Are you cleaning Shopping?

[Etty89]

As the title says are you cleaning shopping from the supermarket?

I've been going over shopping with an antibacterial wipe but some of my friends don't bother and was wondering what everyone else is doing?

I hate to say it but it’s never going to be ‘over’. It’s hear now and we need to learn to live with it like we do the common cold. Hopefully there will be vaccines, like for flu, in the nearish future but thinking it’s going to miraculously disappear is unfortunately not going to happen so you’ll be washing your shopping for a very long time.

I firmly believe it will be over, not in a miraculous way, of course. 'Never' is a long time! :)

The virus can live on surfaces in lab conditions, in the real world it’s too delicate and touch kills it. Of course it’s not like being on your hands, because you touch your nose, eyes etc before it has a chance to be damaged. Very different.

And I think logic shows as delivery drivers, store workers etc aren’t coming down with it, it demonstrates you don’t need to wipe your shopping,

Of course people should do what they think is required, if it makes them feel better then they should do it, but this does not mean it is required or even sensible, other than from a mental health perspective.

If someone wants to sit and anti bac their shopping or quarantine it, then it’s not hurting anyone, it’s their choice.

It's fine if it makes you feel
More comfortable IMO.
I give things a quick wipe, wash fruit and veg, wash hands, use facemasks when in shops etc
Having done microbiology at university I tend be a bit more careful at times I guess it makes me feel like I've at least cleaned the outward facing surfaces that have sat on shelves and been open to settling of microbes etc

no

We're all going through this pandemic together and I think we just need to remember to be kind to each other

I agree that rudeness is unwarranted but equally it''s not helpful to indulge this sort of behaviour, imo. Wiping down shopping is completely pointless and OTT, as is quarantining it. Stuff like this feeds people's anxiety unnecessarily.

@YogaPantsSavedMyLife that's why I thanked people for the helpful information, I'm always happy to hear people out when it's being presented in a respectful way, it's actually made me feel more comfortable about the situation

yep, antibac spray on a washable cloth. - Anti- bacterial spray? On a virus? Have a word with yourself!

And while we're at it - use the saved, wasted time to try boosting your immune system. Your immune system will not be fighting fit if there are no bugs to fight.

You cannot isolate from the world for 6 months, stay indoors away from fresh air and sunlight, killing ALL bugs, getting no exercise, and expect your immune system to fight off a minor cold, let alone a virus like flu or covid. The gov advice to do this ^ was IMHO criminal.

Get fresh air, Get exercise. Get sunlight on your skin, and take Vit D with K2. Eat well. Don't smoke. Get exposure to minor bugs, and get a fighting fit immune system.

At the end of all this, washing your shopping, wearing masks, 2m distancing - will NOT save you. Your immune system is the ONLY thing which WILL save you - and I'm astounded that the 'scientists' are not pushing this more.

Ptumbi the benefits of anti-bac spray "on a virus" have been discussed time and time again since March

“If you don't wipe shopping that's delivered, and have children at school, I wonder if you are ok with me stopping the endless process of wiping desks, door handles, cleaning glue sticks and pencils, and can I share worksheets and textbooks between classes from now on? Perhaps you would be ok with that, but I'd probably be disciplined by my employer if I stopped.“

I would be perfectly happy for you to stop wiping glue sticks and door handles, yes. I would be perfectly happy for my child to share a worksheet or a book. If there’s a person in the room with covid, my kids will likely catch it (through droplets and direct physical contact not pieces of paper), I fully accepted that when they went back to school.

Antibacterial wipes/sprays kill 99% of bacteria.
You need an Antiviral spray to kill a virus.

I have bought Antiviral cleaning sprays in Aldi. I don't clean my shopping as we have never been shielded.

@Slightlybrwnbanana

If you don't wipe shopping that's delivered, and have children at school, I wonder if you are ok with me stopping the endless process of wiping desks, door handles, cleaning glue sticks and pencils, and can I share worksheets and textbooks between classes from now on? Perhaps you would be ok with that, but I'd probably be disciplined by my employer if I stopped.

Don't primary school kids bring in their own stationery? My kids are secondary and tbh I wouldn't mind them cleaning the desk and chair that they sit at but that is unfortunately too time consuming a process and 30 hands touching the same cleaning bottle each period is another potential contamination point.

I work in secondary. They all clean their desks after every lesson - how well they are cleaned is anyone's desk. I clean my desk whenever I leave for another teacher to use the room. Mostly they have a pen with them but they don't have things like glue. I would probably be disciplined if I ignored these rules.

@Slightlybrwnbanana

I work in secondary. They all clean their desks after every lesson - how well they are cleaned is anyone's desk. I clean my desk whenever I leave for another teacher to use the room. Mostly they have a pen with them but they don't have things like glue. I would probably be disciplined if I ignored these rules.

I do appreciate teachers either cleaning or enforcing pupils cleaning their area. And I wipe down my shopping because most of it has plastic packaging and the virus does live perfectly well on plastic for at least 3 days. And I don't want to wash my hands every time I touch something in my house. Refrigerated and frozen good especially need wiping down since the virus lives for weeks below 4 degrees. I know most will think that's daft but it is the facts about the virus and pointed out by a previous poster who is a microbiologist.

You cannot isolate from the world for 6 months, stay indoors away from fresh air and sunlight, killing ALL bugs, getting no exercise, and expect your immune system to fight off a minor cold, let alone a virus like flu or covid.

At the end of all this, washing your shopping, wearing masks, 2m distancing - will NOT save you. Your immune system is the ONLY thing which WILL save you - and I'm astounded that the 'scientists' are not pushing this more.

And while we're at it - use the saved, wasted time to try boosting your immune system

Well, thanks for this insight but some of us have autoimmune diseases which changes the odds. I'm not interested in killing 'all' bugs, just this particular virus. Personally I take high dose Vit D3 (I measure my blood levels regularly to make sure I don't get too much), as I get precious little sun due to being largely housebound, but I do get plenty of fresh air out in my garden, am trying to improve my nutrient levels but some aren't good due to my various food intolerances. I'm working on all of it.

'Boost your immune system' is a bit too vague a message for the general public, I think. I'm far more aware of mine but for most people, if they feel healthy they probably think it's fine.

@Slightlybrwnbanana

I work in secondary. They all clean their desks after every lesson - how well they are cleaned is anyone's desk. I clean my desk whenever I leave for another teacher to use the room. Mostly they have a pen with them but they don't have things like glue. I would probably be disciplined if I ignored these rules.

I've not really asked my kids about the cleaning of desks but I think it's fair enough that secondary kids clean their own desk

My kids primary school has the kids cleaning their table and chair, from nursery class upwards. I think it’s completely pointless from a coronavirus point of view, but I don’t have a problem with the children doing it.

Why are schools so obsessed with glue sticks anyway? I get it in art class/very early primary but otherwise what does a child actually need glue for? I’m really enjoying the streamlining of what kids are meant to bring into school and if PE kits and book bags were a permanent casualty of covid, so much the better.

No.

I clean things at work- like the photocopier/ scanner after I use it, the conference room table after I use it, my own desk and keyboard at the end of the day. I wash my hands a LOT. I use sanitiser. I wear a mask. I'm not cleaning my shopping, I don't think there is sufficient risk to me and my family in not doing so. If other people feel they should, fine, whatever works for you.

@QuantamBaby

Nope - that way madness lies....

Are you my long lost twin? That's exactly what I said to my friend when she asked me. To be fair, I'm in a supermarket handling thousands of items a day, admittedly with gloves on but I can't wash my hands every five minutes, there'd be no one left on the shop floor! However, if you want to wash your shopping and it makes you feel safe carry on.

Nope never did. It reminded me far too much of the OCD rituals that consumed my friend's life.

Exposure to dirt and microbes are good for healthy immune systems and possibly gut health.

@Slightlybrwnbanana

If you don't wipe shopping that's delivered, and have children at school, I wonder if you are ok with me stopping the endless process of wiping desks, door handles, cleaning glue sticks and pencils, and can I share worksheets and textbooks between classes from now on? Perhaps you would be ok with that, but I'd probably be disciplined by my employer if I stopped.

Yes I'd be fine with that, thank you.

No I've never washed the shopping or quarantined my post. Still bemused anyone ever did this.

Yes. Antiviral spray and kitchen roll or antiviral wipes.

Yes, have done from the start and still am. It's time consuming, it's a pain in the arse and one time I just stood crying whilst I did it. Paranoid? Yes. Anxious? Yes.

But if it makes me feel a bit better....

@Slightlybrwnbanana yep, I'd be happy with that because I think it's unnecessary anyway. I have been back at the office for weeks and I don't do any of that myself.

Yes and I probably always will now.

@Elieza

Yes. Antiviral spray and kitchen roll or antiviral wipes.

I love the way wipes seem to be acceptable now. It wasn't that long ago that people were worried about the planet.