.

I think this is going over the top so have decided to work from home until things die down.

@MarshaBradyo. I know it will help but all the emphasis on 'this is what you can do' does imply that if you catch it, you've not been robust enough in hand washing.

I think it’s probably just looking at the stuff that’s usually used in hospitals or clean areas Felicity.

Tbh I'm probably looking to upgrade should (when) one of the kids brings this home.

@YawnYawnYawnYawnzy you said

I'm not sure it's hysteria when PP has said she has several vulnerable children. Theres always someone who thinks it's cool to be gung ho when for some it's a serious issue

That's understandable but really, the number of threads on here are ridiculous. How does panicking and scaremongering help?

The media are worse.

You can touch a lot of contaminated things but then you go and wash your hands, so...

Trouble is people touch their face without thinking - so you’ve got to be aware and hand wash before you do.

The average person touches their face 23 times per hour.

SInce I trained my kids to wash their hands as soon as they come through the front door we have all experienced a lot less illness in the household. they are a bugger for brushing teeth before they get washed, though, so if they do get anything it would get passed on easily via our toothpaste tube etc! TV remotes must be filthy.

The average person touches their face 23 times per hour.

Wow really- I can believe that.
My elderly mother is a huge face toucher, uses public transport a lot, rubs her eyes, picks her nose, rubs her lips.
She gets a lot of eye infections.

@CurlyhairedAssassin - we all have our own toothpaste.