Cleaning

I agree that masks ought to be made compulsory in shop and that includes the staff.

I too would like more people to wear masks. Perhaps they should be compulsory in certain places.
Touching possibly contaminated items is the reason we are told to wash hands thoroughly. Items in supermarkets may have been touched by others. So for me its about minimising the risk.

I'm much more worried about very few people using masks in supermarkets than worry about the virus left on groceries. Shame that such a simple step is not compulsory.

I open the post and dispose of the envelope, put shopping away, rinse fruit under the tap as I have always done and wash hands after I have touched anything that has come in from the outside. Dr. Fauci said early on that there's no need to wash the shopping so that was good enough for me. I think that hand washing is the key when coming into contact with things and wearing a mask when in closer contact with people.

I am still washing all food before putting away. Anything in a packet jar tin goes in the hall cupboard or stays in the car boot for three days. I still disinfect handles remotes bannister. All towels etc are changed every day. I will do this until social distancing stops.

annie - I do think you are overdoing it - you do need some peace and relaxation in your life.

It would be good if you could try and eat some real food as well as the prescribed meal drinks. Some fresh fruit would be good. And eating can be a pleasure too of course.

The problem with the prescribed meal drinks is that they fill you up so much that you cannot eat proper food.

Please take care of yourself and hopefully have something to eat that you might enjoy.

I open post, put the envelope aside in the porch to go in the recycling (a couple of days later, using gloves). I am assuming that the letter inside will not have been touched by anyone for some time, so not bothered about that. I wash my hands after dealing with the post.

I use a dilute disinfectant solution in a spray bottle for all my shopping then it goes straight into cupboards. Then I wash my hands.

I use marigolds when gloves needed (e.g. whilst washing shopping) then spray the disinfectant on them and "wash" my gloved hands in it.

None of this takes very long at all and is intended to kill off any virus that others' hands might have left on it.

In theory none of it is needed as long as people wash their hands immediately after touching incoming stuff and do not touch their face before hand washing, so that they could not have transferred any bugs to their eyes, nose or mouth, through which it might enter the body.

I am doing a bit of a belt and braces though as my DDs have been through so much this year - they do not need a sick mother to worry about.

OP - I think you are overdoing it and making life more difficult than it needs to be. I do understand that it feels like a bit of a scary situation but you really are doing more than enough, so I hope you are able to relax a bit about this.

I am washing my hands. I’m not leaving post for days, I’m not washing my shopping, I’m not changing my clothes she. I come home.

Agree sodapop .Also, unless I’ve missed something, why are you not eating food anniebach?

Anniebach try to relax little over this or you will wear yourself down and be more open to infection.
Hand washing and surface cleaning are the most important things.

I don't do any of that. I wash my hands thoroughly, several times a day. Shopping is put away straight away, and I look at post/parcels as soon as they arrive.

I wipe the kitchen, bathroom, cupboard door handles, tv remotes, mobile 'phone, computer mouse, and light switches every day, with Zoflora on a clean cloth - but I did all that long before the virus (I've been doing those things for years). My dishcloths, tea towels and kitchen towels are changed daily and are washed at 60 degrees - again, I've been doing all that for years.

? BlueBelle. Exactly! People think I’m bonkers not thinking I shall either die or kill someone the instant I poke my nose out...

Do you all do this cleaning regime when we have a bad year of flu with thousands dying, and yes it does happen some years
There is sense in being careful but some of the things being done on here is really beyond any necessities and apart from ordinary hand washing or using sanitiser if you feel safer when out and about this it really over the top and will very fast become a germ phobia and that will be harder to get rid of than the virus
This OCD has became worryingly infectious for some people

You are right polyester I'm surprised masks here have only recently become compulsory on public transport and I believe only in England. Nothing in supermarkets and enclosed indoor spaces. Now they mention reducing the 2m distance as well!

Well I don't do anything except wash my hands and wear a mask. I do my own shopping, cleaning my hands when I leave the supermarket and cleaning the car keys , other than that nothing. Also going to have dental treatment in the next 2 weeks. It would seem that the dentist has to clean and then leave the surgery for an hour after each patient. Just thought I would add that bit in

I live in a part of Europe where we´re nearly out of lockdown. We all wore masks everywhere from the middle of March on, we have on the other hand never been told to disinfect shopping. When you think about it, really and seriously, a virus isn´t going to jump at you off a tin of beans, it is passed on by breathing, coughing, sniffing, being in confined spaces with infected people. Use your common sense, wash your hands and wear face masks.

NanaHev .....I think you have it about right, and we are doing much the same.
If you open your post/parcels straight away, just wash your hands afterwards.
It is a virus not a germ.

I was washing the milk bottles but haven't done the ones which were delivered today as we won't be opening them just yet.
Fridge food goes on a separate shelf for a few days. Cupboard food ditto in the cupboard.
However, I thought I'd buy DH some custard tarts and they are use by today (just delivered).
So we'll open them, throw the packaging away, wash our hands then eat them. They'll have been in that packet longer than 72 hours, I bet!

I try to be careful without overdoing it.

I think the virus is supposed to die off after 72 hours, Anniebach but do what you feel comfortable with. I found some rather old sterilising tablets and sometimes wash the bottles in a solution of that if I intend to use them straight away.

I’m just doing lots of good through hand washing. I don’t do anything other than that really. I do my own shopping, put it away, washing hands between. I open post as usual. My house might be a little less dusty because I’ve got more time at home so I see the dust and have now got the time to do it.

I am very grateful for all these comments as they make me feel that being a bit of a slack-Alice is not so bad after all. I think people are right that we are all in danger of doing ourselves mental damage over all this cleaning. I felt so sorry for a young mum being interviewed on TV and saying that sanitizer had gone up from 60p to £3.60p and she was on benefits and she felt she was letting her child down. I hope someone told her that hand washing is better anyway.

This has been troubling me from the start, I too have arthritis and my hands are badly twisted, only use of thumb and forefinger. There was a thread some time ago , I was fearful,
can’t get top off disinfectant etc, it was even recommended to
wash each leaf of any plant bought. Not having anyone to ask
i put everything in the bathroom for a week or more, don’t eat
food, drink liquid meal replacements delivered monthly from
the pharmacy, I wash 250 bottles, a few every day.

I use washing up liquid for bottles of milk and honey, dog food, leave tea bags a month and then wash the package with
soap on a cloth . To add to it, I have to bring things from the
bathroom on a trolley so wash that everyday.

I am overdoing it ?

I did wipe my shopping down with disinfectant wipes for the first few weeks, but got fed up with it and now don't bother at all. I have hand sanitiser in the car and use it every time I get back in the car then wash my hands as soon as I get home, and again after I have put all the shopping away. I think I could quite possibly get OCD regarding germs if I carried on disinfecting everything and worrying, so decided to ease up and not get too hung up about it. Happily, I now don't worry about it and am just cautious rather than fanatical!

As above.
The chances of getting CV19 are small, whatever Project Fear tells us. Those of dying are even smaller - unless, of course, one is vulnerable. If one was betting on a horse, would you put money on it? Thought that...
(now ducks under the parapet to tend to gunshots...)

Calendar girl I'm with you. Carrying on as normal and washing hands frequently. Cleaning as normal.

Oh there’s always stories of extremes still not worth your mental health to be going into OCD mode
Stay clean wash your hands and live your life