Voicelessness and Emotional Survival > Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
Mindfulness and codependence thread
lighter:
Hops:
You're right, ozone is harmful to humans, pets... all living things, including pathogens.... bacteria, viruses, and molds. The ozone has an additional oxygen atom that makes it a powerful oxidant which kills microorganisms on contact by breaking down the cell walls.
I used the truck so the ozone gas would saturate completely all surfaces of the groceries and grocery bag surfaces. I set the machine for an hour, which I hope was overkill, but the truth is... I'm winging it here. 30 minutes should have been enough time, but wanted to make sure entire truck and all little crevices filled with gas.
Afterward, I aired the truck out for hours making sure to hit the button to turn off the dome lights.... just let all the doors open so there was no breathing the gas in... and that was a good 6 hours, which was definitely overkill, but it slipped my mind. We aren't actually using the truck now.
When I wiped down all the frozen items I wore gloves, changed hands up with the wipe to keep the gloves from transferring virus and placed clean items into a cooler as I went. I watched a guy, representing himself as a doctor, demonstrate how to clean groceries with wipes, and warm soapy water... and I was pretty sure he missed lots of spots.... transferred virus.... he made me super uncomfortable and gave me an idea how I'd go about the process before I started, which was helpful.
Afterward, I popped off the gloves, put them into the trash, wiped down my forearms with the disinfectant, put the grocery items away, then wiped down everything in the areas I traveled through, including the sink area after washing hands after getting clothes in the washer, which I wiped down again. I wiped at my face with my biceps, which I felt OK about.
I was as thorough as I could be. Things went better than I thought they would. I'm not sure about the clothes, but I can't think of anything I'd change, except maybe leaving the ozone on for 80 minutes..... maybe. Maybe peeling the clothes off before taking the gloves off? Not sure.
The disinfectant wipes leave a little wet bubbly residue so I could pretty easily SEE where I'd wiped and hadn't, which was reassuring. I'm guessing an older container of wipes might be dryer and not leave bubbles which would make me worry about missing places and make the job harder, last longer, IMO.
I noticed all my "emergency baby wipes" dried out while organizing emergency supplies so any kind of wipe would dry out over time.
The first time I used the machine was in the house..... it was supposed to bond to the stink molecules in the air, make them heavier and fall, where I could sweep them up. I stayed out of the house all day, then air it out for 3 hours before returning. I knew breathing the stuff wasn't safe, but I didn't realize it would have such a BIG smell.
The second time I used the ozone machine was to kill mold and moss in the truck during a particularly damp season. The truck sits under trees, in the shade anyway. I ran and ran and ran that machine, then followed up with Damp Rid product, which always collect liquid. The smell of ozone lasts a good long time, btw.
Thanks for thinking of me. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I got it right enough.
Lighter
Hopalong:
I believe if you have any sort of gel, like aloe, you can just make a plain alcohol (60%) to aloe gel (20%) mix and ta da, hand sanitizer. Nothing fancy. I bet it might work with a simple lotion for the 20% too, but I'm not sure.
I have loads of it now but when I thought it wouldn't arrive, I planned to simply put a half-inch of rubbing alcohol in the bottom of a plastic container with a good lid, add small squares of paper towel ... and that's it. Easy. Portable.
We might've watched the same video! Big anxiety about missing a tiny spot might be counterproductive. Just watch for that anxiety...we all have it in one way or another.
This is a Great Big Situation we can't control. The video that empowered me most and made me feel much less scared was the one from the ICU doctor that I posted. He takes quite a while to warm up to his task (so it's a bit long), but once he starts explaining the specifics, I really got it. Time well spent.
hugs
Hops
sKePTiKal:
Oh my gosh... either I'm just too busy or lazy to go to lengths like this.
We have windows open due to the oil-based stain & poly I've used in the bathroom. I make sure to thoroughly wash, then bleach kitchen surfaces. I've had contractors in the house. But no - we're not concerned about delivered packages, or mail, or bringing in groceries around here.
And we're all going through the spring sinus & allergy thing...
so, the normal precautions around here which sound like a lot less time & energy y'all are putting into trying to protect yourself. Of course, except for the 4 of us - and the contractors who work here - the nearest neighbor is a mile away. And with spring here, more time outside... and all of nature's magical properties... perhaps that's a bigger advantage than spreading chemicals all over the place in our homes.
I don't know. I don't know if anyone - including "experts" - know. But, it almost seems as if the extra work in trying to protect oneself, subconsciously feeds the fear cycle. Breaking the fear cycle doesn't mean throwing out prudence, either. It means using common sense and lowering the stress overall, and putting the mind to work on things that are completely and totally different.
Babbel.com has pretty low prices for learning a new language, for instance. Buck tossed some Portuguese at me the other night... so I know I can spend 1/2 hr a day and pick up enough of this for the duration of our isolation that will enable me to be somewhat fluent after a few months. I retrieved a copy of the mythology classic, Hamlet's Mill that I've wanted to re-read; I'm in the middle of a well-researched book on Norse magic & mythology too.
I KNOW people who've gotten the virus, although most haven't been tested, due the shortage. Docs just saying, yep that's what it is, and sending people home to isolate & self-care... to protect the people who are MOST vulnerable to the effects of it. Most of those recover in a week to 10 days, and the symptoms haven't been that severe. I am still convinced that the fear over this, and the extreme social, economic, & gov't reactions are going to have more serious long-lasting consequences than the virus itself.
Hopalong:
I hear you, Amber.
It also occurs that living on a mountain might reduce the anxiety of congestion.
As to care with shopping and package disinfection, it's really pretty simple to just take those steps. Still I'm certain your kitchen is way cleaner than mine! (Since I've had no-one in, it's been easy to indulge my inner, barely inner, slob.)
I agree that obsessing over disinfection is also harmful. M does a bit more than I do, but I'm committed too. That's because medical info I've willingly absorbed (reality addict and former health researcher/writer) convinced me that avoidance in my case will be in the long run way, way less painful than getting this virus would be. As to disinfection, I'm working at being matter-of-fact about it, as though I'm just doing dishes with an extra step.
I hope there'll be fewer cases where you are; perhaps none. In my town a dozen active cases so far, but it's just gotten here and our local health workers are already stressed because we also receive trauma and cancer cases from the whole region, including your state. The simplicity of retirement (plus early canned goods and TP hoarding) means I can mostly just stay home, indefinitely, and keep on in a make-my-world-smaller way of reducing my risks. With walks and outdoor visits. M feels the same. (If there's a second wave of infection in winter, it'll be tougher but doable.)
Keep those windows open and mind your lungs!
Hugs
Hops
PS -- One reason I've posted a lot of detail about virus facts (including protection facts) isn't because I'm DOING it obsessively, but because my past career means that researching health-related topics and providing fact-based evidence is actually pleasurable. I don't post this stuff out of fear, but out of interest.
sKePTiKal:
Yeah, I know Hops. ;)
My comments were just generalized; not meant for anyone here... more as an observation on what I'm seeing lots of places and how our situation on the farm is different. We've ALL had our moments here, that said. Mostly coz too much info is suspect.
I do believe that "this too shall pass" - and we'll look back and wonder what all the panic was about. Even in my little corner of the world's grocery store, I saw people loading up like the people do for the 4x4 section of the beach for 2 weeks. Strangers stopping me to comment on the empty shelves, and knowing we were gonna be OK because we already had put stuff back. Me being really selective on what I was picking up/looking for.
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