Are you wearing masks to the store?

[mommyoffive]

Are you wearing masks to the store?  Or out and about at all? 

What precautions is everyone taking when you go out? 

[AngieW in Texas]

I am wearing a fabric mask when I go to the store and I'm limiting that as much as possible. I still need to go 1x/week and sometimes I have to go to two different stores to get what I need.

One of my kids is an essential worker. When she gets home, she has to take off and put away her shoes immediately and then set her phone down and wash her hands. While she is taking a shower, I wipe everything down (her car, her phone, and everything she might have touched). After her shower, all of her clothes are wrapped up in the towel she dried off with and dumped into the washing machine.

[wendyroo]

I’ve gone shopping twice. The first time I did not wear any extra protection; the second time I wore gloves. Both times I sanitized my hands immediately after loading groceries into the back of the van and before opening the driver’s door.

That said, the biggest precaution that I took was only shopping at times when I would almost literally be the only shopper. Once I went to the only local grocery store still open 24 hours. I got there at 1am and during the whole time I was there the maximum total occupancy of the entire huge store was 7 people: me, one other shopper, the manager, a security guard, and three guys stocking shelves. My other trip was to Sam’s and I went in the last half hour they were open - again only a small handful of shoppers and employees there total.

Both trips I used self check or scan and go so I did not interact with anyone while I was there. I am sewing myself a mask to use for my next trip.

[Acadie]

I'm wearing a mask when I'm in a public indoor space. At the moment, that's only the grocery store or the pharmacy once a week, and I'm the only person in our house doing errands. I don't wear a mask outdoors, but we live in a roomy suburb and I'm keeping more than 6 feet distance when walking or hiking. 

I have a few surgical masks left in an old box, and will make some cloth replacements soon. Also just bought some coin counting gloves, but I haven't felt the need to wear them yet. I do use Purell when I come out of the store, wipe down my steering wheel and door handles with Clorox wipes when I'm done shopping, and wash my hands when I get home and in the process of wiping down packages, cleaning produce etc. Shelf stable items just sit in the garage for 3 days, but freezer and fridge items get wiped with a Clorox wipe or washed with Seventh Generation dish soap and water.

My grocery list and a short pencil go in the trash on my way out of the store, and I wipe off my credit card and license when I get home. I'm no longer carrying my purse everywhere--I just put the essentials in a coat pocket, and last time I didn't even bring my phone. My coat either sits for 3 days before I wear it again or it gets washed. I plan shopping trips so I can hop in the shower after putting things away. We have different indoor and outdoor shoes, which stay on a tray by the door. 

I was feeling some anxiety about going to the store because my area has the highest cases in our state, but wearing a mask does help me feel more comfortable, and I try to get in and out of the store quickly. 

[ktgrok]

I did the last time and I'm really glad - walmart was PACKED and no one was practicing social distancing. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I wear an N100 respirator mask (normally used for working with fiberglass) whenever I am with anyone unrelated to me. Store and outdoors. Outdoors might not be necessary but I am immunocompromised and with lots of neighbors taking walks I don’t trust the six feet social distancing to necessarily protect me. 

[alisoncooks]

I'm not, nor gloves. I sanitize my hands when I get back in my car. I wash them again once I get home. Shoes stay at the door, as always. That's it (not changing clothes or anything.)

[J-rap]

I haven't worn masks, because at least in our state, we were asked not to buy masks since health care workers needed them more, and now there are none to be found in stores.  My brother, who is a pulmonary doctor, can't even get them for his private life -- he only has them when he's at the hospital.  He wears a homemade cloth mask (not too different from a bandana) when he's out and about in public, outside of the hospital.  I think now that things are ramping up here, I may start wearing a bandana or something when I go to our inner-city grocery store and pharmacy.  I know they're better than nothing!

Our weather has been cold enough until now that I've worn gloves when I go out, and I generally just keep them on in stores, etc.  But, I'm really not as worried about touching things.  I don't touch my face when I'm out in public, and I wash up really well once I'm home.

[JustEm]

I have no masks so I have no choice in the matter.  I think I would wear them at this point simply because dh will now be working from home so our only real times of risk are while at the grocery store.  I sanitize my hands once I get back in the car and then wash my hands when I get home.  That's about it 

[J-rap]

9 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

I have no masks so I have no choice in the matter.  I think I would wear them at this point simply because dh will now be working from home so our only real times of risk are while at the grocery store.  I sanitize my hands once I get back in the car and then wash my hands when I get home.  That's about it 

That's where I'm at too, and what I do....  I've been reading though that even cloth masks/bandanas are 50% better than nothing, so I may start wearing something like that soon.

[Selkie]

Last time I went to the grocery store (ten days ago), I wore gloves and went at 6am. Next time I go, I will wear a mask as well.

[Kalypso]

No gloves, no mask, But, I do keep my distance and wash hands when I get home. I saw several people at the grocery store in masks today, but most had no masks or gloves.

[gardenmom5]

we only go out for groceries when necessary.  the last grocery store dh went to was passing out masks at the door.

I have a couple I've hoarded (one fell apart.) as I'm not 100% after my pneumonia. - so yes, I especially wear a mask.

We also wear gloves when shopping.

[wathe]

I wear a home-sewn mask for my weekly essential errands outing (grocery store, bank, post office).  Wash hands and remove mask (ETA then rewash hands) before getting back in the car.  Fresh mask for each stop.  No gloves.  No special decontamination routine once home, other than hand washing and mask laundering (hot water wash and hot dryer)

Work is a different story (hospital).  I have a whole decon routine that I go through after shifts similar to AngieW above.

I'm the only person in the household who goes out. 

 

Edited April 1, 2020 by wathe

[itsheresomewhere]

Recently, I have started wearing a cloth face mask to stores in addition to the gloves I was already wearing.  I have wipes in the car.  

[ktgrok]

I forgot to say that I disinfect hands after loading up the car, but before opening car door. I do the same with my phone, keys, and anything else I touched.

At home I spray down anything I can't just set aside for 24 hours (cardboard) or 3 days (plastic) or remove from outer packaging. I use peroxide as my spray most of the time. I let it sit several minutes with the spray cover it before wiping down/putting away. (remember, y'all lysol wipes say they need several minutes of staying wet - they don't work instantly). 

Then I wash my hands again, head to the bathroom, strip down, put clothes in wash, and take a shower. I know I've leaned on the cart, touched my clothes with my hands, etc. 

So yes, i wear a mask now if indoors. That story about the choir where so many caught it despite hand washing, sanitizer, etc reinforces my thoughts. 

[Ali in OR]

I wore my homemade cotton mask for the first time at Trader Joe's today. I will now wear that when I go to the grocery store. I'm not going to do gloves. They are contaminated the same as hands as soon as you touch stuff. I find that they give me a false sense of security and I'm more likely to do something stupid like touch my face with them on. Seems easier to just use my hands and then use hand sanitizer as soon as I'm back in the car.

[edelweiss]

I haven't had to go to the store for any reason (I have my groceries delivered).  But if I did have to go to the store, I would wear a mask.  

[prairiewindmomma]

We wear cloth masks when we walk around our neighborhood. Dh has been recycling a N95 respirator when he goes shopping. He also wears gloves, just to reduce the viral load of what he washes off when he comes home. He immediately showers and changes and washes his clothing. No shoes are worn in the house.

4/6 of us are high risk. When Dh was still going to work we considered having him live in the garage, as his work has showers.  Dh had several coworkers become ill and they all spread it to their families.
 

The long incubation period + asymptomatic spread is worrisome. 

[mumto2]

Up until this point no but haven’t needed to go for over a week.  At that point I felt fine.  I spent some time today adjusting my sewing supplies on hand to online mask patterns and prewashing the fabric.   Tomorrow I sew...........Starting to see people on trails by our house with masks.

[slackermom]

I have started sewing masks. I will definitely wear one next time I go shopping, or if I need to interact with anyone other than the kid I live with. We are both high risk.

When I go out to common areas in my apartment building I am using a paper towel sprayed with cleaner to open doors and lift lids, etc, and wipe down the card we use for the laundry machine.

I have not decided about gloves, etc, if I can find some I might use them. I came up with the idea of throwing my phone and car keys into a ziploc before leaving my car when I go shopping. I can still swipe the screen and push buttons on the key fob when they are in the bag. They would stay in the bag until I get back in the car and sanitize my hands. Just need some hand sanitizer now. 

 

[Garga]

I posted this on FB and on the big thread.  Here’s what I did when I went shopping last Wednesday.  I’ll copy and paste it below:

FACEMASK

1. I wore a cloth face mask.  It’s actually a hair buff that I put around my nose and mouth.  See comments for a link to how to wear hair buffs.  

Why the mask?

I wore it because I don’t know if I’m infected or not, so I didn’t want to breathe on everything and infect someone else.  

I also didn’t like the idea that I might be walking through an infected person’s sneeze.  

I also wore it as practice.  There are only a few known cases in this area, but if it gets bad around here, I wanted to see how it held up during a couple of hours of shopping.  

At Aldi (the first stop), it kept slipping off my nose and I had to use a finger near my nose to push it back up.  That’s no good! I don’t want my hands near my face.

At Walmart (the second stop), I used a new hair buff, and this time I hooked it on my ears and it stayed in place throughout the whole store.

I didn’t remove the second buff between Walmart and Petco and just kept it on for both stores.  It stayed in place just fine, even through turning my head a lot while I was driving.  It didn’t slide down.

My tip: if you use some sort of scarf as a mask, it needs to somehow loop on your ears or it will slide off.  The first one began sliding off every time I had to look down, like if I was getting something off a low shelf or when I was bent over the cart putting stuff on the conveyor belt.  

One of the biggest reasons I wore the mask?  

My Chinese exchange students.  I’ve contacted them and asked them how they are through all this.  They both impressed upon me the importance of wearing a mask.  One sent me a picture of himself in the airport wearing the mask as encouragement (he was on his way home from an American college when I contacted him.) The other insisted that if I didn’t have masks he would send me some because it’s just that important.  

Also, my friend sent me an article about the benefits of various cloth to use as a mask.  See comments for article about cloth masks.

I have to admit that I sat there in the car for a few minutes when I first got to the stores not wanting to get out of the car in my mask, feeling a little silly, but then I figured, “Eh, I’ve been teased for being different countless times in my life and I know how not to let it get to me, so why worry about it now?” And I got out and walked around the store with my masks on, even though I felt a little silly.

GLOVES

2. I did not wear gloves. I considered it, but the gloves would get just as dirty as my hands, so as long as I didn’t touch my face and then washed my hands, I wasn’t sure what the benefit of the gloves would be.

CLEAN HANDS/CLEAN CAR

3. I knew I’d be in 3 stores (Aldi, Walmart, Petco), so I brought 3 thermoses of water and my foaming soap dispenser and a roll of paper towels.  

After I loaded the car with groceries and BEFORE I touched anything except the hatch door handle, I washed my hands in the parkinglot with my soap and water. Not a single person even noticed me doing it.  

I used the paper towels to hold the containers and to dry my hands.  I put the thermoses and soap dispenser in a bag to be washed in soap and water when I got home.  The bag was cloth and would be washed in the washing machine.

By the time I got into the car to drive, my hands were clean and I didn’t have to worry about going home and cleaning the steering wheel, belt buckle, brake, etc, etc.  

Only the hatch door handle was touched with dirty hands.

MONEY/KEYS

4. In the store these items were carried and would become germy:  my grocery list, my pen, my credit card.  I kept those in an outer pocket of my coat so they would be the only items touched by my germy hands.

I put my car keys in a different pocket and touched them through the cloth of the pocket to push the unlock button to unlock the hatch door.  The keys never got touched by germy hands.  

When I got home, I sprayed the pen and credit card with bleach water and threw the paper list away.

CLOTHES/BAGS

5. I wore clothes, including my coat, hat, masks, and cloth bags, that could be immediately put in the washing machine when I got home.  So, no leather jacket.  It all got washed as soon as the items were taken out of the car.  

BACK AT HOME WITH THE GROCERIES

6. I brought all the groceries in.  Anything that could sit untouched for a few days went into a big cardboard box.  That stuff will sit there for the next 4 days before anyone touches it.  The cloth bags that I used at Aldi went right into the washing machine with my outfit and coat.  

Fortunately, I have food already out in my pantry that we’ll be eating for the next 4 days while we wait for the new food to be ready to be touched.

If I had to use the new food right away, I’d have sprayed it down with bleach water before putting it on my shelves.  

I put cold stuff in the fridge and freezer stuff in the freezer and THEN I watched a video that said the virus lasts longer in the cold; up to TWO YEARS in freezers.  Whoops!  Whenever we take something out of the freezer, we’re going to have to remember to throw away the packaging and wash our hands when we’re done with it.  

Next time, I’ll wipe the freezer and fridge stuff down before I put it away. 

We wash fresh fruit before we eat it with soap and water.  

See the video in the comments that teaches you how to wipe your food down if you have to use it right away.  The video also shows you how to handle take-out food containers.  

FINAL CLEANUP

7. All the food was put away in the fridge/freezer or put in a big box to wait for the germs to die.  

Clothes and cloth bags were in the machine and I started it up for them to be washed.  Boots went into the closet not to be used for at least 4 days (probably 2 weeks at this rate...I only go out to buy groceries every 2 weeks).

Plastic bags were put aside for the next week to be left at room temperature for the germs to die.

I made a fresh batch of bleach water (1.5 or so tsp of 6% bleach to each cup of water in a spray bottle.)

I sprayed:
My credit card
My pen
The handle to the hatch on the car
Inner and outer handles to the screen door
Inner and outer handles to the front door
Any lightswitches I touched
The handle to the fridge
The handle to the freezer
The handle to the mail box, just because it was there and I walked past it
Handle to the sink faucet
The pump on the soap dispenser.
The knobs on the washing machine

I handwashed the thermoses and soap dispenser I’d taken in the car with me

And...I think that’s everything.

Feel free to add your own tips in the comments.  Someone suggested to me that I could have taken off my germy shoes at the door and put on new ones once I was home.

——

Here are the links to things I referenced:

Hair buff: https://coolofthewild.com/how-to-wear-a-buff/

 Cloth masks: https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/

How to clean your groceries/take-out food:

And a picture of me in my 2nd mask:

 

Edited April 1, 2020 by Garga

[Syllieann]

I am going to the store tomorrow and I am going to wear my prescription glasses w/ a cloth mask and change clothes when I get home.  This will by my first time out in 2 weeks and I'm going somewhere that won't be busy and I can use self-checkout.  I actually have a full-face respirator (from when I was an R&D chemist) but I am saving the cartridges on that for if dh gets sick.  Plus, I'm afraid someone will think I'm hoarding it from healthcare workers and do something bad to me.  DH is classed as essential and alternating working from home for a week with working at the lab for a week.  I expect it's just a matter of time for him...maybe this week, maybe next...who knows?

[Farrar]

Yes. Went to the store late last night for the first time in two weeks. Ds really wanted to come and we both wore masks. About a quarter of people we saw shopping had masks too. They had put up guards between the checkout person and you as well, which I liked. No marks to help people distance, but it was late and there weren't lines.

I have not been wearing masks when we've gone out to take a short walk away from folks.

[Sneezyone]

Started this week for my weekly grocery trip. I was the only one wearing one. I hope it becomes a trend. The people behind the deli counter weren't the least bit phased. I don't feel that I need one within my own yard.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Sneezyone

[KungFuPanda]

I made a couple face masks with tea towels. I feel a little claustrophobic in them, but it encourages me to get in and out. Also, I’m a chronic face-toucher so it’s better I wear them until I can get home and wash my hands. 

[Lecka]

Today I stayed in the car while my husband went inside the store, and he said there were people wearing masks and things, and he wants something the next time he goes.  Maybe a handkerchief or something made from a tee-shirt.  We’ll see.  Trying online ordering and then going to pick-up at Wal-Mart is possible but he hasn’t wanted to do that.  

[Laura Corin]

No. I clean my hands after the shopping. I washed all fresh produce and chilled packaging. Everything else was just left in the car for three days.

I'm not bothering with sanitising the car because we are only using it once a week, and viruses die. Same with wallet, handbag, keys and credit card.

On the other hand, we bleach the front door handle daily after the postie leaves the letters in the porch, and treat the post with care.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Laura Corin

[Guest]

I wear a fabric mask to grocery stores and the pharmacy, which are the only places I have gone in a few weeks. I have been wearing a fabric mask any time I interact with my daughter (and she wore one if she left her bedroom), but her quarantine is almost over and now I won’t do that. 

I wear gloves when I am out, though at first I just used cart wipes and hand sanitizer. The main reason I started to wear gloves to the grocery was that I couldn’t open the produce bags with my bare hands. I used to lick my finger but obv, not doing that any more. 

I don’t wear shoes around the house but I never have done that. I don’t change my clothes specially, but I’m not re-wearing anything - everything gets washed after one wearing. 

I’m considering retaining our social distancing dinner seating that we’ve used while dd was quarantined. The thought that our food is within breathing distance from each other really, really bothers me. I have already changed some other food practices to reflect my neurosis. 😏 If I bake cookies, for example, nobody is permitted to put their hand in the cookie bin until they have thoroughly washed their hands with soap. No one may reach *into* a food container to draw out food unless they have soaped up; people should pour out a bowl of chips, crackers, etc. 

[Pawz4me]

I haven't been wearing a mask, but I'm starting to consider it as positive case are increasing in my area and and masks may soon be CDC recommended (as they should have been all along, of course).

But I approach masks with the utmost caution.

I have some N95s and have worn them enough for home projects to know they're very irritating to me. I will be tempted to readjust a lot. So probably the risk is greater than any extra protection.

I have one surgical mask I saved from DH's oncology visit a couple of weeks ago. I may re-use it for awhile, with caution as far as the temptation to tug on it. It also fogs up my glasses every time I exhale. I could shop without glasses, but my fall risk would be increased and they're also protective.

I may try a no-sew fabric mask, either using a Buff or a hand towel. Perhaps more comfy than either of the above options, and so less temptation to touch face to readjust?

Gloves make zero sense to me, other than (perhaps) when pumping gas. And we have an entire gallon Zippy bag full of high quality Nitrile gloves, so I'm not just saying that because I don't have access to them. But I see no reason to use them other than for pumping gas. My guess is they're doing much more harm than good, giving people a false sense of safety.

[Lanny]

I believe the regulations here require a mask. My Stepson is the Designated Shopper for our house. I think when he went to the Supermarket he likes, last Saturday, he had to wait two (2) hours to get into the store. When 10 customers left the store, they would allow the next 10 customers to enter the store. That is his designated day (I am not sure if there is more than one designated day in a week) based on the last digit of his national identity card ("Cedula").  

I am over 70, so I am under "House Arrest" (more or less) until June 1st.  I appreciate that the Colombian government is trying to protect those of us who are elderly!

[MEmama]

I wear gloves, but haven’t worn a mask yet. I am seeing more of them now and am open to trying one (probably a Buff or balaclava since we own them). I’m not really sure fabric is all that helpful though? Lots of mixed messaging.

I've only remembered to wash the outside of grocery containers once. Of course produce gets washed, per usual, but no extra precautions like bleach or anything.

We always wash our hands and take our shoes off when we get home, so no change there. I don’t wash my clothes after a quick run to the grocery. I’ve never used hand sanitizer and can’t figure out why it would be useful if we use actual soap and water.
 

I have stopped using reusable grocery bags for now since the grocery stores are asking us to. That’s been a huge change—I can’t remember the last time I didn’t use my own bags.

Edited April 1, 2020 by MEmama

[Acadie]

2 hours ago, Quill said:

I have already changed some other food practices to reflect my neurosis. 😏 If I bake cookies, for example, nobody is permitted to put their hand in the cookie bin until they have thoroughly washed their hands with soap. No one may reach *into* a food container to draw out food unless they have soaped up; people should pour out a bowl of chips, crackers, etc. 

 

We've gotten so much better about using serving spoons, keeping serving bowls on the counter rather than on the table, and I think I'm finally getting through to dh after 22 years of marriage that the outside of food packages like cheese or bread is not an acceptable place to set your food down. That's why we wash our dishes, to have a clean surface for our food!

Edited April 1, 2020 by Acadie

[Kanin]

I'm having groceries delivered now, but when I did go to the store two weeks ago, I wore a mask and gloves.

About gloves... can't viruses get in through breaks in the skin? If that's the case, then I think wearing gloves is a very good idea. My hands are so dry, there are tiny cracks all over. Plus, even though gloves get contaminated immediately, I like the fact that I can take them off and the contamination (most of it) goes immediately. Then I can wash my hands and hopefully get most of the virus off. 

[marbel]

I am thinking of making some masks. When I was out yesterday a lot of people were wearing them.  We had  some N95 masks for some reason but gave them to a friend who is a nurse.  

One time at the grocery store I wore gloves, and I won't do that again. I feel it gave me a false sense of security. Yesterday I just wiped down the cart and only touched the things I was going to buy, took advantage of the hand sanitizer dispensers all over the store.  I saw a lot of people masked and gloved and they seemed very reckless, not maintaining distance, etc. I waited while one guy picking up what seemed to be every different type of yogurt in the store, putting them back down. I mean I know the gloves will keep his hands clean but there seems to be no thought to others. I knew what yogurt I wanted and watched him till he left the area, then got one he hadn't touched. Of course it still could have been contaminated.

(And I know people have to be allowed still to pick things up to read labels and then not buy them, but... he took so long and just handled every dang item in the store, it seemed!)

 

[Selkie]

5 minutes ago, Mainer said:

I'm having groceries delivered now, but when I did go to the store two weeks ago, I wore a mask and gloves.

About gloves... can't viruses get in through breaks in the skin? If that's the case, then I think wearing gloves is a very good idea. My hands are so dry, there are tiny cracks all over. Plus, even though gloves get contaminated immediately, I like the fact that I can take them off and the contamination (most of it) goes immediately. Then I can wash my hands and hopefully get most of the virus off. 

Yes. I watched a webinar a few weeks ago on surviving a pandemic and the doctor advised that wearing gloves is important, and also stressed that you must use the sterile glove technique when removing them so no germs get on your hands.

[J-rap]

7 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

I made a couple face masks with tea towels. I feel a little claustrophobic in them, but it encourages me to get in and out. Also, I’m a chronic face-toucher so it’s better I wear them until I can get home and wash my hands. 

I was going to try and make one today with a tea towel I have.  (Can hopefully make two from it.)  I've realized that I'm a chronic-face toucher too -- that is, my face seems to itch all the time!  Either my nose itches, or a hair tickles my eye.  I've really had to train myself to not touch my face!

[mommyoffive]

I haven't gone out other than on walks.  I haven't worn one in that situation.  Dh has gone to the store and wears masks and gloves.  We had masks before this.  I wish that I would have gotten more when this was going on in China.  Dumb. 

I just heard on the news that Walmart is going to temp check all the workers and give them gloves and masks. 

I think there is a lot of misinformation on masks.  I saw on the news with the Surgeon General and they are still looking into what the guidelines should be.  

[Guest]

I just ordered a bunch of cotton bandanas. DD goes out almost daily and while she is keeping her distance from other people, I'd feel better if she had some sort of mask on, and I go out for walks frequently as well. DH is doing all the shopping and he has a mask for carpentry/repairs with replaceable filters he can use. We have a few blocks from DD's chem class for shopping, too. 

[EKS]

I'm going to the store once per week.  This last time (Monday), I wore an N95 mask that I've had for 12 years.  I don't wear gloves.

[SKL]

No.  I usually do have on my regular gloves, which remind me to not touch anything unnecessarily.

[Jenny in Florida]

I haven't gone in many stores for the last couple of weeks. I did go inside the pharmacy last weekend and inside the Indian grocery store one other day, but I think that's it. Otherwise, we've been doing all of our shopping via delivery and curbside pickup. 

I have not been wearing a mask or gloves for any of it but have been very careful to observe six-foot distancing. I keep disinfectant wipes in my car for my hands, and I wash my hands thoroughly and wipe down items like my cell phone and keys once I get home.

I walk two or three times each day, usually around our neighborhood but on weekends have been venturing to county parks with good walking trails. Not masking for any of that, either, but I am keeping my distance from other walkers and, again, washing my hands regularly and thoroughly.

[TrixieB]

I wear a cloth mask when I go to the grocery store, post office, etc.  I have seen a lot more people wearing masks the last couple of days.

Edited April 1, 2020 by TrixieB
Can't spell today

[Megbo]

Yes, I've worn a mask to the grocery store both times I've gone. I don't wear gloves, but do carry disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. 

Ds18 didn't wear a mask last night when he went to the McDonald's drive thru, but he said they've installed plexiglass to the window so there is now only a small opening. 

[Kanin]

Even in regular old flu season, I wear thin gloves (just regular winter gloves, like thin mitten liner gloves) while grocery shopping. I never take my gloves off until I get home, and they go straight into the washing machine. I just can't stand touching the cart handle or basket handle when I know someone with the flu may have sneezed on it. Maybe it's a false sense of security, but I do hope that wearing gloves (then and now) does a little something. 

 

[MEmama]

4 minutes ago, Mainer said:

Even in regular old flu season, I wear thin gloves (just regular winter gloves, like thin mitten liner gloves) while grocery shopping. I never take my gloves off until I get home, and they go straight into the washing machine. I just can't stand touching the cart handle or basket handle when I know someone with the flu may have sneezed on it. Maybe it's a false sense of security, but I do hope that wearing gloves (then and now) does a little something. 

 

I guess I usually wear gloves in winter, too. I’d never considered it from a hygiene perspective, but will now!
 I don’t really understand the idea about gloves giving a false sense of security. If your hands aren’t touching anything in the store and you remove your gloves without touching them, don’t your hands stay clean? 

[Tanaqui]

Quote

If your hands aren’t touching anything in the store and you remove your gloves without touching them, don’t your hands stay clean? 

 

Yes, but you still can spread contamination.

The point of gloves is to protect your hands from the effects of soap. You wash your hands a dozen times - including right before you remove the gloves! - and your skin doesn't get chapped.

[marbel]

8 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I guess I usually wear gloves in winter, too. I’d never considered it from a hygiene perspective, but will now!
 I don’t really understand the idea about gloves giving a false sense of security. If your hands aren’t touching anything in the store and you remove your gloves without touching them, don’t your hands stay clean? 

I found it made me more casual in the way I handled things. Though I didn't realize it, my daughter caught me touching my face. I don't do that when I am out and not gloved.  From what I observed in the store yesterday, I think gloved people were also more casual in the way they were handling things in the store - as in, not thinking that they were potentially contaminating. Just like many people wearing masks were not maintaining distance from others.  

So other than touching my face, I was probably safer with gloves. (And yes, I know that is something I can/should learn to control.) But without gloves I am more aware of what I am doing.  Gloves or not, I am not picking something up and putting it back down for someone else to pick up. (I'm also not buying unfamiliar things so I don't have to study labels right now.)  I think that may (or may not) help keep other people safer, because (again) gloved or not, I could be contaminating everything I touch.

Edited April 1, 2020 by marbel

[ThisIsTheDay]

I'd guess maybe 5% of people are wearing masks where I live. It's not common at all. We take the basic precautions, wiping down the cart, using wipes when we get back in the car.

[AmandaVT]

I started when I went grocery shopping yesterday. I wore a cloth mask I bought on Etsy and gloves. I felt a bit silly, but I was not the only one and the cashier told me more and more people are wearing masks. I do not wear them if I'm just driving to the office and back- I don't see anyone but myself and only my husband and I are in the office now.