Disinfecting your cabin question.

[brillohead]

2 hours ago, Glaciers said:

 

Hopefully your exam rooms are disinfected and everyone there isn't just relying on hand washing.

Patient rooms are cleaned daily and after a patient is discharged.  I don't work in an "exam room".  

[WI6WA2]

We have greater concern on the tray tables and arm rests on the planes. I guess it is really one's personal  hygiene or lack of that causes us concern. Just saying !

[Diver2014]

I have Clorox Healthcare Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaner Disinfectant Wipes (155 in a plastic jar).  Stated on the back of the jar are the amounts of time required when using one of the wipes to disinfect:  3 minutes contact time for norovirus, 1 minute contact time for other viruses and bacteria but avoid use on aluminum, copper, galvanized steel and silver (stainless steel is ok).  They're made for medical use according to Clorox.  You can use them to wipe down the TV remote, door handles, bathroom surfaces (including shower floor and knobs), the keypad on the safe, telephone receiver and buttons, elevator buttons, hand railings, menus, you name it as long as you don't use them on the above mentioned metals.  I use them in the buffets as well on a daily basis.  In fact, I clean the most used surfaces daily in our cabin- it only takes a minute.  I've never been sick on, before or after a cruise since 1988.  Washing your hands every chance you get is the best way to avoid norovirus.....other than staying home.  Use common sense.

[txflood33]

5 minutes ago, Diver2014 said:

I have Clorox Healthcare Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaner Disinfectant Wipes (155 in a plastic jar).  Stated on the back of the jar are the amounts of time required when using one of the wipes to disinfect:  3 minutes contact time for norovirus, 1 minute contact time for other viruses and bacteria but avoid use on aluminum, copper, galvanized steel and silver (stainless steel is ok).  They're made for medical use according to Clorox.  You can use them to wipe down the TV remote, door handles, bathroom surfaces (including shower floor and knobs), the keypad on the safe, telephone receiver and buttons, elevator buttons, hand railings, menus, you name it as long as you don't use them on the above mentioned metals.  I use them in the buffets as well on a daily basis.  In fact, I clean the most used surfaces daily in our cabin- it only takes a minute.  I've never been sick on, before or after a cruise since 1988.  Washing your hands every chance you get is the best way to avoid norovirus.....other than staying home.  Use common sense.

 

what do your table mates think of you wiping down your menu for 3 minutes? 

[Diver2014]

My table mate is my DH.  We always sit at two top tables.  It usually takes me at least 3 minutes to read the entire menu so I wipe it as soon as its handed to me and lay it on the table.  Not a lot of work involved. 

[lenquixote66]

We met a couple on a recent cruise who wear gloves on cruise ships.

[Diver2014]

I wear a clear plastic throwaway glove to handle the utensils in the buffet then toss it before I eat OR I use a paper napkin to handle the serving utensils if I forget to bring my glove.  Again, not a lot of extra work as far as I'm concerned.  Why take the chance?

[GeezerCouple]

1 minute ago, Diver2014 said:

My table mate is my DH.  We always sit at two top tables.  It usually takes me at least 3 minutes to read the entire menu so I wipe it as soon as its handed to me and lay it on the table.  Not a lot of work involved. 

 

Do you handle those wipes with bare hands for that much time (a few minutes, at least 3 minutes, right?) each time, throughout the day?  Or do you wear gloves while doing that?

This was one thing that gave us problems, but the wipes we used weren't supposed to touch skin directly, and certainly not for that much time.

 

However, the relatively recent time one of us got what probably was Noro (about 3 years ago, and landed me in an overseas hospital), it had nothing to do with a cruise.

Well, it had nothing to do with a cruise that *we* took.  I probably picked "it" up in Venice, and later, in Milano, I got desperately ill.  There were plenty of cruise passengers staying at our hotel.  It was a 5* hotel, but those little virus critters are equal opportunity.  Yes, there was a self-serve breakfast buffet.  That might have been the problem.

One other reasonable possibility was with a purchased pre-made sandwich, and possibly careless food handler(s).

Or, of course, a door handle or handrail...

 

GC

[donaldsc]

24 minutes ago, Diver2014 said:

I have Clorox Healthcare Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaner Disinfectant Wipes (155 in a plastic jar).  Stated on the back of the jar are the amounts of time required when using one of the wipes to disinfect:  3 minutes contact time for norovirus, 1 minute contact time for other viruses and bacteria but avoid use on aluminum, copper, galvanized steel and silver (stainless steel is ok).  They're made for medical use according to Clorox.  You can use them to wipe down the TV remote, door handles, bathroom surfaces (including shower floor and knobs), the keypad on the safe, telephone receiver and buttons, elevator buttons, hand railings, menus, you name it as long as you don't use them on the above mentioned metals.  I use them in the buffets as well on a daily basis.  In fact, I clean the most used surfaces daily in our cabin- it only takes a minute.  I've never been sick on, before or after a cruise since 1988.  Washing your hands every chance you get is the best way to avoid norovirus.....other than staying home.  Use common sense.

 

By "staying home", I assume that you mean literally never leaving your home.  Noro and many other germs and viruses are everywhere and unless you wear gloves all the time and a face mask, you can't avoid them.

 

DON

[Diver2014]

2 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

By "staying home", I assume that you mean literally never leaving your home.  Noro and many other germs and viruses are everywhere and unless you wear gloves all the time and a face mask, you can't avoid them.

 

DON

 

You're absolutely right.  I figure any amount of deterrent such as hand washing or glove wearing or wipes is better than nothing.

[SantaFeFan]

This is how my wife and I avoid germs whenever we leave the germ free safety of our sanitized and hermetically sealed house. It completely eliminates the need to wiping down everything, and prevents any germ from getting to us, even if we accidentally wipe down our menus for only 2 minutes and 55 seconds instead of the required 3 minutes. 

 

This is a photo of us on our recent Asia cruise. No telling what kind of killer germs those countries are full of. 

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[Diver2014]

5 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

This is how my wife and I avoid germs whenever we leave the germ free safety of our sanitized and sealed house. It completely eliminates the need to wiping down everything, and prevents any germ from getting to us, even if we accidentally wipe down our menus for only 2 minutes and 55 seconds instead of the required 3 minutes. 

 

This is a photo of us on our recent Asia cruise. No telling what kind of killer germs those countries are full of. 

 

 

Hee Hee…...okay I laughed with you.  But, let's not get carried away.  You don't wipe your menu down for 3 minutes.  You wipe it once then leave it for 3 minutes while you read it.  The less you handle to wipes, the better.  You cannot get the wipes near your eyes either.  Use them quickly, then dispose of them quickly.  They are not cure alls but I feel better using them.

[navybankerteacher]

It isn’t so much disinfecting everything you touch (presumably BEFORE you touch it - though that can be difficult), it is the other thing:  keeping the bad stuff you touch out of your system. Your skin is a pretty good barrier - - it keeps bacteria and viruses out of your system:  of course you want to keep it clean - only touching disinfected surfaces is ideal, so try frequent (and effective) hand washing;  but the crucial thing is to not introduce things to your system — through the “holes” in your skin:  your eyes, nose and mouth.  If you keep your hands away from those “holes” you will go a long way towards protecting yourself from things your disinfecting did not deter.

[calliopecruiser]

24 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

of course you want to keep it clean - only touching disinfected surfaces is ideal,

 

Not really - your immune system needs to work to do a good job and get better at it.  Sure, touching clean surfaces is great, but disinfected?  Not so much. 

 

[navybankerteacher]

3 minutes ago, calliopecruiser said:

 

Not really - your immune system needs to work to do a good job and get better at it.  Sure, touching clean surfaces is great, but disinfected?  Not so much. 

 

We are talking about staying healthy on a cruise ship - which is loaded with thousands of people just off planes, trains, busses, etc. — at a time when you want to enjoy a cruise you’ve just spent a bundle on:   not exactly the best time to put your immune system to the test.  No- this is the time to play defense;  exercise your immune system some time when you can afford some down time.

[calliopecruiser]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

exercise your immune system some time when you can afford some down time.

Exercising your immune system shouldn't require any down time, any more than walking around the block would require any down time.  Dealing with sanitized and disinfected items isn't "ideal" for people who want to stay healthy -- frequently cleaned (surfaces and bodies) is better. 

[SRF]

13 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

My table mate is my DH.  We always sit at two top tables.  It usually takes me at least 3 minutes to read the entire menu so I wipe it as soon as its handed to me and lay it on the table.  Not a lot of work involved. 

 

So your hands have already touched the dirty menu.  So really you should get up and go wash your hands again.

 

And the dirty menu has touched your table, and possibly your utensils, so they need to be replaced.  But oh, the servers touched them.

 

Time for a sterilized bubble.

[Diver2014]

43 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

So your hands have already touched the dirty menu.  So really you should get up and go wash your hands again.

 

And the dirty menu has touched your table, and possibly your utensils, so they need to be replaced.  But oh, the servers touched them.

 

Time for a sterilized bubble.

 

You do what you want and I'll do what I want.  I have never been sick on a cruise ship. Happy cruising.

[SantaFeFan]

44 minutes ago, Diver2014 said:

 

You do what you want and I'll do what I want.  I have never been sick on a cruise ship. Happy cruising.

 

I never worry about such things and have also never been sick on a cruise - or on any vacation, actually. For decades I have allowed my body to build up immunity that medical science tells me is more effective at preventing illness than constantly disinfecting surfaces I may touch. The more you build up that bubble around you, the more dependent you become on it. 

Edited January 23, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[davekathy]

No wearing of gloves, facemask, extra wiping down or cleaning for us. We practice the same safe guards we always do no matter where we are or how we travel.    

[GeezerCouple]

21 minutes ago, davekathy said:

No wearing of gloves, facemask, extra wiping down or cleaning for us. We practice the same safe guards we always do no matter where we are or how we travel.    

 

In some places (thinking on land here), it's not too uncommon to find people wearing those medical face masks most of the time, at least in public.

 

Not only did we find that odd, given no (apparent) epidemic, but... it was so frequently worn with only the mouth covered... if they were breathing through their noses... why bother with the face mask.

However, apparently it is somewhat of a "fashion statement"?  If it's mostly a fashion statement, then I guess the proper placement doesn't matter.

 

[OTOH, I saw a video of an airplane emergency, and quite a few passengers also had the oxygen masks only over their mouths.]

 

GC

[davekathy]

16 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

In some places (thinking on land here), it's not too uncommon to find people wearing those medical face masks most of the time, at least in public.

 

Not only did we find that odd, given no (apparent) epidemic, but... it was so frequently worn with only the mouth covered... if they were breathing through their noses... why bother with the face mask.

However, apparently it is somewhat of a "fashion statement"?  If it's mostly a fashion statement, then I guess the proper placement doesn't matter.

 

[OTOH, I saw a video of an airplane emergency, and quite a few passengers also had the oxygen masks only over their mouths.]

 

GC

I agree. I just consider it to each their own. I've never seen anyone on any of our cruises wearing latex gloves or surgical masks. Maybe I will on our March cruise. 

[GeezerCouple]

5 minutes ago, davekathy said:

I agree. I just consider it to each their own. I've never seen anyone on any of our cruises wearing latex gloves or surgical masks. Maybe I will on our March cruise. 

 

Maybe a Halloween cruise would be an opportunity to wear the "full battle gear", including full body suits and helmets. 

 

GC

[davekathy]

21 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Maybe a Halloween cruise would be an opportunity to wear the "full battle gear", including full body suits and helmets. 

 

GC

I should have saved my M-17 gasmask from Vietnam. 

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 1/21/2019 at 10:01 AM, txflood33 said:

 

I use it to turn my tv on and off and change the channels....what do you do with it?

I'm not sure I want to know.  Otherwise I might have to START sanitizing it.  😜