Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => This 'n' That => Topic started by: Jeepers on April 14, 2020, 01:15:22 PM
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Hi all
I hope you don't mind me starting this thread.
I am OCD, and part of that is about following rules. But, I am getting really confused being bombarded with different information about keeping our houses virus free.
I'm WFH, but my daughter has to go out to work ( in an office where the management don't adhere to the rules!), so I feel like the house is continuoully contaminated.
So,I wanted to ask what others are doing?
I'm confused about the details... Soap and water are good, but what concentration? Do we rinse off door handles afterwards? Do we dry after that?
Some experts say we have to disinfect as well. Is it okay to have a bowl of diluted bleach and use that? I know we have to let that air dry. Do we go back and wipe off again later?
Also, I have a steam mop and hand held which uses detergent (vax). Is this a good way to kill the virus
I'm off sick today, but usually I'm working, and at the moment I'm getting up at 5.30 to do all of these things, then again in the early evening.
I'm exhausted and stressed, so would love to hear what others are doing.
Much love
Jeepers xx
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Hi :)
I watched a TV programme last night about this very subject, something like ?Coronavirus- How clean is your house?
They used a normal splodge of washing up liquid in hot water for pretty much all areas. They used diluted bleach for ?hot spot? areas such as handles, switches, bathrooms and floors.
I thought the programme would be overload, but it really was just being sensible.
Eg Wear one pair of shoes outside and leave by front door, along with coat, when you get in.
Wash clothing/bedding 60 degrees.
They talked about what to do if someone is ill with the virus in the household too.
The main thing was keep washing your hands!
it's worth a watch and may help resolve some of your worries :D
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Tnx Salad
That's how I understand it - as soon as it was muted that this Virus was spread by contact, I set to in the house, car, camper, Council bins etc., etc., etc.. All the jay cloths used were boiled that day. I also have an old toilet brush which I put over the Council bins and a sponge for the handles which can be put into the bin.
Boiled water with bleach and laundry powder. Use marigolds if necessary which can be washed under hot water and air dried. Keep separate for those tasks.
Keep a good distance from others in the streeet/shop etc.
When walking cross the road if necxessarey and practice a cheery wave
Inside I have been using HOT water with laundry powder and a dash of 'domestos' - or meths which can be wiped on to handles etc. with a cloth and allowed to evaporate. The point is to break down the fatty outer layer of the virus, in other words, it drowns.
As a 2 person household and we have no visitors ....... I don't have to obsess now that it's done. If you have a spray thingy make up a dilute mix of bleach in hot soapy water for use around bath taps, shower heads, shower doors ..... squirt and retire. No need to wipe it will drip off. Taps daily. Wipe round the toilets with a dilute mix, as above. Then spray the toilet brush and handle. Don't forget window handles .......
That's a good idea about a set of kit for outdoors and indoors. I'm not that organised but I do carry hand sanitiser when shopping to wipe trolley handles then I do the car doors, gear stick and steering wheel; don't forget the boot. The one thing I keep forgetting is the wooden stair rail ::).
Boil wash towels, flannels etc. and sheets/pillow slips. Allow to dry on the line in the sunshine if necessary.
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Also - make a list to tick off so that you know you have done the chores, morning, afternoon and after your evening routine.
I did the remote controls and 'phones once ........ and light switches, once. If there are more in the house you might like to do those morning and night. Or get others in the house to help ......
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Clod
I must read more carefully. I read that you cleaned your bin with an old toothbrush, that really made me laugh.
Okay, so I?ll do that then , hot water with washing up liquid or household soap, and a squirt of bleach. I don't think I've got any squirt bottles (trigger), as I only usually use bleach and cig. I worry about breathing in from trigger sprays!
Getting others to help is a battle. My daughter is out working, and my nephew rarely leaves his room. I have to remind him to wash his hands too!
Salad, thanks, I?ll check out that programme , was it itv?
I feel really guilty as well, because I was feeling really dizzy this morning , and so rather than drive my daughter to work, she took the bus. Usually we see buses with one or two people on board, but wouldn't you know it, she said there were 10!, I must make sure I don't do that again..,
I've been doing taps about 10 times a day!
I don't think my machine has a boil wash setting. We all have our own hand and bath towels, in both bathrooms.
Good idea about the list, thank you 😊
Jeepers xx
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I squirted the hand wash the wrong way last week ;D ..........
Well using a toothbrush would be cheaper than going to the Gym? ;D. I do the Council bins after they have been emptied each week.
cif is what I have around for the bath/basins as well as lemon juice. Plus bleach. Plus a liquid to clean lime scale. Name escapes me ::)
Serious about what exactly?
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Which bit?
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Probably the tooth brush ? :D
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Oh dear, I haven't been doing any of that.
Haven't done anything different apart from washing hands more because I haven't been reading/watching all that stuff.
I haven't been doing it either, just the hand washing. I'm a bit too fatalistic to believe it will make much difference.
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Nope. There's 2 here so it isn't a problem for us. DH cooks and I clean ........ we have a dishwasher and the laundry gets done at either 40 or 60. I seem to have been washing laundry more often, on an 'incase I die' basis - 'cos Himself wouldn't have enough undies ;D.
We usually wash hands after blowing a nose, wiping eyes anyway. I am not over clean :-\ . Would rather be in our garden ;).
It's what makes us comfy in the current situation ....... I'm not good at stepping back when talking to others, I have to give myself a :kick:.
Mainly this thing is caught by contact. Or when someone breaths who is infected: onto another person, onto a service, onto hands which transfer the Virus ....... I don't trust the supermarkets to keep the trolley handles clean enough and have wiped groceries down B4 putting them into the pantry [there's posh ;)] apart from canned goods of course as we don't want a surprise when opening them ;D
It's about what keeps anxiety levels low enough to function.
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I get where you are coming fro. Stellajane.
My bf lives alone, and goes to Sainsbury's once a week. So once he is home, and wiped everything down and washed his hands and door handles, he's good to go.
I'm OCD, and the fact that I can't control my environment ( daughter coming and going to work, nephew moving in after lockdown).
And yes, the supermarket is a complete nightmare
You are right Stella, I am exhausted, mentally and physically.
Jeepers xx
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you have a Plan now Jeepers ....... share it with others in the household and suggest they tell you how they will help.
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OCD is about the fear of routine being broken etc.. Now that I have done handles etc. and as long as I remember to do the Council bins after emptying and keeping the letter box, car handles wiped as below, I have felt better.
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It's low until my anxiety levels rise. Usually manifests in continual hand washing but never dusting ::) - I make a list of when I should wash/rinse and ticking off helps.
I also mutter under my breath which is another type. Putting the world to rights ::)
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I was anorexic from age 3, diagnosed at 5 and ate enough 2 stay upright for years. Lived on chocolate ;D
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Having low energy is good for OCD. it's kept mine at a low level. I've always been fussy washing my hands, so I've just carried on as normal. I wipe handles, taps etc once a day. That will have to do. There's only 2 of us and I'm officially vulnerable apparently ;D, so I'm not going out, not even for a walk at the moment or even in the garden due to the high pollen level that's triggered my asthma. DH is avoiding going out as much as possible because of me. So I'm not worrying about overdoing the cleaning. It must be more difficult if you have people living in your house who go to work. I was talking to my daughter, who says she comes home from working in a homeless shelter, and immediately strips, showers and washes her hair, washes her clothes and that's it. She does not wash her clothes in very hot water.
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Juju
That sounds good, that your ocd is under control.
Yes, much more difficult with others. Tonight we had pizza ordered in. I carefully supervised the opening and disposing of the boxes. Unfortunately, I forgot about the dips, and although I didn't have mine, both of the youngsters did, without wiping the cartons down! My nephew even had his resting in top of his pizza. Needless to say, it's freaked me out .
Daughter apologised, saying she just didn't think about it
Jeepers xx
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So they probably have a good immune system anyway ? It's the hot food that is important .
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:bang: :bang: :bang:
DH has been upstairs doing I know not what. I asked for him to prepare a melon to eat - I had to remind him to wash his hands! the mutter was "they haven't been anywhere" >:(
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I've been washing my hands after putting the groceries away, or other shopping trips since the beginning so nothing new there. I've gotten into the habit of spraying down the door handles, tv remotes, light switches, and cordless phones with Lysol spray every day. My hubby says that's overkill. ::) My family is pretty good about washing their hands frequently as well. We don't go out much past groceries or pharmacy trips anyway. And now that we are in lockdown, we have reduced our food shopping to once a week.