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HALLIE EPHRON: Since March, 2020, I’ve been in a cleaning frenzy. Wiping down packages with disinfectant before bringing them into the house. Wiping down park benches before sitting on them. Using my sleeve to open doorknobs. Pressing elevator buttons with my knuckle.
Stockpiling cleaning supplies.
Here's a fraction of my stash...
Now, experts tell us, “There’s really no evidence that anyone has ever gotten Covid-19 by touching a contaminated surface.” That’s Linsey Marr, an expert on airborne viruses at Virginia Tech. Quoted in the New York Times.
More good/bad news: Researchers are tell us that the virus spreads primarily through the air in both large and small droplets hanging in the air, and scouring door handles and railings and subway seats does little to keep us safe.
As of April 5, the CDC caved and updated its cleaning guidelines:
The principal mode by which people are infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus. It is possible for people to be infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects (fomites), but the risk is generally considered to be low.So, in most everyday scenarios and environments, according to the CDC, people do not need to use chemical disinfectants. The best prevention is to wash your hands, wear a mask, and give the rest of humanity a wide berth.
So why have we been so focused for so long on surface cleaning when there’s no evidence that anyone has ever gotten COVID-19 by touching a contaminated surface? I’d argue that it’s the same reason we knock on wood. Because it’s something we can do in the face of something big and scary and that we barely understand and certainly cannot control.
So I suppose it’s a good sign that alcohol wipes and toilet paper are no longer in short supply. Ketchup is. We the people – we have our priorities.
How’s the cleaning going in your neck of the woods and do you have enough ketchup?
We’ll continue to clean, much as we always have because, as you say, it’s something we can do to make us feel like we’re making some sort of progress against the virus.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ketchup, I think we might have used up the last of the ketchup in the refrigerator . . . we may have one or two of those packets they gave us when we picked up a meal curbside. Will barbeque sauce do? We definitely have some of that . . . .
I have at least one container of wipes and plenty of sanitizers. As for ketchup, I have one bottle in the cabinet.
ReplyDeleteYou have excellent self control, that's for sure.
DeleteI never got crazy with wiping everything down, although I still open public doors with my sleeve and always wear a mask when I'm around people I don't know are vaccinated (even though I am).
ReplyDeleteGood thing I eat almost no ketchup!
Never crazy about cleaning here, either Edith, and having unpleasant reactions to all kinds of disinfectants, alcohol wipes, and miscellaneous cleaning products —from Clorox and toilet bowl cleaner through scented detergent — just did my usual cleaning. And to avoid the unwanted sprays of hand sanitizer at stores, I wore and still wear gloves when shopping. As for ketchup: don’t like it, never use it, so don’t miss it.
DeleteOh, Elisabeth - that makes it all doubly hard. Wondering if you're ok with latex?
DeleteI also had an excess of cleaning supplies, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizers that I bought last year during the first lockdown.
ReplyDeleteAs for ketchup, I have none since I have that nightshade allergy. Even eating 1 tsp of tomato paste or sauce or ketchup would cause a nasty allergic reaction that would lasts for weeks. That being said, I have read that the ketchup packet shortage is a US problem, and that we have plenty here in Canada.
I'm laughing here Grace, that ketchup starved Americans will make a run at the border. Ha! Still giggling!
DeleteAnd apparently it's ketchup packets - not bottles of the stuff.
DeleteI confess, I'd be very sad if I ran out of ketchup.
JUDY (and FLORA who commented below): I think the need to get ketchup does not qualify as essential travel, so you will likely be denied entry by the Canada Border Agency, lol.
DeleteInteresting but not changing my behavior just yet. I will continue to wipe down every item from the grocery store or any other store where you grab things off shelves, because many people touch those things. I'll open fedx and ups boxes in the hallway or the garage. We are vaccinated but still wear masks and still no gatherings inside with friends.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we have been to Boston and to Delaware. We have hugged our children and our grandchildren. We are planning a trip!
We have enough ketchup for now and it isn't something we'd stress over. Stay well everyone!
do tell about the trip Judy!
DeleteHugging my grandchildren - they're coming to visit in a few weeks and I canNOT wait! I've warned them....
DeleteRoberta, we'll be taking the kids and grandkids to Disney! A few months off, but still... Also, I want to take a few days vacation in Maine this summer, just Irwin and me. I think I deserve a little romantic get away and I love Maine for B&B's.
DeleteHardly ever use ketchup so I don't know what the availability in stores is. However, I am having trouble finding the canned cat food my guys prefer. It's not the gourmet kind so maybe that is the problem.
ReplyDeleteI have never wiped down my groceries or other packages and living alone I haven't been too careful about disinfecting surfaces. Hand washing, a lot, and masks when out in public.
Friskies canned food is hard to find. It doesn't make sense.
DeleteFriskies canned food is hard to find. It doesn't make sense.
DeleteMy daughter swears by CHEWY - the online side for all things pet-worthy.
DeleteWe do too, Hallie. They have been very reliable.
DeleteWe're not big ketchup fans, anyway, except for french fries.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that ketchup makes a really good copper cleaner? We have a dry sink I bought back before antiques were expensive, and it has a lift-up lid with a beautiful copper tray underneath. I'd never used the dry sink with the top up, but in the new house it is our bar area, so the lid is always up. The copper had really oxidized, and I asked a British friend whose parents had an antique store how to clean and shine it. Of the two ways she suggested, the ketchup did the best job. And was the least messy.
It doesn't surprise me that there's a shortage of ketchup packets. Any time you ask for ketchup at a fast food place they grab a big handful of them. There are probably millions of unused packets in landfills.
I never did get too obsessed with constant cleaning. Life was stressful enough. But I've never used my bare hand to open doors in public places, anyway, not for decades. I always use a sleeve or just push with my shoulder or elbow. I try to be mindful of not touching things others with less serious hygiene than I have may have touched. And I wash my hands all the time.
My husband has the constitution of a statue of an ox. He never gets sick, ever. He can even eat food that has gone off or that has mold, with no effect at all. He's a marvel. Science should study him, seriously. I'm pretty sure that if I started using disinfectant on all surfaces it would actually make him sick.
I'm very excited about Bitterroot Lake! Thank you, Reds and Leslie/Alicia.
It was so interesting when we visited our grandchildren in CA for the first time in a year. Both wear their masks without a peep and use their elbows to open doors. They are 3 and 4! We were amazed.
DeleteWow, that is amazing. Good habits, developed early.
DeleteKaren, we have a copper coffee table, and I've never thought to use ketchup. Thanks for the tip!!
DeleteKaren, thanks for the tip about cleaning with ketchup. I did not know.
DeleteRoberta, our three grandsons all wear their maskes with no problem and the little one is just turning 4. It's what you get used to doing.
ps don't tell John please, but we have antiseptic wipes for a lifetime...
ReplyDeleteMum's the word! I won't tell John if you don't tell Steve about the same situation at our house!
DeleteSomehow this does not surprise me ;-)
DeleteOther than hand sanitizer in the car, I never got excited about disinfecting the house. Thanks to my husband, I own a lifetime supply of industrial grade cleaning supplies I'll never use.
ReplyDeleteI have a bottle of Trader Joe's organic ketchup in the fridge with a use by date of 2016. Usually I replace the pickles, mustard, ketchup and relish every spring...but I obviously didn't do it in 2020.
Stay well, everybody.
I do believe: ketchup never dies.
DeleteI never wiped down the items coming in the house. I store them than wash my hands. I had heard or read that there was a 72 hours frame time that it could be problematic. As I live alone, if I had to manipulate something new in this period, I washed again my hands afterward.
ReplyDeleteI’m grateful for automatic opening doors and handicapped push button doors as I don’t have to use my hands.
This said, I follow public health’s instructions.
Like Grace, I didn’t notice a lack of ketchup here in the stores.
Quite a cleaning frenzy since March 2020. I remember returning home after a day at Left Coast Crime in San Diego and putting everything I wore into the laundry bins. Always washing my hands for 20-25 seconds. Doing everything I can to stay healthy and safe.
ReplyDeleteNot a big buyer of ketchup though I think we have a bottle somewhere in the pantry.
Diana
All that hand washing gets old after... 13 months.
DeleteI never got excited about disinfecting surfaces either. And certainly not about wearing gloves. I think both things give a false sense of security. There is nothing that beats handwashing, something most didn't do enough of prior to covid. I do think disinfecting cart handles in grocery store and public door handles makes sense. It's all about how many people have touched those in the last hour or so. This is a good way to spread colds, flu, strep, gastroenteritis, and yes, even covid.
ReplyDeleteAnd even though vaccinated, I wear a mask in public. Since we get new data on the vaccines almost daily, I think it's worthwhile until we have herd immunity. Half the adults in the US have had at least one shot, but it's doubtful that we'll convince the naysayers soon enough to reach HI by summer. That's another crime to be laid upon our former -- arghhhhhhhhh -- excuse the reference.
As for ketchup, I think we have a new jug, enough to get us thru hamburger season, which is just beginning.
Hand sanitizer has a permanent home in our cars. Not as good as soap and water, but so convenient.
DeleteYes, I've got hand sanitizer in my purse. No soap and water there.
DeleteI keep hand sanitizer in the cup holder in my car. Still use it after shopping anywhere that doesn't provide it.
DeleteI'm allergic to hand sanitizer and many soaps but not to baby wipes. I keep wipes in the car for surfaces and baby wipes for my hands. I wear gloves and I wash my hands constantly with soaps that do not peel my skin.
DeleteA couple of years ago I decided to make myself a burger, and realized I had no ketchup in the house. That seemed odd until I thought through it. I don't use it on anything but a burger, I rarely eat those, and prefer mustard and mayo anyway. The way I figured it, I'd tossed the last bottle of ketchup when I'd done the date purge before I moved. Seven years ago. Hadn't missed it in the first four years. Don't miss it now.
ReplyDeleteI was never a sanitizer when I brought things into the house, but I am careful what I touch when I'm out in public, and wash my hands like a fiend when I get home. I actually went into a grocery store for the first time in nearly a year on Friday. I needed pumpkin for one of my dogs, and couldn't wait until my next big grocery order. It was weird, walking down those aisles. the place seemed fully stocked, although I didn't check on the TP or the ketchup.
A few days ago, I went to the grocery store for the first time in 6 months... I felt like I was visiting Mars. While I was out they moved the coffee into an aisle across from automotive. Cookies are across from pet food now. Like I said: Mars.
DeleteI have enough cleaning supplies and do what I can to keep up on the regular cleaning that you'd do on a daily or weekly basis. I wouldn't say that I've done one of those top to bottom cleanings that would require me to take out a loan to afford the supplies, but the house is clean.
ReplyDeleteHelping out is that I'm the only one here and I don't have people in so I don't have to worry nearly as much about the infectious possibilities from others.
I'd say that I have enough ketchup but since I've lost about 99 percent of my former love of the condiment, the few packets I have in the fridge is more than enough. And I'm probably just going to toss them out anyway.
I'm with Gigi on both counts -- hand washing fiend, but I've never committed to the wiping down of all surfaces and bags. Some call that "hygiene theatre" which strikes me as accurate. More important is the mask wearing and social distancing.
ReplyDeleteAs for ketchup, only ever on a the rare summer/cottage treat of a hotdog for lunch, so one bottle can last years -- and I mean YEARS. The one in the fridge is 3/4 full and its best-before date is May 2020. If you don't hear from me after my next hot dog, you'll know it should have been chucked...
PS - Hallie: I really enjoyed yesterday's post. I learned about a new pasta dish, and various commenters remarks took me down delightful (and delicious) rabbit holes. Who doesn't love videos about food and Italy?
DeleteThanks, Amanda! I had fun checking it all day, too!!
DeleteAmanda, you made me laugh at your last sentence, about the possible result of your next hotdog.
DeleteI wiped down everything, can’t hurt. And my kitchen has never been sparklier.
ReplyDeleteWhen there is something that could kill you, and they are still working out how it is carried, fine with me to wipe things. Why take a chance with that? I am grateful for I haven’t been able to do it, and if science changes, that’s what scientists are for.
As Dr. Fauci said, if your friends tell you you are doing too much, you are probably doing just the right amount.
And I hope I haven’t spoken too soon, but no one in our house got a cold this winter. . That’s pretty interesting.
And I had fun using some very lovely hand soaps .
Hank, that's interesting that no one got a cold this winter. Perhaps the masks helped?
DeleteDiana
Ooooh, hand soaps. A topic for another day??
DeleteYes, I had a work meeting at an elementary school this week, and the staff was saying the cold/flu season was practically nonexistent this year.
DeleteHank, we had NO flu here!!! I don't know about the rest of the country, but if people would just keep up the covid precautions a bit longer, we might wipe out flu altogether.
DeleteExactly, Debs. It's pretty clear that something made a difference. And yes, I LOVE soaps. And SO interesting, Mary C! And Yes, Biblio, makes sense, right? And all the hand-washing? And DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE! And don't breathe or cough on someone else.
DeleteWiped everything religiously when the lockdown first started here in Ohio. But now it's the things we touch in common--doorknobs, toilet handles, etc.--between the masking when out and handwashing, we seem to have avoided flu, colds, etc., so will continue.
ReplyDeleteKetchup seems to be a necessity with a 5-year-old (and two 20-somethings), but we haven't had to resort to hoarding restaurant packets yet. However, Canada is just across the lake, just sayin' ;-)
It's the *packets* that are in short supply here. Apparently gallon containers are easy to come by.
DeleteCleaning the same as pre-pandemic which is good because, like Elizabeth, I can have some sensitive to perfumed cleaning supplies so I'm picky about what I bring into my home. As for ketchup packets. I shouldn't have tossed all those extras that were put, by the handful, in my takeaway meals. I could make a lot of money on the black market. :-).
ReplyDeleteI am very sensitive to the smells of cleaning supplies. The ones with the added scents give me headaches. Every cleaning product I buy is without scent. However, I am not allergic to perfume or the smells added to shampoo..
DeleteMy mother's thought would close up.
DeleteWould anyone like a container of antiseptic wipes? Or two?
ReplyDeleteIt took me months to amass a pandemic-worthy supply of cleaning products. I probably won’t need to buy any for a year now. I stopped wiping down groceries after a few weeks because I couldn’t bring myself to believe that each item had been handled by an infected person just before I picked it up. Even before Covid I washed my hands after grocery shopping, and I still do. But only my hands!!
I’m not a ketchup lover so I wouldn’t have even noticed a shortage! I don’t buy it.
Deb
We wiped down groceries and packages with dilute iodine for an entire year. Sprayed mail with alcohol. I don't regret it, but I'm glad we've stopped. I didn't worry too much about disinfecting surfaces in the house because it was just the two of us. I'm still not touching doorknobs or handles when I'm out, and wash my hands thoroughly after any outing.
ReplyDeleteAs for ketchup, I don't like it, and Rick just uses it for the occasional burger, so we have one bottle in the fridge. It will probably last at least a year!
I use ketchup for marinades. That's about all.
DeleteI wore a mask, washed my hands, kept my distance, and still do for the most part. I think I wiped down door knobs once or twice. I keep hand sanitizer in my car to use when I come out from a store. Mail and groceries didn't get any special attention. I guess we followed the basics and they were enough for our situation.
ReplyDeleteKetchup is not a necessity for me, but evidently it is for Frank. I let him buy the ketchup and the yellow mustard. And right this minute I see a bowl on the counter with 18 Heinz Ketchup packets. Where the heck did that come from?
Now we know where they all went!
DeleteI've been trying to avoid touching surfaces outside my home ever since I came down with the H1N1 flu back in the winter of 2010. I had NEVER been so sick before, and I'm convinced I picked it up at the local university, where I had been working in the library.
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing: coronovirus isn't spread via fomites (infected surfaces.) Yay! But almost all rhinoviruses, influenza viruses, and noroviruses (those nasty ones that give you the stomach flu, among other things) ARE spread via contaminated surfaces. So I'm going to continue to wash my hands, use hand sanitizer every time I get back in the car after running an errand, avoid touching light switches and door knobs as much as possible (pashminas are terribly useful for this!)and make a conscious effort to not touch my face.
This was the first winter in years I didn't have a cold which developed into bronchitis. I like that! Let's keep the ball rolling!
You are so right, Julia. I always washed my hands as soon as I got home and have avoided touching my face for years. We are still very happy to see the tail end of this extremely stressful time just up ahead.
DeleteI live in a frat house -- the cleaning is never what it should be. A nurse friend told me early on that Covid wasn't spread through surfaces, so I never got into the cleaning frenzy other than using hand sanitizer whenever I ran an errand -- just in case.
ReplyDeleteI've stopped wiping off the groceries from my pick-up orders. That drove me crazy anyway. But, I still wash my hands a lot and use hand sanitizer when out. I also still try to avoid opening doors with my bare hands if I'm out somewhere. I use a piece of my sleeve or shirt. I still carry my plastic disposable gloves with me, too. I keep the kitchen counter wiped down really well, but I'm not as nervous about it all as I was before I had both of my vaccine shots.
ReplyDeleteSince I live alone, I just wash my hands when I come home or get the mail. I don't like ketchup but keep it on hand to make barbeque sauce or freshen tomato-based leftovers. I just bought some last week. Stay safe and well.
ReplyDeleteMost people bleed blood, I bleed ketchup.
ReplyDelete