So I guess the best idea is to wash or spray those surfaces or if that's not possible refrain from touching with hands?
10% bleach is what’s used in labs.
Our very first microbiology experiment (second? We also swabbed common surfaces, but those take a few days to grow) was testing 5/10/15/20/25% etc all the way up to 100% bleach on pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungus, & parasites... as well as all the spray cleansers, hand “wash” (note, never buy that nonsense, it’s just fragrance+thickening agent. Cleans Jack all. Ditto beauty bars, etc. Beauty bars are water soluble hand lotion), various soaps & “soaps”, as well as microbial loads in boiling water (if you don’t boil for more than 10 minutes? -Almost- Might as well not boil it at all.)
Very much like entering a tear gas chamber with a gas mask on, then removing it to stream snot out of every orafice as you cough/hack/piss/puke your way to the exit ... so you can learn to trust your equipment/yep these suckers really DO work! :woot:... it’s a course requirement to get students to understand how important 10% bleach, soap+water, & autoclaving is when working with microbes.
Clearly, it’s only about a zillion times easier to sanitize hard surfaces with 10% bleach. Most people aren’t going to want to ruin their fabrics with it.
Dealing with an immunocompromised child? Every time I left the house I’d strip my clothes into the washing machine, start it, then step into the shower, scrub pink, brand new clothes. Even though it’s been years since we had to be that vigilant? I still feel gross if I’m transitioning between being in public and being at home without stripping and showering. Eeeeeeeeew bringing the outside inside. Icky.
I ordered some masks online. I felt guilty but with my asthma and tendency to get upper respiratory infections I want to have at least one on hand. I could only get any if I bought 100. I will check in with the older and imune-compromised folks I know and give them masks if they need and then take the rest to the clinic
They’re only effective until the moisture from your breath makes them damp. The moment masks get wet you might as well not be wearing them, except as a reminder not to touch your face. That’s why pros change masks not just between each patient, but if they’re with the same patient for an extended period of time, and why people with supporessed immune systems can easily be going through 3-5 masks per hour when they’re out in public in humid climates (the average nurse can go through 30-50 per shift if they’re masking for each patient, every time they gel in/out. Which is part of the crazy making, that’s normal, and now there’s govt. idiots thinking that allotting 1 mask per nurse per day, is somehow a boon to them? O_o Ummmm :banghead: Anyhow, point being, if you’re interacting with the public for work, you’re going to need all 100 and probably a few hundred more... unless you’re talking about the hot/semirigid/vacuum sealed masks with virus filters? As opposed to standard disposable masks? Because those have a semi-decent lifespan. I still hated the “evil masks”... whether Bactria filter, virus filter, or both... they’re a bitch to breathe through, the sweat down your face keeps breaking the seal, & your eyes are still totally exposed, so it just felt like WTF? Why up precautions this far, without requiring full face masks (gas masks) or suits? It just always seemed strange to me. Because in the field we had gas masks with different can filters, when we were far LESS exposed to the same pathogen, than locked in a room or vehicle with it. So it just drove me crazy.
Jeeeze. Little bluebird of happiness me. :facepalm: ?
