Cleaning your cabin when boarding.

Personally I find germaphobes quite amusing.... Except for the fact that they are going to create a generation of super germs because of all the wipes and goo they use. Just wash your hands folks.

I always look for bed bugs but have never found any. We use our knuckles to press elevator buttons. We take sanitizer to the restaurant but use it after the menus are removed.

 

We still get sick!

 

Sandy

I never look for bed bugs, always use fingers to push lift buttons, and never carry my own sanitizer. And I don't get sick!

Perhaps you're doing something wrong?

They do have very effective medication for treating OCD now.

Take the alcohol rub internally...:rolleyes:

Here's some actual facts to interrupt all the anecdotal logical fallacy being ballyhooed around here.

The three big reasons that people are living increasingly longer lives are:

 

• Food supply and nutrition
  
• Health
  
• Hygiene
  

Feel free to google that.

Now, coming from a background with 5 doctors in our family + 1 hospital director, we do believe that ABX cleansers are overused and bad for society. Thankfully, most governments agreed and are removing these products from the shelves.

Also, if food drops in our homes, then we tell our kids that it's okay, go ahead and pick it up and eat it, if it's not visibly dirty...use common sense.

However, if food drops in public, then we tell them that it's NEVER okay to eat.

This is why:

The bottoms of shoes are a cesspool. Bacteria live longer on our shoes than in other places. As we walk, we constantly pick up new debris that feeds the growth of more bacteria. Shoes can transfer them to the tile floors. Carpeting harbors bacteria even more.

Not only that, people touch all of parts of their bodies (noses, genitals, mouths) at any given time on any given day. Just because you're on a cruise ship doesn't mean people stop doing this. These same people touch public surfaces. There are many diseases and pathogens transmitted via indirect contact, ie, sitting on a hard surface.

That's why we apply the same philosophy toward hand washing. We *always* do it before eating in public. While at home, it's only required after using the restroom and other situations, just use common sense.

While I don't doubt everyone's own anecdotal evidence about not having to hand wash to avoid illness, there are plenty of studies that you can search for that prove the contrary.

If you want to disinfect your stateroom and create a safe haven, that's smart. Here are just a few reasons why:

• C. difficile was shown to survive for five months.
  
• Norovirus can survive for days or weeks on hard surfaces.
  
• Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that cause MRSA infections can survive for days to weeks on surfaces.
  

You can look this up on many medical websites. You don't know if your attendant had time to do a thorough cleaning before you got there. And who knows if the last person in there was sick or healthy?

While you and your attendant will always be bringing in new bacteria, the best we can hope for is mitigating risk.

Bottom line, are there people who hand wash too much? YES!

Are there people who don't hand wash enough? YES!

Just be balanced and use common sense but don't fall into a false lull of confidence because of past anecdotal evidence.

With how many people talk about keeping their rooms tidy for housekeeping, housekeeping must have been completely disgusted at us.

When we boarded we couldn't have cared less about how well the room may have been cleaned (or not cleaned) before we boarded. Before boarding the ship in Anchorage Alaska, we had been backpacking in the wilderness. Our hiking boots were still caked in mud (as we had been hiking and got caught in a rainstorm just before boarding) so we ended up leaving a trail of muddy footprints all the way to our cabin.

The ship was the first hot water we had in a month. After washing up we had to call for extra towels as every towel we had was filthy. As the ship didn't have laundry facilities, we did our laundry in the sink and strung the laundry all around the room to dry.

We were definitely far more dirty than anything the room had seen in a while, so needing to clean the room after boarding is not something which I can share a story about... how to make a mess of a room upon boarding, that I can share stories about.

How did we all not get violently ill on all our vacations back before the turn of the century?????

I do nothing differently from what I've always done when I travel. I have only come down with something during a trip - back in around 2000 (came down with the flu the 2nd morning of a trip, so it had nothing to do with cleaning). The times I use a sanitizer is when washing with soap and water is not available (like in the bush in Africa or among the ruins in Egypt). I don't clean my room/cabin. The unsanitary habits of the male of my species does not bother me to the point of having to re-sanitize the toilet, the toilet handle, the sink, phone or remote control (someone here seemed to have a problem with men, but not women's habits)...

The one thing I do at hotels/ships - remove the bedspread if one is used and have it taken away for the duration. I can't stand the feel of them - reminds me too much of the 60s with that cheap feel and quilting always weirded me out.

Anti-bacterial wipes are right up there with Airborne tablets as a complete scam. In order to be effective, the surface to be disinfected needs to be wet for up to ten minutes. A quick swipe really does nothing except spread germs around. You'd need to wrap the wipe around the remote or whatever, or press it down on the counter, for ten minutes for it to do anything effective.

Anti-bacterial wipes are right up there with Airborne tablets as a complete scam. In order to be effective, the surface to be disinfected needs to be wet for up to ten minutes. A quick swipe really does nothing except spread germs around. You'd need to wrap the wipe around the remote or whatever, or press it down on the counter, for ten minutes for it to do anything effective.

Go get a flu shot this season and let me know if the nurse wipes down your skin for 10 minutes.

Totally agree about the Airborne tablets. :)

How did we all not get violently ill on all our vacations back before the turn of the century?????

I do nothing differently from what I've always done when I travel. I have only come down with something during a trip - back in around 2000 (came down with the flu the 2nd morning of a trip, so it had nothing to do with cleaning). The times I use a sanitizer is when washing with soap and water is not available (like in the bush in Africa or among the ruins in Egypt). I don't clean my room/cabin. The unsanitary habits of the male of my species does not bother me to the point of having to re-sanitize the toilet, the toilet handle, the sink, phone or remote control (someone here seemed to have a problem with men, but not women's habits)...

The one thing I do at hotels/ships - remove the bedspread if one is used and have it taken away for the duration. I can't stand the feel of them - reminds me too much of the 60s with that cheap feel and quilting always weirded me out.

Maybe because ships weren't able to carry over 9,000 passengers and crew back then?

Go get a flu shot this season and let me know if the nurse wipes down your skin for 10 minutes.

 

Totally agree about the Airborne tablets. :)

That is a bit of a different situation. The object of swabbing the area of the injection site with an alcohol prep is not to kill bacteria but an attempt to remove bacteria from the site of injection so as not to inoculate them under the skin when the needle pierces.

That is a bit of a different situation. The object of swabbing the area of the injection site with an alcohol prep is not to kill bacteria but an attempt to remove bacteria from the site of injection so as not to inoculate them under the skin when the needle pierces.

As is the point of wiping down a hard surface?

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As is the point of wiping down a hard surface?

 

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I guess the point there is to move the bacteria from the area that you intend to use to someplace else as a spray and quick wipe are most likely killing nothing.

I guess the point there is to move the bacteria from the area that you intend to use to someplace else as a spray and quick wipe are most likely killing nothing.

Yeah, the bacteria will move some place else, like the sanitary wipe? And then you just throw it away.

If you're fine with not sanitizing at all, more power to you. But if people want to sanitize, then why do you care if it isn't operating room table clean?

Wiping down hard surfaces with disposable sanitary wipes works, go to any health clinic and ask. It's not operating table clean but some folks are fine without sanitizing at all. So, it's at least better than that.

Like I said, some people do it too much, some not enough. Just do whatever makes you comfortable. There will always be sick people on every cruise. There's over 9,000 guests and crew on the Harmony. It's unavoidable. I would simply prefer not to be one of them. [emoji6]

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With how many people talk about keeping their rooms tidy for housekeeping, housekeeping must have been completely disgusted at us.

 

When we boarded we couldn't have cared less about how well the room may have been cleaned (or not cleaned) before we boarded. Before boarding the ship in Anchorage Alaska, we had been backpacking in the wilderness. Our hiking boots were still caked in mud (as we had been hiking and got caught in a rainstorm just before boarding) so we ended up leaving a trail of muddy footprints all the way to our cabin.

 

The ship was the first hot water we had in a month. After washing up we had to call for extra towels as every towel we had was filthy. As the ship didn't have laundry facilities, we did our laundry in the sink and strung the laundry all around the room to dry.

 

We were definitely far more dirty than anything the room had seen in a while, so needing to clean the room after boarding is not something which I can share a story about... how to make a mess of a room upon boarding, that I can share stories about.

Oh man, I really hope you are joking, but to leave a trail of muddy footprints all the way to the cabin is simply rude and disrespectful to the crew and to the other passengers on board.

You may want to rethink this idea and spend sometime in the restroom to clean off your shoes before boarding and leaving a trail for others to clean!

Clean your cabin all you want but the germs, viruses etc. are outside of cabin. On all door handles, railings, bathroom surfaces,those plastic glasses in buffet and more. Ever see them clean door knobs? .Spent almost 2 mos. on Celebrity this year.People are still bypassing the guy with sanitizer by buffet and not washing hands in ladies room. Celebrity even installed an attendant in ladies room on last part of Fall TA. I was told there is no cure for Noro.

Clean your cabin all you want but the germs, viruses etc. are outside of cabin. On all door handles, railings, bathroom surfaces,those plastic glasses in buffet and more. Ever see them clean door knobs? .Spent almost 2 mos. on Celebrity this year.People are still bypassing the guy with sanitizer by buffet and not washing hands in ladies room. Celebrity even installed an attendant in ladies room on last part of Fall TA. I was told there is no cure for Noro.

You are somewhat misinformed. While it is true that there is no common drug to effectively treat Noro (it is a virus), the "cure" is simply one's own body which will generally deal with the virus within a few days. And then voila...you are "cured."

As to Noro, it is among the most common of viruses and infects around 20 million Americans every year....most of whom have never even seen a cruise ship. Most who get the bug just figure its a "stomach bug" and do fine.....but a few do get hospitalized and a very few (less then 1000) die. A CDC educator (who was on our ship training the crew) once told me that one of their working theories was that most Noro issues on ships were brought aboard by passengers who picked up the bug on a plane (very dirty place). And we should mention that common alcohol-based hand sanitizers (like what is used on many ships) are not very effective against Noro. Washing hands with soap and water is much more effective. Some ships (like the new Royal and Regal Princess) have installed hand washing facilities at the entrances to their Lido buffets.

Hank

Yeah, the bacteria will move some place else, like the sanitary wipe? And then you just throw it away.

 

If you're fine with not sanitizing at all, more power to you. But if people want to sanitize, then why do you care if it isn't operating room table clean?

 

Wiping down hard surfaces with disposable sanitary wipes works, go to any health clinic and ask. It's not operating table clean but some folks are fine without sanitizing at all. So, it's at least better than that.

 

Like I said, some people do it too much, some not enough. Just do whatever makes you comfortable. There will always be sick people on every cruise. There's over 9,000 guests and crew on the Harmony. It's unavoidable. I would simply prefer not to be one of them. [emoji6]

 

 

 

 

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If I gave the impression that I care what other people do about this matter let me assure you I don't. I was simply responding to your comment about not wiping your skin for ten minutes before getting a flu shot. The point of the wipe is not to kill bacteria, it is to move them. That was all I said and intended nothing more so don't try to turn it into more. I don't need to go to any health clinic to ask them anything. I understand that you are related to a bunch of physicians. I am not just related to a few.

If I gave the impression that I care what other people do about this matter let me assure you I don't. I was simply responding to your comment about not wiping your skin for ten minutes before getting a flu shot. The point of the wipe is not to kill bacteria, it is to move them. That was all I said and intended nothing more so don't try to turn it into more. I don't need to go to any health clinic to ask them anything. I understand that you are related to a bunch of physicians. I am not just related to a few.

Actually, the guidelines for flu shots is not to use any alcohol wipes...but to merely use soap and water. In practice this is not usually done. When I worked in an Emergency Room our director once argued that using an alcohol wipe before a simple shot was more for psychological reasons (it makes the patient feel better) then to kill anything. Here is the most recent NIH chart...which is also endorsed by the World Health Organization:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK138495/table/ch2.t3/?report=objectonly

We are not aware of any study that shows a risk of giving an IM shot without disinfecting the skin. Yes, it goes against common sense...but science is supposed to be about proof...and so there you have it. To quote from the NIH info: "Unresolved issue because there is insufficient evidence on the need to disinfect the skin with alcohol before an intramuscular injection to change the 2003 WHO recommendation (7); further studies are warranted."

Hank

P.S. This is getting a bit off topic...but some folks find this kind of info enlightening.

A couple of people don't seem to know just who they are arguing with.;):D

I always use those clorox cloths that come in a little pouch to wipe down the phone, remote control, light switches and handles in hotel rooms and cruise cabins. I also wipe down anything I might touch around my seat when I get on an airplane.

 

Since I started this about 10 years ago I have only gotten sick twice on vacations/work trips. Before that it was more than half the time I traveled. I also wash my hands when returning to my room, before meals, etc. You never know what you'll touch when using handrails and elevator buttons. I don't think what I do is overkill - it's just been working for me.

I do the same exact thing and I use the Clorox Wipes also.

Lol-make sure on the plane -you double hit the tray

the tray -that is known to be the dirtiest area on a plane

also it's been said not to put isn't if your personal

items in those magazine holders locsted on back of seats 😕

a couple of people don't seem to know just who they are arguing with.;):d

isnt that the truth

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2422635

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Useful thread - thanks!

Here is the other side of the story. We have been cruising and travelling internationally for years. Since retiring four years ago we have spent an average of 5-6 months per year travelling outside North America. Usually twice a year, 2-3 months at a time. SE Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia/NZ, etc. Cruises, B&B's, five star hotels, street food, whatever.

We have never bothered with wipes of any kind. Neither of us have ever been sick. No noro, no nothing.

So not using Clorox wipes has certainly worked for us.