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Help worried about bleach spray on food

83 replies

CantCope8 · 24/03/2020 20:59

Hi I’m in a real state and don’t know what to do, the past couple of weeks I’ve been spraying any shopping with either dettol or domestos bleach spray, I’ve been spraying onto kitchen roll first then wiping over but I haven’t then rinsed them, my husband said his dinner earlier - carton of soup - smelt of bleach and he could taste it. I’m freaking out now, how dangerous is this? I stupidly thought it wouldn’t be able to pass through the packaging but my husband said the food definitely tastes of it.
Is this very harmful, I’m thinking to call 111.

OP posts:
Yester · 24/03/2020 23:14

Ffs get a grip. People are dying because the NHS is full.

CantCope8 · 24/03/2020 23:17

I know...I’m sorry. I just panicked thinking it had gone through the packaging, if I knew for sure it couldn’t then I wouldn’t have worried.

OP posts:
ZombieFan · 24/03/2020 23:17

Oh dear, how could you ever have thought spraying bleach on food was a good idea. I mean has this pandemic robbed us of our brains.

amandalives · 24/03/2020 23:19

Op, the problem with anxiety is you'll go to the hospital where they'll say you are okay and then you'll start worrying about having caught covid 19 from the seats etc. You just need to try to break the cycle now by trying to go to sleep. As others have said it was common for previous generations to use bleach to wash dishes and often the cups still smelt, simply because the smell of bleach is so strong versus there being a harmful amount of bleach left.

milkysmum · 24/03/2020 23:19

Please do not attend A&E because of this.
You would be better off downloading some mindfulness apps and spending the time focusing on reducing your anxiety.

CantCope8 · 24/03/2020 23:23

@ZombieFan yes pretty much. I’ve never ever sprayed bleach on any food packs in my life! And never will again

@amandalives yes this is if I will worry about catching it there plus we don’t want to divert resources away from important things.

OP posts:
CorianderLord · 24/03/2020 23:28

Use soapy water why does everyone think bleach is better?

If he was going to keel over he would've already you need to drink bleach, like mouthfuls of the stuff, for it to harm you.

Going to A&E is probably more dangerous than not going.

lordiewardiex · 24/03/2020 23:40

My gran used to put her false teeth in bleached water over night... 😳

I hope your husband is okay.

CantCope8 · 24/03/2020 23:43

Oh wow @lordiewardiex 😱 I mean it would definitely get them clean!

OP posts:
feefee322 · 24/03/2020 23:50

Don't call 111

You'll be fine, just stop doing it

feefee322 · 24/03/2020 23:54

Oh god. I just rtft

Is your husband ok?! Tummy I mean?

safariboot · 24/03/2020 23:58

Dettol is safe to spray and leave but bleach should be wiped. A trace isn't going to harm DH though. I mean you can use the stuff for emergency disinfection of water for drinking.

penisbeakers · 25/03/2020 00:18

Amazing. It really IS possible to reach this level of stupid.

Ginkypig · 25/03/2020 00:26

Soap and water op

It has cleaned our dishes for years and years and it cleans our skin and it is what we are advised to use to clean our hands of the virus so it would work to wipe your food packaging.

To be honest though if you follow normal food hygiene rules your food would be safe anyway.

Hope that is helpful op!

june2007 · 25/03/2020 00:41

111 would send you to an A&E as a precaution as it may count as poisoning. But glad you din,t go if no signs, but don,t spray bleach near food. I was spraying with high concentrate cleaner at work. But I did not spray on the table the children ate of or the work top we prepared food on. (We have a gentler cleaner for that.)

CantCope8 · 25/03/2020 00:47

Thank you for those who have been nice to me I really appreciate it, and those who haven’t you are right I am stupid. I can’t believe what an idiot I’ve been.

Hubby is ok thanks, he calmed down and his tummy is fine. I’m just still - despite reading these messages- very anxious and worried we’ve damaged ourselves.

OP posts:
SilverySurfer · 25/03/2020 00:49

FreakStar
This thread is a wind up, surely. It would be impossible for someone to be this stupid, on all accounts!

I would probably have agreed with you a month ago but after reading some of the threads on here in the last few days, I totally believe it.

Hannah9176 · 25/03/2020 03:10

You'll be advised to go to A&E based on the symptoms you've told 111 you have. The spray itself won't do any harm in the amounts you've said, but if you've rang claiming to have "burning" etc then we can't diagnose anxiety vs actual corrosive symptoms over the phone.

Fieldofgreycorn · 25/03/2020 05:26

You would have to actually drink neat bleach for it to do harm.

Bleach is basically chlorine which is what you can smell. Chlorine is also in swimming pools but very dilute and sometimes people swallow that.

Bearbehind · 25/03/2020 06:59

Anxiety or not, people really need to take a long hard look at themselves before wasting valuable NHS resources at this time

I cannot believe the OP called 111 and wasted the time of them and a paramedic over this

ittakes2 · 25/03/2020 07:06

I know people who clean their plates with bleach (I keep telling them not to). They are still happy and healthy. You are understandably feeling anxious.

NewYearNewJob123 · 25/03/2020 07:40

Great waste of vital resources in a national crisis OP.

Tatty101 · 25/03/2020 07:47

The thing is OP, if it's being going on for a week and you did believe it would cause you/your DH a bad reaction, it would have happened before now

dontstockpilethelooroll · 25/03/2020 08:01

cantcope just sending you lots of love, I have anxiety/OCD/autism and have struggled a lot last few days .

Try and rationalise things as much as you can; I was told to take my thoughts to ‘court’ in my mind and ask the jury to decide if they’re likely to be accurate . I know how silly that sounds but it helps a little bit . So you say for example, ‘that tiny bit of bleach, is it likely to seriously harm us , what’s the evidence’ and the jury will almost certainly say no, it’s false ... write it down if you have to - thought, reliable evidence for and against, and then verdict - and then move on.

I know that if you can’t try to rationalise this, you’ll be onto something else within the hour , and we can’t live like that at all, it isn’t healthy or fair for anyone - least of all yourself .

So stop thinking about bleach, stop posting on here just now, don’t watch the news - do something else entirely if you can .

For future reference don’t call 111 just now - I know , goes against my old habits too but hey, it’s a good habit to break - the samaritans are still open if you need a chat with someone but there’s also lots of other helplines ... I’m Scottish so if you’re in England whatever helplines I suggest probably don’t operate in the same way with you - I think you probably have more! - but try google if you can . Sensibly - search mental health helplines .

Just sending you lots of love - you aren’t stupid, but you do need to try and keep control of your behaviour as much as you possibly can just now .

SilverySurfer · 25/03/2020 13:54

It appears the world is indeed coming to an end.

I would have bet every penny I possess on never agreeing with any post from Bearbehind but find myself doing so on this thread.

We live in strange times Grin

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