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Post by Cranky on Apr 11, 2020 19:08:05 GMT -5
How's that for a catchy title?
Here is what we do to TRY to lower the probability of getting infected.
*The house and car are the fortresses that must be protected.
*When we get out of the car, straight to the trunk to put on face mask and gloves.
*We have learned the "pockets in hands" shopping. Basically, the hands come out to take something from the shelf and pay. Nothing more. Easier said then done. We also actively try not to let anyone handle the product or cards.
*On return of the car, we take out a high quality squirt bottle that has 50% bleach/water. Plus a washcloth in a 1 liter, closeable container. We wipe down ALL hard surfaces, or plastic bags that have a product in plastic, like milk and two loaves of bread. Paper enclosed product is left in the trunk for 24 hours and then put away, deeper back in our stock shelves. Raw fruits/vegetables are brought in, washed with water and then put away for at least 3 days of before touching again.
*When finished with the bleach processing, we wash the gloves with bleach, take off the mask and get into the car.
*When home, on go the gloves, everything is put away, gloves washed again and life goes on.
*ALL hard surfaces in the kitchen, door handles, faucets, etc. get the "I love Bleach" treatment on a daily basis.
Why bleach? Because we ALWAYS use it as the go-to bacteria/virus killer for 45 years. On sale, it's a few dollars a gallon and it's by far the cheapest and deadliest product for the job.
Are we excessive? NO. The entire process sounds complicated but it only takes us five to several minutes in total. Being in the older and higher percentage death rate, we kind of want to be around the next Habs cup, twenty, thirty years from now.
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Post by jkr on Apr 11, 2020 20:41:15 GMT -5
We've been doing something similar with anti bacterial wipes. We will be starting with a bleach mixture soon. Two reasons, it works better & we are running out of wipes & they are hard to find. We have been trying on line shopping. Twice so far because I am reluctang to go into stores. We also have been wiping down the groceries. One idea that I heard about for groceries that I liked was about the baskets. Buy your own basket. Who knows how many hands have been on them. I am now wearing a cloth mask made by a friend but I am still getting use to it. It's going to take some discipline. I am at home now but my wife works in a sector considered essential. The first thing she does when she gets home is head to the basement to wash her clothes. We also use separate bathrooms now. Guess who got the larger one.  Things like hand towelS are tossed in the wash daily. I also wipe down the interior of her car. I need to step that up to a daily job. We've had no visitors for a while & about the only time I go out is to walk the dog in a large park near the house. I'm not finding the cleaning regimen a chore. I'm a neat freak that has always liked everything in its place AND clean. Just alot of extra motivatoon now. |
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Post by Cranky on Apr 11, 2020 21:07:58 GMT -5
Jkr.....the bleach can do a number on the car so we use a spray bottle with a rotating on-off and Tupperware for the wash cloth. The stuff is vicious.
The extra procedures are staying after the virus, but not in the car. We use to bleach down the counter and cutting boards but stepping up to the food too.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Apr 12, 2020 11:15:58 GMT -5
Great initiative, HA, thank you ...
* Before I contribute to the cause, I'd like to say that Kingston just confirmed two more cases of COVID-19 after going 4 straight days without one ... we now stand at 54 in total ... Kingston is getting the message and you can see it throughout the city ... I'm not saying we don't have our invincible, stoic holdouts, every city does, but the main roads are practically devoid of cars ...
* Our hands have probably been the cleanest they've ever been ... we now have hand sanitizer in the front foyer and that just might be a permanent fixture once the dust settles on this plague ... in the future, we'll encourage friends coming into the house to use the sanitizer ...
* Mrs. Dis is still working so 'everything domestic' falls on me ... this includes wiping down surfaces every 2/3 days ... we're getting used to the smell of "Mr. Clean" concentrate going through the house ...
* Our cars are clean anyway, but I wipe out the car Mrs. Dis uses to go to work ... surfaces, the dash, the steering wheel, etc, all get the Lysol Wipes treatment ... we haven't had to use the other car so it stays where it is ...
* Doorknobs and mail are a concern, so we wipe down the knobs and disinfect our hands after handling the mail, grocery bags, or anything else that we might be totting into the house ...
* Money ... we carry a small amount of cash with us but everything is being done by debit now ... no money passing between hands ... as an aside, once this is all over we're hoping banks come up with more reasonable plans for debit card usage ... cash may be necessary here and there but it might be reasonable to assume that credit and debit cards might be closer to the norm once things get back to normal ...
* We see our neighbours all the time but, again, everyone is playing the game ... on one side, we have a pathway between our houses which provides us with more than the distances we need to honour social distancing ... on the other side, there's a young family of four and we haven't had any 'breaches in conduct' so to say ... last weekend, though, I did go over to my neighbour's driveway across the street ... he had three chairs set up, about 10 feet from each other and we just drank beer and talked about whatever came up ... that was only the one time ...
* We did our first takeout in quite a long time on Friday ... "Captain George's Fish & Chips" ... probably 12-15 people all standing around outside, but everyone was playing the game ... folks were standing about 10 feet apart from each other while waiting for their orders but it was like the parting of the Red Sea as I approached the front entrance ... we paid with debit and the girl who took the order ensured that the card reader was completely sanitized before I used it ... she did this for every customer ...
* We usually carry a small amount of cash with us, but whatever we need to buy, groceries, gas, etc, is all debit now ...
* Groceries ... as I was saying elsewhere, Mrs. Dis works in a grocery store pharmacy ... this is a total role reversal and she loves it ... she's the bread-earner now and, as I said earlier, I've got everything else, including making sure she's out the door with everything she needs ... if we need groceries she'll usually pick them up before she comes home ... however, if we need groceries on her day off I'll do it myself ... a good time to go (for us) is about 30 minutes before closing ... there aren't a lot of people there and those who are all playing the game ... neither of us wears masks, though we have a few of them down by the front door ... I will wear plastic gloves and take an alcohol swab with me to wipe down the handles of carts or handbaskets I'm using ...
* If we have banking to do only one of us will go ... we wear gloves and wipe down the ATM button pad with a swab before we use it ...
* The last thing I want to talk about is social contact ... I've already mentioned the neighbours, but Mrs. Dis and I have been contacting every family member we can think of, as well ... even if we contact relatives we haven't talked to in eons, the gesture brings out the very best side in folks ... we've also done this with a lot of our friends, as well ...
* Keep vigilant and keep well folks ...
Dis
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Post by Willie Dog on Apr 14, 2020 11:11:36 GMT -5
* We did our first takeout in quite a long time on Friday ... "Captain George's Fish & Chips" ... probably 12-15 people all standing around outside, but everyone was playing the game ... folks were standing about 10 feet apart from each other while waiting for their orders but it was like the parting of the Red Sea as I approached the front entrance ... we paid with debit and the girl who took the order ensured that the card reader was completely sanitized before I used it ... she did this for every customer ... Haven't tried Captain George's... used to go to Pilot House when I was working in K-Town |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Apr 14, 2020 13:17:22 GMT -5
* We did our first takeout in quite a long time on Friday ... "Captain George's Fish & Chips" ... probably 12-15 people all standing around outside, but everyone was playing the game ... folks were standing about 10 feet apart from each other while waiting for their orders but it was like the parting of the Red Sea as I approached the front entrance ... we paid with debit and the girl who took the order ensured that the card reader was completely sanitized before I used it ... she did this for every customer ... Haven't tried Captain George's... used to go to Pilot House when I was working in K-Town You can't go wrong there, Willie ... that was a regular Friday lunch spot for a lunch group I used to belong to and the fish & chips are very good ... not far from there is Dianne's Fish Shack & Smokehouse and while theirs is good, too, they're pretty expensive ... Captain George's is expensive but unlike DFSS I'll have enough leftovers for lunch the next day ... Willie, if you have to pass Kingston via the 401 then look for Mr. Chips in Napanee ... it's on the right side and not too far north on Hwy 41 ... this used to be the old Napanee Fish & Chips, which is now on the south side of the 401 ... punch them into your GPS and you won't have any problem finding either ... you'll probably want to bring some fish home with you, they are that good ... oh yeah, killing the enemy ... we've only done takeout twice in the past month or so and we've ordered in only once ... we have a few outstanding projects to look after but Doug Ford just announced that we'll have another month to get them ... at least, that is ... Cheers. |
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Post by Willie Dog on Apr 14, 2020 18:20:41 GMT -5
Haven't tried Captain George's... used to go to Pilot House when I was working in K-Town You can't go wrong there, Willie ... that was a regular Friday lunch spot for a lunch group I used to belong to and the fish & chips are very good ... not far from there is Dianne's Fish Shack & Smokehouse and while theirs is good, too, they're pretty expensive ... Captain George's is expensive but unlike DFSS I'll have enough leftovers for lunch the next day ... Willie, if you have to pass Kingston via the 401 then look for Mr. Chips in Napanee ... it's on the right side and not too far north on Hwy 41 ... this used to be the old Napanee Fish & Chips, which is now on the south side of the 401 ... punch them into your GPS and you won't have any problem finding either ... you'll probably want to bring some fish home with you, they are that good ... oh yeah, killing the enemy ... we've only done takeout twice in the past month or so and we've ordered in only once ... we have a few outstanding projects to look after but Doug Ford just announced that we'll have another month to get them ... at least, that is ... Cheers. I agree, DFSS is expensive... i love the smoked cod at Pilot House. Have eaten at the old Napanee fish shop so i know where Mr. Chips is. Will check it out when I'm near there. |
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Post by Cranky on Apr 21, 2020 17:24:36 GMT -5
I love bleach as a disinfectant....but I don't love the smell.....
Soooo....I read as much as possible about the virus and the apparently soap strips it casing. The last two weeks we changed the method we use to clean up our food sources. From the car, everything goes on a side table and then we have a heavy dose of Dawn and water on a facecloth, wet but not dripping, and we wipe down all surfaces with it. EVERYTHING but raw food. Then leave it for five minutes until the water evaporates, wipe it down with a towel and put it away. We do NOT rinse, if there is a soap layer, PERFECT, it will serve as a virus killer.
Now, we are not as concerned that everything will smell like bleach and if there is any "Dawn" contamination, it will be small and relatively safe.
My wife has this "I'm in the kitchen and put everything away instantly", but after a few unpleasant exchanges, she learned to sit down, take five minute to let the soap dry, wipe the excess and put everything away.
This is a different world right now and old habits means squat. This procedure is just another "must do" for as long as it takes until the virus is no longer a threat to us.
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Post by jkr on Apr 22, 2020 7:49:40 GMT -5
Why Dawn?
I have seen the ads where Dawn is used to clean animals caught in an oil spill. Does that have something to do with your choice?
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Post by Cranky on Apr 22, 2020 8:08:12 GMT -5
Why Dawn? I have seen the ads where Dawn is used to clean animals caught in an oil spill. Does that have something to do with your choice? 'Cause I always clean my mouth with Dawn after cusing out when our Prince gives away another billion or 50....  We use Dawn for a couple of decades and given that there is always soap residue on dishes, chances are we "consume" a tiny bit through the year. We also use it to wash our hands. We have in the kitchen dispenser AND in soap dispenser in the family room area bathroom and laundry. We trust it's effectiveness more then "hand soap". One thing I want to emphasize. There is a heavy amount of soap in the facecloth. It's what strips the protective layer off the virus. But also emphasize that something like tomato packaging has hole on top so we are careful to make sure the cloth wont build water droplets dropping onto the tomatoes. The idea is to cover the surface area and not allow excess to drip. On one hand, it is more work then before, but it isn't enough to "skip". About several minutes more to reduce the odds close to zero from at least one source. |
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Post by CentreHice on Apr 22, 2020 10:35:19 GMT -5
Of course, these procedures will also go far in lowering the perennially huge "socially accepted" (up-til-now) numbers associated with the "regular" strains of flu. 65+ has always been the most vulnerable group. With numbers like these, we certainly didn't need another on top of it. (Estimated # of symptomatic illnesses is usually double the Medical visits, plus another 2-3 million).
U.S. influenza stats from the CDC...after H1N1.
2010-11
Medical visits: 10,010,597
Hospitalizations: 289,983
Deaths: 36,656
65+ pct. of deaths: 68.5%
2011-12
Medical visits: 4,329,532
Hospitalizations: 139,866
Deaths: 12,447
65+ pct. of deaths: 75.3%
2012-13
Medical visits: 15,799,206
Hospitalizations: 571,382
Deaths: 42,570
65+ pct. of deaths: 82.6%
2013-14
Medical visits: 13,192,531
Hospitalizations: 346,912
Deaths: 37,930
65+ pct. of deaths: 74.9%
2014-15
Medical visits: 14,407,876
Hospitalizations: 590,869
Deaths: 51,376
65+ pct. of deaths: 87.2%
2015-16
Medical visits: 10,642,006
Hospitalizations: 276,198
Deaths: 22,705
65+ pct. of deaths: 76.9%
2016-17
Medical visits: 13,633,446
Hospitalizations: 496,912
Deaths: 38,230
65+ pct. of deaths: 85.9%
2017-18
Medical visits: 20,731,323
Hospitalizations: 808,129
Deaths: 61,099
65+ pct. of deaths: 83.3%
2018-2019
Medical visits: 16,520,350
Hospitalizations: 490,561
Deaths: 34,157
65+ pct. of deaths: 74.8%
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Post by Cranky on Apr 22, 2020 13:40:42 GMT -5
Of course, these procedures will also go far in lowering the perennially huge "socially accepted" (up-til-now) numbers associated with the "regular" strains of flu. 65+ has always been the most vulnerable group. With numbers like these, we certainly didn't need another on top of it. NOW you tell me? At least we have fond memories from the last few decades of great hockey and all those cups....  |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Apr 23, 2020 10:00:17 GMT -5
I love bleach as a disinfectant....but I don't love the smell..... ... Now, we are not as concerned that everything will smell like bleach and if there is any "Dawn" contamination, it will be small and relatively safe. Both of our bathrooms reek of Mr. Clean concentrate (a lot more than usual) ... we don't mind that antiseptic kind of odor that resonates through the house when the windows are open but if it did it dissipates very quickly ... Lysol Wipes are also very effective for a quick wipe-down ... To a degree ... our son was taught that he washes his hands every time he'd come into the house after being outside ... he no longer lives with us but he still does that today ... what's changed is the frequency of him washing his hands ... we also now clean our refrigerator regularly once a week whereas it was a monthly thing before ... as an aside, I talk with Dis Jr. regularly ... he and his wife have it figured out, that is to-work-to-home-to-work, but I'm not convinced his workplace is doing a much as they could ... I asked him what precautions they've taken for the workplace (Purolator) and they don't even have hand sanitizer ... he also described the gloves they provided and he said they'd be better off without them ... as far as I know, he's already approached the union on this, so it'll be interesting to see what transpires from that ... Cheers. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Apr 23, 2020 10:33:50 GMT -5
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Post by Cranky on Apr 23, 2020 13:55:15 GMT -5
2017-18Medical visits: 20,731,323 Hospitalizations: 808,129 Deaths: 61,099 65+ pct. of deaths: 83.3% 2018-2019 I was talking with my wife about the stats and she reminded me..... Interesting thing about that year is that i got the flu and the coughing was so bad, i must of pulled a muscle. Worse cold in my life. Every cough would put me on my knees. Lasted about 3 days. Conicidently, my wife got it bad in September and again when in February, when i got it. What is unusual is that i rarely get colds, maybe one every 2-3 years and at most, it's inconvenient coughing. I never got flu shots in my life. So....kind of interesting that the worse cold in my life was the deadliest that year. Whatever strain was going around, it was a killer. I wonder how many died in Canada that year. |
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Things like hand towelS are tossed in the wash daily.
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