Coronavirus: how clean is your house

[catsandlavender]

Is anyone else watching this on channel 4? I feel like it’s giving me heart palpitations

What I don’t understand is why we need to wipe everything down with diluted bleach/soap and water if we’ve been home all day/washed hands?

It also worries me that it stays on clothes for a day and on plastic for 3-5 days. I haven’t been washing my clothes when I get in or washing my shopping.

I’ve had to turn it off or it will give me a nervous breakdown. I’m already on the edge of one. I’m not entirely sure it’s a helpful program for mental health.

So I should be washing everything at 60 degrees?

I watched about 60 seconds of this programme and switched it off.

I think it's really irresponsible programming, it will terrify those with health anxiety/ cleaning compulsions. Frankly, people have enough to worry about already!

I agree. I already have some tendencies towards compulsive cleaning which are manageable but this is bonkers. I feel like if I did all this I would be cleaning all day?!

I am not watching it. I am already obsessed with cleaning, this will just make me more anxious

It’s had to go. It’s making me feel sick.

I get that maybe it’s the facts but it’s done nothing but make me more anxious and feeling like my house is contaminated. There’s only so much we can do!!

I should maybe watch this to give myself a whack up the backside.

We've not really changed any kind of cleaning routine and wash our hands as much as we did before... My house is probably covered in germs

We wash our hands more and for longer (I have teenagers who are naturally filthy...I'm not sure they washed their hands much/ at all before this!). I've started using a steam mop and cleaner but that's more because due to being at home I've had more time to faff about and get round to opening it (bought it last year, it's sat in the box since then!). But even with our very low clearing standards I found this programme a bit alarming/ alarmist.

I know it’s silly but it’s actually made me feel quite upset. I felt I was safe before, but now I know I’ve had loads of shopping in my cupboards without washing it. It’s my own fault, I should have turned it off.

I watched half of it. I thought it was OTT, if you followed that advice you would need to spend pretty much all day cleaning. A lot of us are still working and/or home schooling so haven’t got a spare 8 hours a day do bleach everything in sight.

I’m watching it on catch up now. It’s totally OTT. They all look terrified and that amount of cleaning isn’t sustainable over a long period of time - well not to me anyway.
My thought was that if you are washing your hands on arrival then that should wash any virus in the hand away anyway and it would not be all over your house.
I thought some of the advice was good - towels. Mopping with two buckets.
But the constant cleaning of toys and rotating them. Too much.

Although saying that if someone is vulnerable I think the section on cleaning, shielders, isolaters etc was good.
My friend has/had it and has been adviced the recovery time can be 27 days. That’s a long time

I didn’t watch it apart from 2 minutes at the end - OCD, very severely just now - realised very quickly if I watched it I wouldn’t sleep tonight !

I’m coping on washing hands before handling food, usual after loo/using bins etc, after handling mail, and after coming in from outside . Spraying down front door handle, letterbox and some inner doors daily . Wiping all groceries with anti bac and cleaning kitchen as normal .

And the poor cat is now indoors (although he’s very old, he doesn’t really care) . He’s very happy to wander into neighbours’ so it seemed easier just to keep him in now ..

Going out for one rural walk a day but very carefully - and not touching anything outdoors except me .

I can’t do any more than that as I wouldn’t physically cope, I’d get too distressed and I’m not great as it is !

I’ve had my ‘rituals’ sanctioned by MH team and GP and been told absolutely no more, it was worse to begin with .

GP/psychologist said chances of catching it via my clothes, shoes, mail, food is very, very slim - and it’s social distancing that’s most important ... I’m trying very hard to trust her on that !

I watched just a little then got up and started cleaning all handles and switches, kettle, taps etc with hit soapy water. I've been doing them all with set-top wipes but as yet no proof it kills the virus. Its also made me panic that I've been cleaning all food and goods coming into the house with the same wipes.

I think whatever I've been doing its failed as I started coughing today. I never get cough.

I’ve just watched a clip on facebook and heard the same about soapy water . Goodness knows . I was just using antibac wipes from Tesco and spraying door handles with anti bac too ... that virologist would send anyone into a nervous breakdown !

It's in the air but probably unlikely without close contact ... I just disinfect everything that comes in and may be contaminated outdoor clothes and disinfect the kitchen once a day, bathrooms, eating places and door handles

That sounds like irresponsible programming.

I'm shielding so not going out and I'm not disinfecting anything. I wash my hands if I've been out to the bin or in the garden. But nothing is coming in the house so I don't really see the need. Post I open, bin the outer packaging, wash hands

Didn't watch it but if you got covid from touching something and then put your hands in your mouth etc the viral load would be small. If I have to get covid then I'd prefer it to be something like this

Sorry - what channel is it on? Maybe I can have a quick look on catch up

Oh man, I thought this was going to be a lighthearted thread where we could all talk about how messy our houses have become since lockdown. Mine is very messy.

I can't keep up with it either. I had one clean of the handles etc. then just wash hands whenever I get in. Although to be fair I hardly go out now!

Also I actually feel worse from using lots of cleaning products. I have a mild lung disease and it really irritates my nose, makes my lungs hurt when I have a big clean. Thats my excuse anyway.

Channel 4.

I watched it hoping for some practical tips on what we should be doing, and was startled with their recommendations.

I thought the cleaning routines were excessive. Disinfecting taps every time?

. The demonstration about how soap works was good, but there was no mention about whether we should be using antibacterial gels.

Not a programme to watch if you have ocd, or anxiety, and if you don’t suffer from anxiety before hand, you do afterwards!

Oh christ I have anxiety ill stay clear of this. Whatever I do will be wrong anyway. What are we meant to clean the door handle with then, if not anti bac wipes?