purell and hand wash on ships

[Buck Turgidson]

Do any cruise lines encourage hand cleanliness of the hand wash and Purell stations. in the buffet  My last two cruises on the Spendor (Purell)  and Panorama the stations were there but no one was encouraging people to wash or squirt.  I came home  from both cruises with bad cough, chest congestion and weakness for two weeks. Years ago other lines encouraged hand cleaning and I am wondering if they still do. 

Edited February 10, 2020 by Buck Turgidson

[CruiserBruce]

Whether you got those illnesses on board, or elsewhere,  like your flight, is impossible to prove. 

 

What has been proven,  and discussed here endlessly,  is that Purell and related products don't work well on viruses, which you may have had.  Corona and Noro are both viruses. Handwashing with soap is more effective. As result,  in our recent cruising, Purell has been available,  but not as aggressively pushed.

[Buck Turgidson]

5 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Whether you got those illnesses on board, or elsewhere,  like your flight, is impossible to prove. 

 

What has been proven,  and discussed here endlessly,  is that Purell and related products don't work well on viruses, which you may have had.  Corona and Noro are both viruses. Handwashing with soap is more effective. As result,  in our recent cruising, Purell has been available,  but not as aggressively pushed.

I agree with you Bruce, 

Edited February 10, 2020 by Buck Turgidson

[Buck Turgidson]

1 minute ago, Buck Turgidson said:

I agree with you Bruce, 

I was on some cruises years ago where they were aggressive, Might have been Princess, I just did not get sick on other cruise lines and I road trip so no flight , maybe I.m just getting old and have less resistance .

[RocketMan275]

9 hours ago, Buck Turgidson said:

Do any cruise lines encourage hand cleanliness of the hand wash and Purell stations. in the buffet  My last two cruises on the Spendor (Purell)  and Panorama the stations were there but no one was encouraging people to wash or squirt.  I came home  from both cruises with bad cough, chest congestion and weakness for two weeks. Years ago other lines encouraged hand cleaning and I am wondering if they still do. 

The FDA has told Purell to cease and desist making claims that their produce protects against viruses.  

 

https://www.weau.com/content/news/Purell-accused-of-making-unverified-claims-about-product-567404931.html

Edited February 10, 2020 by RocketMan275

[leaveitallbehind]

RCI and Celebrity both have crew members dispensing Purell at the entrances to the buffet as well as when you board the ship.  Some of RCI's newer ships also have mandatory washing stations at the entrances to the buffet with crew members directing you to them as you enter.  That option is IMO the better one.

 

As with any situation where you are in a concentration of people - a mall, a restaurant, a school, and airport/airplane, a cruise ship, etc. - there is always the possibility of getting sick if someone you are around has a contagious illness, regardless of how often you wash your hands.  Even more so if you are only relying on Purell as the defense.

Edited February 10, 2020 by leaveitallbehind

[lenquixote66]

I am obviously in the minority because I use Purell in public bathrooms.I bring my own.If you wash your hands in a bathroom you first must touch the faucet and then touch it again after washing your hands.

[Tapi]

I think everyone agrees that thoroughly washing hands with soap is the best course of action, but because there are SO many passengers that don't do this, the cruise lines have started using hand sanitizer as a secondary alternative that, while not as effective, and doesn't protect against all virus and illnesses, it's still better than nothing. 

 

Personally, I travel for work, so I'm weekly passing through airports and I'm up on airplanes and at hotels. I used to get sick fairly frequently, until I started carrying a little bottle of hand sanitizer with me. I sanitize my hands frequently throughout the day, specially before eating something, and I rarely get sick anymore. So even if hand sanitizer isn't effective with certain viruses, I believe that it definitely has its benefits. 

[Philob]

"WASHY-WASHY" is better than NO "washy-washy" 😊

[lindsay0526]

On Disney they gave us some kind of wipe to use on our hands before we entered the buffet area. They had crew members at every entrance handing them out. 
 

I prefer wipes when on a cruise versus gel or spray because you can actually wipe debris off of your hands. Let’s keep in mind that everyone’s most dreaded cruise ship virus, the norovirus, begins as fecal-oral contamination.

 

Edited February 10, 2020 by lindsay0526

[c-boy]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

I am obviously in the minority because I use Purell in public bathrooms.I bring my own.If you wash your hands in a bathroom you first must touch the faucet and then touch it again after washing your hands.

good to know that someone else has the same mindset 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

I am obviously in the minority because I use Purell in public bathrooms.I bring my own.If you wash your hands in a bathroom you first must touch the faucet and then touch it again after washing your hands.

Don"t many faucets in public bathrooms now feature faucets that automatically turn on when you put your hands under them, and then turn off when your hands are no longer under them? No touching.

[ldubs]

I'm not a proponent of hand sanitizer one way or another.  I have a habit of washing with soap because I like it.   But I wonder --- why is washing better than using an alcohol based hand sanitizer.  I understand the sanitizers are good for bacteria.  Does washing with soap kill viruses?  

 

 

[Bizmark'sMom]

Washing with soap doesn't kill viruses, but it does rinse them down the drain with all of the other stuff that had been on your hands.

[Donald]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

I am obviously in the minority because I use Purell in public bathrooms.I bring my own.If you wash your hands in a bathroom you first must touch the faucet and then touch it again after washing your hands.

The CDC conducted many surveys on cruise ships over the past decade. They discovered that ships pushing the hand sanitizers had far more Norovirus cases than ships that do not. Too many cruisers do not understand that hand sanitizers are an adjunct to handwashing - NOT a replacement.

 

Other CDC surveys pinpointed the best locations to contract Norovirus; 1. airplanes, 2. schools, 3. prisons, 4. old age homes, and 5. hotels. Did you or any of your fellow cruisers visit any of those locations before the cruise? Just about everyone.

 

The next surveys pinpointed the best places on a cruise ship to contract Norovirus; 1. Self-service buffets, and 2. public toilets.

Where does just about every mass market cruiser go immediately upon boarding? 1. Buffet, and then 2. Public toilet.

 

So if you carry a container of sanitizer with you, where do you store it?

Most people opt for a trouser pocket, possibly the dirtiest place on a human being - or a purse, the second dirtiest place.

So you take the contaminated bottle of sanitizer out of a pocket or purse. This guarantees that your hands are contaminated.

Then you sanitize your hands.

Next you use your clean hands to place the still-contaminated bottle back into your contaminated pocket or purse.

So your hands are contaminated again.

You have just defeated the system.

 

Purell may not be effective against Norovirus. But there are some hand sanitizers that are effective. In order to kill Norovirus "spores', there is a minimum requirement called "dwell time". This is the length of time a liquid sanitizer remains liquid and in contact with the viral spores. Most sanitizers require a dwell time of several minutes in order to be effective. How many of you squirt the sanitizer on your hands, work it around a bit, and then quickly dry your hands? You have just defeated the sanitizer and rendered it ineffective. The dwell time was too short to be effective.

How many cruisers squirt enough sanitizer on their hands to keep it liquid for several minutes? Hardly anyone.

 

Now let's talk about the mobile telephone that you carry in your contaminated pocket or purse. This is the thing that you are constantly pressing against your face, letting others press against their faces, and handing it to any number of people to hold and view a photo or video. How many times a day do you properly sanitize that mobile telephone?

Wiping it on a trouser leg or a shirt doesn't count.

Do you sanitize your hands every time after you use your mobile telephone or loan it to somebody else? You should.

Do you wash your face every time after you press that contaminated phone against it? You should.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

Don"t many faucets in public bathrooms now feature faucets that automatically turn on when you put your hands under them, and then turn off when your hands are no longer under them? No touching.

Many do but not every place has them.Doctors offices do not have them .Many restaurants do not have them.

People open and close public bathroom doors as well.Not everyone uses a paper towel.

[lenquixote66]

42 minutes ago, Donald said:

The CDC conducted many surveys on cruise ships over the past decade. They discovered that ships pushing the hand sanitizers had far more Norovirus cases than ships that do not. Too many cruisers do not understand that hand sanitizers are an adjunct to handwashing - NOT a replacement.

 

Other CDC surveys pinpointed the best locations to contract Norovirus; 1. airplanes, 2. schools, 3. prisons, 4. old age homes, and 5. hotels. Did you or any of your fellow cruisers visit any of those locations before the cruise? Just about everyone.

 

The next surveys pinpointed the best places on a cruise ship to contract Norovirus; 1. Self-service buffets, and 2. public toilets.

Where does just about every mass market cruiser go immediately upon boarding? 1. Buffet, and then 2. Public toilet.

 

So if you carry a container of sanitizer with you, where do you store it?

Most people opt for a trouser pocket, possibly the dirtiest place on a human being - or a purse, the second dirtiest place.

So you take the contaminated bottle of sanitizer out of a pocket or purse. This guarantees that your hands are contaminated.

Then you sanitize your hands.

Next you use your clean hands to place the still-contaminated bottle back into your contaminated pocket or purse.

So your hands are contaminated again.

You have just defeated the system.

 

Purell may not be effective against Norovirus. But there are some hand sanitizers that are effective. In order to kill Norovirus "spores', there is a minimum requirement called "dwell time". This is the length of time a liquid sanitizer remains liquid and in contact with the viral spores. Most sanitizers require a dwell time of several minutes in order to be effective. How many of you squirt the sanitizer on your hands, work it around a bit, and then quickly dry your hands? You have just defeated the sanitizer and rendered it ineffective. The dwell time was too short to be effective.

How many cruisers squirt enough sanitizer on their hands to keep it liquid for several minutes? Hardly anyone.

 

Now let's talk about the mobile telephone that you carry in your contaminated pocket or purse. This is the thing that you are constantly pressing against your face, letting others press against their faces, and handing it to any number of people to hold and view a photo or video. How many times a day do you properly sanitize that mobile telephone?

Wiping it on a trouser leg or a shirt doesn't count.

Do you sanitize your hands every time after you use your mobile telephone or loan it to somebody else? You should.

Do you wash your face every time after you press that contaminated phone against it? You should.

Not everyone owns a cell phone,most of my friends do not.I am not saying that Purell is better than soap and water.I am saying after you wash your hands you touch a dirty faucet.You might also open and close a door.

[mom says]

29 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I am not saying that Purell is better than soap and water.I am saying after you wash your hands you touch a dirty faucet.You might also open and close a door.

Paper towel or Kleenex takes care of those contingencies. It's not rocket science.

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

SONO Disinfecting Wipes. Available on Amazon.

[cb at sea]

Soap and water actually WASH OFF germs....that's why you should wash for AT LEAST 20 seconds...and then rinse well...and dry on a clean towel (you can use that towel to turn off the faucet.  Purell doesn't "remove" anything....and it may not be effective on viruses.  I prefer soap and water.  It shouldn't be "antibacterial" soap, either.  That simply encourages germs to become "resistant" to sanitizers.

 

[Shmoo here]

5 minutes ago, ROXIETHEHORSE said:

SONO Disinfecting Wipes. Available on Amazon.

Umm....those are for wiping down contaminated surfaces.  From their website:

PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS HAZARDS TO HUMANS AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS Caution.  Causes moderate eye irritation.  Avoid contact with eyes or clothing.  Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling and before eating, drinking, chewing gum or using tobacco.

Personal protection: Clean-up must always be done wearing protective gloves, gowns, masks and eye protection.

 

 

 

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, mom says said:

Paper towel or Kleenex takes care of those contingencies. It's not rocket science.

If there are no paper towels what do you use ?

[$hip$hape]

10 minutes ago, cb at sea said:

Soap and water actually WASH OFF germs....that's why you should wash for AT LEAST 20 seconds...and then rinse well...and dry on a clean towel (you can use that towel to turn off the faucet.  Purell doesn't "remove" anything....and it may not be effective on viruses.  

I prefer soap and water.  

It shouldn't be "antibacterial" soap, either.  That simply encourages germs to become "resistant" to sanitizers.

 

I agree, Purell may not remove germs, but it kills them.

I also agree with... wash your hands.

Edited February 10, 2020 by $hip$hape

[mom says]

Just now, lenquixote66 said:

If there are no paper towels what do you use ?

I'm sorry, did you not see Kleenex in my post? I always have a travel pack of tissues with me. Although, I must say I've never encountered a lack of towels in a ship's public bathroom. Which is the subject of this thread, not some remote exception that you encounter somewhere on land.

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

11 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

Umm....those are for wiping down contaminated surfaces.  From their website:

PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS HAZARDS TO HUMANS AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS Caution.  Causes moderate eye irritation.  Avoid contact with eyes or clothing.  Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling and before eating, drinking, chewing gum or using tobacco.

Personal protection: Clean-up must always be done wearing protective gloves, gowns, masks and eye protection.

 

 

 

 

I have yet to have any reaction to using these. I wipe down shopping carts and anything I have to use that the general public has touched. No respiratory infections or gastro sickness since I started using them 2 years ago.  I don't use them to wipe my hands, I wipe surfaces with them.

 

I use Germstar Noro spray for hands.

 

Edited February 10, 2020 by ROXIETHEHORSE