ktgrok Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I am usually NOT a germaphobe. I go barefoot outside, don't generally carry hand sanitizer, and feel the 5 second rule is fine as a guideline. My children ingest dirt and dog hair on a regular basis I'm sure. But today I had something happen that made me start questioning library books. We were in the restroom at the local library and the woman in the other stall was violently vomiting. Like, something awful. For a long time. I saw her come out and she seemed much too old to consider morning sickness likely. So yuck. And if she is at the library she is probably checking out books. Which she will get germs all over. We were so grossed out that we left straight away and used hand sanitizer (I didn't want to touch the same faucets as her.) So...yeah. Anyone worry about germs on library books? Is that a valid concern in flu season? SO many people I know are sick, have sick kids, etc right now. There's a norovirus going around and the flu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Uh... you are making me rethink my planned library visit this afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Acccccccck, gross!!!!!!!!! Yes I have thought about it (of course, I am a germophobe!) but I just hope that whatever germs there may be on books will have died by the time we get them. Hoping they don't live long on inanimate surfaces. Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 No, I don't worry about it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 No, I don't worry about it at all. This. Books are usually fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Our library wipes the plastic book covers down with Clorox wipes before returning them to the shelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I don't worry. Many germs thrive in warm and moist surroundings - books are neither. Books are also not licked or chewed on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Didn't worry about it until now. :) It does make me think of a Seinfeld episode where George Costanza needed to use the bathroom while he was at a Barnes & Noble type bookstore. He selected a book from the racks to take in with him to read. The bookstore "red flagged" the book and forced him to purchase it. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Don't worry about germs. At least that goes away. Worry about bed bugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 The library books that we borrow sometimes are kind of dirty, so I gently wipe them down with a Lysol wipe. The plastic covering protects the bar code which makes it easier to do a quick swipe. Our library staff all wear gloves. You could just borrow on the Kindle for awhile. I tend to do this due to the selection and font size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I didn't get baby books from the library. I mean books for babies. My kids ate books when they were babies. Other than that, no I don't worry about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I will say this, anyway: My ds is severely allergic to cats. There have been times when he has been affected by library books which have presumably been in homes with cats. So it wouldn't surprise me if the flu could be spread via books as well. (I realize that argument is not logically sound. ;) ) I like the idea of Clorox or some other kind of wipes for kids' books at least. I can't even count how many times I've picked up or checked out a sticky book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom2011 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Don't worry about germs. At least that goes away. Worry about bed bugs. :iagree: This is what I think about from time to time, but still keep checking out the books and hoping for the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 We've had the stomach virus from a library visit. My fault, since I was getting a bit frustrated with my kids playing peek-a-boo during checkout, and I forgot to wash everyone's hands before having a picnic at the tables right outside. It was probably from the surfaces in the kids section, not the books themselves. DS3 was still in his "lick all the things!" stage at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briansmama Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I'm moving more towards e-books because of the recent article shared here about bed bugs hiding in library books. That same week I checked out a Harry Potter book and every page was covered in nose mucus. I was so grossed out by both that we have since stopped our weekly library trip. I've decided that for the upcoming school year we will buy most of our living books instead of borrow them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Doesn't worry me. All part of life's rich pageant. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Nope, not worried. We rarely ever get sick here, and we've got library books everywhere- on the shelves, in the beds, on the kitchen table. I like to think that the stress-relief the books provide outweighs any germs that might ride along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinmami01 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I am a germophobe and since my boys get sick easily and illness usually results in seizures, I wipe library books down with alcohol or Clorox wipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 When I think about it then I get skived out. So I try not to think about it. I really don't want to think about people reading library books while using the bathroom. Shudder. You can wipe the covers but what about the actual pages? Hands touch each page. People pick their nose and turn the page. People cough into their hand and turn the page. People sneeze into their hand and turn the page. And so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 it does gross me out when I see things smeared on the pages. :ack2: This is making me want to go ahead and spend more on buying books or on the Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 7 Things Dirtier than Money (from 2009, about Swine Flu Virus, but in my book a virus is a virus) http://news.consumer...ks-office-.html Flu Germs: How Long Can They Live Outside the Body? http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infectious-disease/AN01238 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 7 Things Dirtier than Money (from 2009, about Swine Flu Virus, but in my book a virus is a virus) http://news.consumer...ks-office-.html Ah, well. As much as I hate being sick and would really really hate bed bugs, I would be very sad indeed if libraries with hard copy books ceased to exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I can't handle it. I also can't handle public pools. Those things are all kinds of nasty. Really how can people swim in a giant toilet? I also can't eat treats prepped by a classroom of kindergarteners. I should put these things in the confession thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwoodbri Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Clearly you haven't met my kids... A great deal of our books have been licked and chewed on! And sneezed on and coughed on... Brought into the bathroom... I guess we won't be going to the library any time soon! I don't worry. Many germs thrive in warm and moist surroundings - books are neither. Books are also not licked or chewed on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I am usually NOT a germaphobe. I go barefoot outside, don't generally carry hand sanitizer, and feel the 5 second rule is fine as a guideline. My children ingest dirt and dog hair on a regular basis I'm sure. But today I had something happen that made me start questioning library books. We were in the restroom at the local library and the woman in the other stall was violently vomiting. Like, something awful. For a long time. I saw her come out and she seemed much too old to consider morning sickness likely. So yuck. And if she is at the library she is probably checking out books. Which she will get germs all over. We were so grossed out that we left straight away and used hand sanitizer (I didn't want to touch the same faucets as her.) So...yeah. Anyone worry about germs on library books? Is that a valid concern in flu season? SO many people I know are sick, have sick kids, etc right now. There's a norovirus going around and the flu. Library books are nasty. I work at a library, and I work very hard at not touching my face all day long. I've been very successful; I don't think I've been sick from the library once in the past four+ years. I work in the children's dept. The kids are great, but those that are counter high often rub their mouths, or lick, the edge of the counter. :eek: And when mom pulls them out of school midday due to illness, she brings them into the library to pick out movies and books to take home. Do I worry? No, I can't. Am I careful. You bet. I think it's a valid concern. I refuse to use the public restrooms, and I use the handicapped door buttons to open doors (no touching!). Our library staff all wear gloves. Another poster said their library wipes down all books when they come in. We easily check in over 400 books a day on slow days, so this would be time and cost prohibitive for us. But I would LOVE gloves! I may have to bring this up at the next staff meeting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 7 Things Dirtier than Money (from 2009, about Swine Flu Virus, but in my book a virus is a virus) http://news.consumer...ks-office-.html Flu Germs: How Long Can They Live Outside the Body? http://www.mayoclini...disease/AN01238 :blink: :ack2: This thread is NOT helping my issues!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Is it weird that I'm ok with people taking books into the bathroom, as long as they aren't sick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 :blink: :ack2: This thread is NOT helping my issues!! I know, right!? There are checkout people at my Walmart that wear gloves. I think that's rather smart. I always feel a need to scrub my hands when I come home from shopping. I keep telling dd14, the only one in a public school, to not touch her face and wash her hands between classes when she can get to the restroom. Does hand sanitizer really help as much as washing hands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Is it weird that I'm ok with people taking books into the bathroom, as long as they aren't sick? Yes, that's weird cause YUCK. Poop germs. 30% of human solid waste is e coli. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I volunteered at a library as a teen. Generally I shelved and cleaned books. Habits like that die hard. I clean our books using a washcloth and warm water with a bit of dish soap and splash of white vinegar. You would be amazed at how disgusting the water is when I am done. I stand them upright to dry and air out overnight. A librian at our old library actually noticed that I always brought the books back clean and thanked me. I will be honest I say I don't enjoy reading books without clean looking covers. On a side note when ds was little the pediatrican actually mentioned library books as a way he could have caught something. We had been quite isolated because of colds and he came down with something new. So shethought it was possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Meh. Life's too short to worry about stuff like this. We spend hours of our week at the library, and I have noticed absolutely no uptick in our rates of illness. OTOH, I'm the total opposite of a germophobe. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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