WTH! I had no idea that Splash-less Clorox was no good for disinfecting until I read it on this thread. Then I checked the brand-new gallon:

I rarely use bleach to “bleach.” I mostly use it to disinfect or sanitize. Guess I could have been doing as well with plain water!

Bleach also loses its effectiveness after about 6 months. And bleach mixed with water is only potent for about a day.

https://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/e_20060213/bleach.html

I don't have the luxury(?) of staying home. My 83yr old father lives alone, but still needs my help a couple of times a week, in general. Now I'm running to his place at least every other day. We all have different reasons for doing what we're doing, and we're trying to do it as safely as possible.

So repackage the groceries that need to be refrigerated.

If you are repacking them you may as well put them away , really. I have always separated perishables in my cart and bagged them separately, the thought being that i don't have to unload everything if I get interrupted. I usually do anyway.

So now people are afraid to bring inanimate objects into their house?

Yo, what is with your tone? People are simply reacting to what scientists are publishing, and taking precautions in order to preserve healthcare capacity for everyone.

Or wear gloves. Easy-peasy.

Gloves make no sense to me since the virus doesn't enter through your skin. Experts agree. Whether you get the virus on your bare hand or on a glove, if you touch your face you might contract the virus.

Guess i better don my hazmat suit and find a sealed chamber in the house to contain the viruses that will leap off it and enter my body as I sleep.

The virus can aerosolize and be suspended in air for 3 hours. That's simply the science. Glad you find that amusing.

If I had to guess, I'd say that we are all highly unlikely to get the virus from the air or a surface. But the CDC and WHO are very guarded about that ... they do not know. And there are certainly now plenty of cases of people who are getting it but have no idea how.

@terezosa / terriks, thanks for the link. It made more sense than almost anything I’ve read.

Ditto that! Tere, that is wonderfully sensible.

Not so brilliant, but I've been using disposable gloves when I go out. I pull them off before I get in the car or touch anything, then drop them into the well on the driver's door. I decided that after some period of time they wouldn't be contaminated any more, so I'm just leaving them in the garage or putting them in the sun and then I can reuse them. I could probably sanitize them but I hate handling wet rubber gloves.

I think that I'll use the back of my car - a small SUV, as a containment and cleaning area. I'll keep some some cloths soaked in Lysol multipurpose cleaner in a plastic tub, so that I can wipe things down as I get into the car.

And bleach mixed with water is only potent for about a day.

I always keep a spray bottle of bleach and water under my sink to spray cutting boards after cutting chicken, the sink, taps etc. It smells strongly like bleach and it's been in the bottle for weeks and weeks so how can it not work?

Not brilliant, but DH made a hand washing station for my car. Jug of water, bottle of soap and paper towels. If I go out, as in to the market, I wash hands before getting back in the car. And I’ve switched to cloth napkins of which I have a gazillion. Now I’m off to read terezosa/terriks’ link.

The virus can aerosolize and be suspended in air for 3 hours. That's simply the science. Glad you find that amusing.

Please show me one scientific study that supports that crazy statement in regards to dry virus on a package or item. I'll wait. Sneezes and breath vapor yes. But unless there was some way to remove the virus from the package, add water, shake well and spray what the above statement claims ain't gonna happen.

As for the wearing of gloves , well duh, you take them off after handling the potentially contaminated object. Or wash your hands.

No science has told people to fear bringing objects into their home. Again show me the citations.

Yo, what is with your tone? People are simply reacting to what scientists are publishing, and taking precautions in order to preserve healthcare capacity for everyone.

No people are reacting to crazy BS they are reading on the net and the media is saying. People are reacting out of fear and anxiety and not the facts put out by the CDC and WHO.

People are reacting like they are off their meds. (maybe because they are afraid to touch the bottle from the pharmacy?)

This is getting ridiculous. You can't reason with fear, anxiety and mania reactions. Carry on.

Gloves make no sense to me since the virus doesn't enter through your skin. Experts agree. Whether you get the virus on your bare hand or on a glove, if you touch your face you might contract the virus.

Gloves make sense to me because the gloves would remind me to not touch my face. And you can always wash the gloves with your hands in them & hang to dry. Or just hang them outside in the sunshine and then wash your hands.

On the subject of gloves (or not wearing gloves), when I saw this idiot (link follows), I clipped & filed my nails down to the nub.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M9_0pjW1GE

Proof that you can have a sheet ton of money & not be able to buy a brain.

Gloves make sense to me because the gloves would remind me to not touch my face.... i agree that is one use for them but you need to not touch your face 24/7 and I would not wear gloves 24/7; i do find that if you choose a different scent then you are used to, esp a strong one, the scent of your hands can remind you not to touch your face.

Mtndredux, I have some gloves but have yet to use them. I do plan on wearing them next week when I have to take a commercial flight across the country, a trip with three legs, four airports and a cab. In that scenario, I think they make sense to help remind me to keep my hands off my face and to not rub my eyes. Otherwise, at home I'm washing hands, sanitizing my keyboard every couple of days and wiping down the powder room surfaces. Plus all the times x day that my hands are in soapy dishwater, etc. So, for the most part, I do agree with you. Except for the out of the ordinary, out of your element scenarios ^, that is.

I saw this on FB - use the little doggy poop bags to touch things like gas handles when filling up your car. Then pull off and toss in the trash container. They're very cheap and you get a ton in a roll. Keep in your car for any time you might one.

you need to not touch your face 24/7

Do you? When you are in your own home after you have thoroughly washed your hands?

Oh, sorry Watchme, almost didn't see your post.

First of all, you seem to want to ignore this from my post: If I had to guess, I'd say that we are all highly unlikely to get the virus from the air or a surface. But the CDC and WHO are very guarded about that ... they do not know. And there are certainly now plenty of cases of people who are getting it but have no idea how.

Yet you provoke with nonsense like "You can't reason with fear, anxiety and mania reactions." I can't recall anyone on here acting in such a way.

I said: "The virus can aerosolize and be suspended in air for 3 hours. That's simply the science. Glad you find that amusing."

You said: Please show me one scientific study that supports that crazy statement

As published Tuesday in The New England Journal of Medicine,

When the virus becomes suspended in droplets smaller than five micrometers — known as aerosols — it can stay suspended for about a half-hour, researchers said, before drifting down and settling on surfaces where it can linger for hours. (In the study’s experimental setup, the virus stayed suspended for three hours, but it would drift down much sooner under most conditions.) ....Dr. Marr said the World Health Organization had so far referred to the virus as not airborne, but that health care workers should wear gear, including respirator masks, assuming that it is. “Based on aerosol science and recent findings on flu virus,” she said, “surgical masks are probably insufficient.”

You also said: in regards to dry virus on a package or item.

My reply: you chose to add the modified "dry." All I can say is :

per the CDC - COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning how it spreads, the severity of illness it causes, and to what extent it may spread in the United States.

It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

Also: SARS-CoV-2 was more stable on plastic and stainless steel than on copper and cardboard, and viable virus was detected up to 72 hours after application to these surfaces. On copper, no viable SARS-CoV-2 was measured after 4 hours […] On cardboard, no viable SARS-CoV-2 was measured after 24 hours.

CDC data published yesterday detected the faint genetic signature of viruses (viral RNA) which had survived 17 days on surfaces in cruise ships. That doesn't mean infectious virus particles were found after 17 days – only a part of the virus was detected in this study – but it does suggest there may be some cause for concern regarding how long this coronavirus can last on surfaces.

(by the by, i tend to think of online shopping as involving cardboard, but I got a few packages yesterday and was reminded how often they use plastic bags or plastic mailers)

You said: unless there was some way to remove the virus from the package, add water, shake well and spray what the above statement claims ain't gonna happen.

No idea who you are but you say unequivocally it can't happen, good for you. I already said i dont think its likely. And the experts say, "it is a new disease and we are still learning how it spreads." I remember at first they said you were unlikely to get it from someone asymptomatic as they are far less contagious than sick people (that was true w SARS and MERs I believe). Note they have totally changed their tune on that.

You said: As for the wearing of gloves , well duh, you take them off after handling the potentially contaminated object. Or wash your hands.

Devolving into "well duh" is not conducive to maintaining our community. I've already explained why I think gloves are a waste, just above The WHO also says gloves are only indicated for health care workers and those already ill or caring for the ill.

I said: Yo, what is with your tone? People are simply reacting to what scientists are publishing, and taking precautions in order to preserve healthcare capacity for everyone.

You said: No people are reacting to crazy BS they are reading on the net and the media is saying. People are reacting out of fear and anxiety and not the facts put out by the CDC and WHO. People are reacting like they are off their meds. (maybe because they are afraid to touch the bottle from the pharmacy?)

This is getting ridiculous. Carry on.

I consume media that cites Medical Journals, the WHO and the CDC. YMMV. Still loving your tone, it's just like a little ray of sunshine.

I think fomites no one thinks of are our dogs. If someone coughs the droplets end up on the grass. Doggies squat to pee or just roll in the grass for the joy of it, and then come indoors. Maybe not a huge concern if you have your own back yard, but if you live in an apt. or walk the dog in a park it is something to think about.

My pup gets two pills a day and I use Pill Pockets. Of course, the other dog has to get his Pill Pocket too. I've just discovered that I can easily use just one Pill Pocket to accomplish all of this! This is one hack I intend to continue using well after this is all over.

I saw this on FB - use the little doggy poop bags to touch things like gas handles when filling up your car. Then pull off and toss in the trash container. They're very cheap and you get a ton in a roll. Keep in your car for any time you might one.

Now that doggie poop bags will be in non-existent supply...

Those 5000 plastic grocery bags you have stashed that accumulated pre-virus? Slip one on your hand for a disposable 'have to touch the ick' 'glove'. (Sorry, won't work for your NYC'ers.) Most of the dog walkers in my neighborhood use the grocery bags to pick up dog poo.

I could guess what "fomites" were from the context, but TBH had to look it up. Love learning new words. Wonder if there is an etymological link w "foment."

I never heard of Pill Pockets! We wrap our dogs pills in a small piece of cheese.

Wonder if there is an etymological link w "foment."

Indeed there is. According to Merriam-Webster the word is a "back-formation from fomites, from New Latin, plural of fomit-, fomes, from Latin, kindling wood; see more at FOMENT."

Wandering off to play in my OED (the one w the magnifying glass. not the 27 vol.s)

Is there really another household that still has an OED with the magnifying glass?

I have one too!

I had to look up OED. I thought OED's were/ are some kind of television tech but didn't make sense to need a magnifying glass with a 65" screen!

Oxford English Dictionary (I think) for other dummies like me. :-)

I'm making washcloths out of old towels, and I finish the edges with my overlock machine.

This isn't mine, but this is what it looks like. The little drawer at the top holds the magnifying glass. I got mine for $25 through the Book-of-the-Month Club back in the '80s. That was a bargain even then.

I just love mine. I've bored everyone with this before, but for certain couples, my fave wedding gift is a very good quality world atlas and the OED (oh and money too).

I gave XH an OED for his birthday one year along with a nice stand to put it on. It was his. It went with him. I haven’t replaced. ETA: Let me clarify: I haven’t replaced the dictionary. I have replaced the husband.

Lucky for you bookwoman that the full edition updates take so long. Otherwise, you'd be so out of date! ;-)

Heh. Indeed.

Lol - I requested the Oxford as a wedding gift when I got married 34 years ago...however now with Ms.Google I don’t really use it any more

Lars, I sew washing mitts from washcloths.

My English dictionary is Random House, 1968. I have Oxford Italian and Spanish dictionaries, and I have German dictionaries from Germany. I don't have a really good French dictionary, and my Russian dictionary is fairly small as well. I also have an old Latin dictionary somewhere that I haven't used recently.

My Italian, Spanish, and German dictionaries are up-to-date, but I guess my English one is dated by now, but I really do not care. I'm still speaking the same language (more or less) that I did back in 1968. I've been told by young Germans that I speak German like their grandmothers, but then I did first start learning German from my own grandmother. It's hard to keep up with changes in German without going to Germany.

Kevin gave me a very nice and large National Geographic World Atlas for my birthday one year. The old one I had was Readers' Digest from 1987, and so the maps of Europe are quite different from the new ones, but at least it has historical value.

Oh I love an old Atlas and Encyclopedias. I remember spending hours lying on the living room floor pouring over those books for hours and hours. I lived with my aunt who was an avid reader and we would have discussions about all the wonderful things I discovered. I miss having those books and my aunt.

aww hcbm, i used to lay on the floor reading books too ... and in the summer,i remember laying in the grass reading

I'm confused. Did Watchmelol change their name to wildchild2x2?

Yes she did. Elmer asked about our usernames on kitchen table. Watchmelol explained her usernames and then reintroduced herself as wildchild2x2.

Here's the link to that thread.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5886089/an-inane-question-origin-or-meaning-of-your-user-name#n=78

Thanks, yeonassky. I was having a hard time following the discussion because some people quoted Watchmelol.

Well, it's not exactly brilliant, but the food shortages I've encountered in the grocery stores (much better now than two weeks ago), have made me much more aware of how much I waste.

Normally, I will grab a paper towel to wipe up a spill or polish the faucet or whatever, without a thought. Now, I'm getting into the habit of using my old, retired dish towels for this purpose.

We've always been pretty good about not wasting food, but I'm becoming even more vigilant these past couple of weeks. More meal planning, more using up things that are in the fridge and all with an eye towards less waste.

While we are not yet low on TP, I am becoming more aware of how much I use. Rather than just pull a big wad off of the roll, I'm trying to use about half what I usually do and our rolls of TP are lasting twice as long.

When this is all over, I am going to make an effort to retain these new habits as they are good for my wallet and good for the environment. Heh, I'm turning into my grandmother who was a young homemaker during the depression years...

I'm doing the same thing Dawn. Being more mindful. I'm now wondering if I can cut my dishwasher pods (eco friendly kind) in half because I haven't been able to find more. I might try it and that would be a great discovery!

Me, too. I can still go to the store to get what I need, of course, but there's something about this quarantine life that's making me extra mindful of how I use resources. And I'm saving a fortune in gas.

Me three! While we have always been fairly frugal, I am now practically militant about wasting anything, even though we are well stocked.

I was getting low on dishwasher pods so I bought a box of powdered DW detergent. Switched to pods when Finish discontinued their powder. A few weeks ago, I bought a box of WMT's Great Value powder to try. REally glad that I did. Powder is easy to ration & eek out a few more loads &, so far, the GV powder is doing a good job. Of course I am cooking more so the DW runs once a day instead of once every 2-3 days so the detergent doesn't have to deal with dried, stuck on food. Will see how it performs when things return to something resembling the old normal.

This seems to be a universal feeling, of not wasting.

@Olychick, I always cut the pods in half because a whole pod is too much soap for my dishwasher. Plus, I remove the plastic covering. I buy the hard pressed powder pods, though. I'm not sure if you could cut the gel ones successfully.