99.99 % Of Germs Killed

[irregularjoe]

OK. I admit it. I'm a germophobe.

I'm constantly cleaning, spraying, scrubbing, washing, cleansing, wiping, etc, etc, etc, with lysol, clorox, 409, windex, pinesol, comet, whatever in an ongoing battle against getting sick from those nasty germs.

So why does that .001% little s.o.b. always seem to slip through the cracks? I'm on my second virus in six weeks.

Excuse me now, I have to go and gargle with listerine and wash my hands again.

Edited January 9, 2007 by irregularjoe

[bobbynichols]

OK. I admit it. I'm a germophobe.

I'm constantly cleaning, spraying, scrubbing, washing, cleansing, wiping, etc, etc, etc, with lysol, clorox, 409, windex, pinesol, comet, whatever in an ongoing battle against getting sick from those nasty germs.

So why does that .001% little s.o.b. always seem to slip through the cracks? I'm on my second virus in six weeks.

Excuse me now, I have to go and gargle with listerine and wash my hands again.

... The germs may be closer than you think... ref: http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:-UscP3...t=clnk&cd=6

If there are a billion virii in a given area (aerosol or otherwise) then .001% still yields 10,000 of the little buggers still alive and kicking and ready to replicate within you. And bacteria, bleech!, don't get me started about bacteria!

[bearskin]

wisdom of the bear:

you can quote me if you like...lol

have you ever considered the fact that you are too clean?

the body needs a chance to build up a resistance to the bugs.

[JDoors]

I believe in what Bear said, the cleaner your environment the less opportunity your immune system has to build up defenses against what's out there.

Not to mention you are breeding resistant bacteria by killing the 99.99% of them that are affected by your cleaning products, leaving that 0.001% of stronger, more resistant bacteria to breed without competition from the less-strong ones you're obsessed about killing.

Few household cleaning products kill viruses, but then few viruses live on household surfaces, so you're wasting time and money fighting a battle that's irrelevant (viruses usually are transmitted through human contact, not touching household surfaces).

With a few common sense precautions (like not preparing food on the same surfaces as raw meats) you shouldn't even be thinking about germs and viruses. They're there, they have their genetic abilities, you have yours, and anything you do to upset that balance may backfire on you. In fact, it's entirely LIKELY to backfire.

[Ice Wolf]

If you're coming down with viruses regularly as you say, irregularjoe -- it could be also that your immune system is depressed in some way. Have you had a check-up recently? Are you making sure you have a balanced diet -- especially the vitamins and minerals the immune system needs.

As for catching 'flus and coughs etc. -- I find all you need is to be in places outside the home where there's people coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths, or some kiddies having more than the average sniffle attack, for the aerosol droplets carrying to viruses to be in the air you breathe. I travel by public transport and work in public buildings -- winter can be a bit of a trial! (I'm so thankful for 'flu shots.)

[garmanma]

They had an episode on Mythbusters where they compared the amount of germs breeding in a guy's mouth, a dog's mouth, the floor, and a toilet seat. The person's mouth had the most germs.

Mark

[TheTerrorist_75]

Because of my suppressed immune system due to my transplant I am supposed to be somewhat careful of germs. My doctors only suggestions were to get my flu shot yearly and pneumonia shot at the proper interval. The number one item on my list is to wash my hands with regular soap (not anti-bacterial) under tepid water after using the bathroom, handling raw foods, playing with any pets or making physical contact with sick people. They told me not to go overboard as to being a total health freak which could further depress my natural immune system.

[blim]

I'm a hand washer like Terrorist, but constantly cooking, cleaning, gardening and the like, they usually need washing about 42 times a day!

But a friend of mine discovered "Airborne" cold remedy and swears by it

Liz

[Pete_C]

OK. I admit it. I'm a germophobe.

I'm constantly cleaning, spraying, scrubbing, washing, cleansing, wiping, etc, etc, etc, with lysol, clorox, 409, windex, pinesol, comet, whatever in an ongoing battle against getting sick from those nasty germs.

So why does that .001% little s.o.b. always seem to slip through the cracks? I'm on my second virus in six weeks.

Excuse me now, I have to go and gargle with listerine and wash my hands again.

Whenever I see one of these claims; I always have to wonder how many are removed with just warm soapy water?

After my bout with salmonella ( I still say that my OL undercooked the eggs and turkey bacon or cross contaminated things when making them for breakfast) I have been much more conscientious about keeping things separate and cleaning up.

I put a second meat compartment in and labled one RAW MEAT ONLY and the other LUNCHMEATS .

I also now keep a jug of clorox above the kitchen sink.

But speaking of getting the latest virus. On the way home from work I saw a local news crew set up at an intersection where the city had just installed a red light camera. Since our city is sneaky , unlike other cities which put up big warning signs "Red light camera in use ,fines being assessed" ours does not ; so I thought that was the target of the news story.

I got home and tuned in to catch the news and was surprised when the story came on. They just wanted a shot of the primary care clinic in the shopping center so that they could do a story on the latest virus going around.

"Wash your hands if you go out in public , and do not touch your face ,eyes nose or mouth before you do. There is a nasty virus going around town; doctors say it is not serious unless you get dehydrated , which is easy since it causes nausea, vomiting and explosive diarreah for three to four days. "

All I can say is that I hope that everyone stays home for three or four days because of the weather so it can run its course and be gone since I do not want to have three or four days (in may case it would probably last a week) of nausea , vomiting and explosive diarreah.

[robroy]

I have been telling the secretaries at work that they use way too much of that antibacterial lotion as it kills the good bacteria along with the bad ones. Between the four of them they have missed more time due to sickness than anyone else in the office.

[JSKY]

The local little buggers don't bother me.... But what kind of little critters is Liz beaming down? Them little things from somewhere else might just get us all!!

[Pete_C]

I have been telling the secretaries at work that they use way too much of that antibacterial lotion as it kills the good bacteria along with the bad ones. Between the four of them they have missed more time due to sickness than anyone else in the office.

Ah, but remember; of all the office personell the secretaries and receptionists probably have more contact with people than anyone else.

And in an office environment it is more likely to be viruses and not bacteria which are the problem.

So antibacterial is probably not the way to go. Sure if they were handling raw meat that would be one thing; but in their case you need something effective against viruses. And there washing is more effective than lotions ; unless they contain something like Lysol .