Gloves when shopping

[Tootingwife]

Have generally been wearing gloves for shopping to help avoid transferring contamination back to my car (obviously I’m washing my hands when unpacking and handling groceries at home but that doesn’t work out and about). However, it seems to me that fewer people are using either gloves or a mask where I live.

Curious to who how many others on here are still wearing gloves or, if you’ve now stopped doing so, why?

[Floatyboat]

@ifonly4

Yes because us all doing what "feels" right will protect us from the virus.

I feel the enlightenment never reached Mumsnet sometimes.

[darceybusselllovesbrussells]

@Spinakker wearing gloves doesn't prevent you from from needing to thoroughly wash your hands after taking them off. See the article I posted earlier; hands should be assumed to be dirty after removing gloves. However good you are at removing them (what's your technique?) there's be some transfer of what was in the gloves onto your hands/ wrists, it's inevitable. Your gloves are giving you a worryingly false sense of security.

[CrowdedHouseinQuarantine]

wash or peel your fruit

[CrowdedHouseinQuarantine]

I stopped wearing them recently, someone told me any virus transfers easier by wearing gloves.
my excuse has been I wont touch my face by wearing gloves

[ifonly4]

I guess you have to do what you feel is right. I put gloves on, disinfect trolley and rub my own disinfectant into them while waiting in the aisles. My card is kept where it's easy to access and I won't need to touch for another week. I do use sanitizer before getting into car as two of us are using it. Dettol spray over cupboard handles and surfaces I've touched in case it's in bags/products.

I knew someone who has lost their life to this, another who is struggling three weeks after being let out of hospital. If I can do something I feel might help to protect me and others, then I'm happy to do it.

[Spinakker]

I wear them so I don't have to scrub my hands as thoroughly after wearing (I do a light wash still). My hands will crack otherwise from all the hand washing.

[SebThompson]

I've been wearing gloves for work (a lighting engineer and working outdoors fixing, replacing and maintaining lampposts) which help protect me from getting any potential nasties off the lampposts on my hands, I only ever touch the lamppost with gloves, my tools with gloves and nothing else. I leave me phone in my pocket and don't touch myself with gloves on. As soon as I'm finished I dispose of my gloves, sanitise my hands and door handle of my van or anything else I've touched that I may touch again. Then clean my tools every night.

What people don't understand is gloves aren't miracle workers and will still spread germs from one surface to another so it baffles me when I see people in shops with their gloves on, then on their phone etc with the gloves that may be harbouring the virus. Which they will then touch their phone again with their bare hands effectively picking up anything that may have been on the gloves.

In short, gloves are good in a sense that they are easily removed and ideal for preventing skin contact with the outside world, but if you do use gloves then you must not touch anything else you will then handle with your bare skin afterwards! If you do touch your phone for example then you must clean it otherwise your gloves are pointless.

[justasking111]

I have worn gloves for years in the winter, hate supermarket trolley handles, just bang them in the washing machine, have half a dozen pairs. So yes am wearing gloves when shopping now when the weather is warmer.

[KaptenKrusty]

Washing the shopping? 🙄

[UnabashedlyNeurodifferent]

I can't wear gloves, my hands start to sweat terribly. I can't wear masks, I feel like I can't breathe. Many reasons people don't wear them.

I've always washed my hands freakishly often and find it quite amusing how it's now become normal. I always felt people were disgusting for rarely washing their hands and never liked shaking them - sticky fingers, snot, food, etc 🤢

[Floatyboat]

Might just be dissolving your shopping rather than cleaning it

[TimeWastingButFun]

@Floatyboat I mean as in the cardboard doesn't disintegrate. And bleach is known to kill CV. The water after cleaning all the shopping, even with a sparkling bowl and new cloth, is brown - even if it's not killing germs, which 99% it does, then at least it's getting everything clean :-)

[TP67]

I don’t wear gloves, I don’t wear masks. I just get on with it. The level of fear is out of control now I think

[VictoriaBun]

So in the early days ( dh got the shielding letter so we now have priority delivery ) I wore gloves,. I would also take a dettol soaked paper towel in a bag with me to the shops. I'd give the trolley handle a wipe , wear gloves use hand gel a few times whilst shopping, dispose of gloves when done and use hand gel after . It made me feel better .

[oralengineer]

I wear gloves - disposable for shopping but then I have worn them every day for work for the last 30 years along with PPE (mask and visor ). I am much less likely to touch my face because it becomes ingrained at work. I also know how to take them off correctly. I take them off before paying but keep my cards in my pocket and don’t take my handbag in with me. I then use clinical detergent wipes to clean my hands and any surfaces in the car. Also use them to wipe the trolley handle before I touch it before shopping.
I don’t bother washing shopping when I get home, just leave it for 24 hrs before unpacking.
I don’t bother with hand sanitiser unless at work. It seriously cracks your hands up. And this gives much more direct route in for all viruses and bacteria. I only use hand sanitizer if I can’t wash my hands.
Unless you’re used to working in gloves in clinical situation they are not much use.
Also have seen lots of people using hand sanitizers to clean gloves this is a big no no as it damages the gloves and may cause holes in them allowing virus through.

[Floatyboat]

@TimeWastingButFun

How do you know it works fine though?

[TimeWastingButFun]

@Floatyboat not wash the boxes - a well wrung out cloth with bleach works fine.

[Unravellingslowly]

Agreed - so I don’t want to also transfer the germs to inside my car. Hence the gloves!

^ yes. I take them off before getting in to drive. However, It is also a deterrent from absentmindedly touching your face. I seem to be one of the only people in my area although I have seen people in masks the last couple of weeks.

[TimeWastingButFun]

I do wash my shopping. Coronavirus (and any other germs) can stay on plastic surfaces for more than 3 days, and you can't always say you won't touch it until then. Also, since the water is not clean water afterwards, I will always do this now.

[TimeWastingButFun]

I do wear gloves, because obviously when you get to the car you have to then touch the handles, steering wheel etc. and sanitiser is still scarce. Can't wash your hands till you get home! Also wear a mask. You do have to follow the rules otherwise they're useless.

[Floatyboat]

@giggly

What as in washing boxes? That's crazy!

[LudaMusser]

I have worn gloves a few times but when you come to pay it's a pain. You don't want to touch your purse, card etc so you have to take a glove off. You then need to put it back on to push the trolley so you have to turn it inside out again which isn't that easy or you'll transfer germs to your hand. It's a faff

I watched a woman the other day get her purse, card and club card out all whilst still wearing gloves, transferring any germs

I have a mask but have never worn it. I keep away from ppl, shop at quiet times and have anti bac gel and wipes which I use after I've paid

[bombaychef]

Gloves aren't needed. Just a hand wash. Never washed any shopping ever. Risks too low for me

[giggly]

Fair enough for loose fruit/ veg but pp are washing all their shopping that’s my point. Completely unnecessary.

[Floatyboat]

@giggly

Really. Someone with coronavirus on their gloves touches a pear but doesn't buy it. You buy the pear. You eat the pair. You eat coronavirus.