“Cleaning” purchased groceries

No not at all I am washing my hands and my fruit and veg
Washing every tin or packet is paranoia

polnan don’t be disgusted with Mortisons at 6am this morning the queues to get into the shops that have dedicated an early slot for elderly and vulnerable was chock a block with queues of young healthy people waiting to fill their trolleys up

May I say that doctors of all levels and all persuasions concur in saying that the difference between vulnerable and high risk is often blurred by people who have asthma and the like.
High risk is counted as having had an organ transplant or something of similar gravity.

Annie can you wipe your meal replacement bottles in a washing up solution?

I've been washing or storing everything that comes into the house for a few weeks now.
I don't think it's paranoia, we really don't know what we are up against. I keep feeling it's like we are in a war with an invisible enemy.
I haven't been to the supermarket for nearly 2wks and don't plan to for the time being. I had started going regularly to Lidl but as they don't deliver I've gone back to Tesco.
When my shopping was delivered on Tuesday I put all the non perishable items in one big bag and took it upstairs and it will stay there for as long as it needs to, I guess the longer the better.
I had a sink full of hot soapy water and scrubbed down the outside of the milk bottles and everything else that was washable and dried them all with some kitchen paper before putting them in the fridge or freezer.
I have a note on the front door asking the postman or delivery driver to just leave anything by the front door and my other half uses gloves to pick things up and take them to the garage where we leave them for a few days before opening them.
I do find it difficult, it's a constant battle to make sure everything is kept clean and easy to make mistakes.
I managed to get a few bottles of hand sanitiser this week and yes I used a bit of hand sanitiser I already had to wipe down the outside of the bottles.
I just wish this would all go away but it worries me that this could go on for the next year or two

It might be easier to just wash things as used and wash hands after using something.

Good heavens! I don’t know if I am blasé, or just a bit thick, but it never occurred to me that shopping could be contaminated. The only things I have managed to buy in the last few days, that I needed, are a bottle of milk and a packet of dates. So I am not too bothered right now.
In the event that I manage to get some things from the shops in the next few days, I will have to decide just how far I will go with decontamination. I have always believed that a bit of muck was good for my immune system. So far it has worked, as I am the healthiest 80-year-old I know. Maybe desperate times call for desperate measures now.

Shopping that will wait is self-isolating in the back bedroom.
Stuff that needs unwrapping is dealt with immedietly and packaging discarded ( I wear gloves for this)
Coins are soaked in a bleach solution
Anything else is cleaned with a dettol wipes or spray.

Of course it is sensible to wash hands frequently as we often even unconsciously, touch the face, but sterilising shopping I feel is a step too far for me.

I am endeavouring to keep my sanity and sense of proportion, and the unlikely event, that every single item of shopping is likely to infect me, is going to send me round the bend.

My OH and myself are vulnerable by age, and he has asthma, but even if we get the virus the odds are that we won't die.
I am not becoming so paranoid that I will disinfect my shopping, just observe normal hygiene.

I have worked in hospital operating theatres so am trying to be sensible, not blasé.

It is simply not true that the virus does not survive outside the body. Scientists have found that it does - on some surfaces it survives for hours, on others it is days. Regard everything coming into your house as potentially infected, including the post. Obviously you can not spray a letter but wash your hands after handling it.

As far as risk is concerned, there is risk and high risk. I believe that people who are in the high risk category are going to be contacted in the near future, but I don't know if that is true. Obviously it is going to be people like cancer sufferers, etc. Others, like me, are in the risk category. My heart condition doesn't make me more likely to catch it but, if I do, it can make the illness worse. But most of us are in the risk category by virtue of being old! Our immune systems don't work so well . That's why more of us die of pneumonia if we catch it, even without the virus.

Be extra fussy. It just takes a bit of time and it could keep you safe.

have no problem with others thinking I'm being paranoid or OTT it's my health and therefore my responsibility. I haven't suggested anyone follow my example which given my health I believe to be entirely sensible. Everyone needs to do what they think necessary and my mental health is just fine.
Annie if you can use a trigger action bottle to spray your meal replacements with dettol or similar and then rinse that should be fine or dunking them in a bucket of dettol and rinse would have the same effect. Just try not to worry.

GabriellaG54 high risk is anyone above or below 70, who receives the flu vaccine for underlying health issues, which includes asthma.
I wipe the shopping trolley handle before I start my shop, not the goods I buy.

So what do I do about the newspaper that is pushed through my door at 6am each day? Can't exactly wipe it, and don't want to give it up.

The virus can live up to 72 hours on hard surfaces according to the experts on the news. Less on fabric, but they didn’t say by how much.

Flexible Friend - anti viral spray??? What is that - have only every seen anti-bacterial.............

I do think people are becoming paranoid about Corona Virus. No I won't be washing my shopping, hands yes, frequently. I use anti bacterial spray on worktops but this is a virus so they're not really effective. If people carry on as they are now we will have no natural immunity left.

Each to their own, do what you feel is best, I do wipe external door handles but newspaper & post, no just wash hands when I handle them.

I live on my own (apart from cat) so no changes to how I normally live, I've had Pneumonia twice & survived, others may not agree but I believe we can cause ourselves undue stress which leaves you more susceptible to the virus

All the advice is confusing & often contradictory

I draw the line at sterilising my shopping although the 28 year old son does.
I do wipe door handles etc and threw away the bags the home delivery shopping came in.
Hand washing and not touching my face.
It’s bad enough self isolating without nurturing my paranoia.

Is anyone else like me? Every time I go out I am mentally telling myself “keep your hands off your face, keep your hands off your face”. Thats when I get these little itches coming, on my cheeks, chin, eyes, nose. Then it’s “don’t scratch, don’t scratch”. Must be all in the mind. It’s driving me nuts. ??

Where are people buying this antiviral spray? Someone remarked they’d bought a few bottles! Haven’t even bought one ..there’s none to buy. I have a half bottle of out of date sanitizer, bought goodness knows when..that’ll have to do.
Haven’t even thought about sterilising my shopping. I’d be worried about the chemicals on my food !
Have wiped the door handles with wipes when I come in from dog walking and washing hands as normal indoors. Trying not to touch my face !

Zoflora disinfectant is antiviral and smells nice. It has to be diluted so I mix it with water in a spray bottle.

I tell myself ‘don’t touch your face’ realised this morning I
always sleep with my hands under my cheek.

Anniebach and me! I never even considered that ?

Rowyn, I tie newspaper round my christmas cahe to stop it burning, so if you're looking for a way to sterilize the outside pages of your paper, bung it in an oven - but don't forget it or set fire to anything ;)

Thanks once again Gabriella54 for some calming, sensible advice. I am grateful for everyone’s suggestions but have to admit I tend to follow your advice. ??

No hand gel, no disinfectant wipes available anywhere near me, we’re thinking of making our own gel following the ‘recipe’ on the WHO website . I’d be interested to hear from anyone else who’s making their own . Diluted dettol for wiping surfaces, but it’s anti bacterial not anti viral .

Caro57
I'm using an antiviral spray by Clinnell bought on Amazon months ago so probably no longer available, it's tasteless and has no smell and effective against pretty much everything.
As someone else said Zoflora works on 99.9% of viruses too.
I use these sprays routinely because my health is compromised and needs all the help it can get.