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Protect Yourself - Wash Your Hands, Frequently

The best way to prevent getting Corona Virus is to never get any infectious particles on you. Bolt your doors - and stay at home. That's the public recommendation.

Unfortunately, unless you have a large home with lots of freezer space, you won't have enough storage space for a 3 month stay at home. You're going to have to venture outside occasionally - if only to get some basic exercise. Or, you'll need a food delivery service.

When you come back inside, the first thing to do is to strip, and put your possibly contaminated clothes in a secure bag, for proper washing. Next, take a long hot shower, using lots of cleanser, disinfectant, soap, and / or shampoo.

Even with your clothes cleaned, and a long shower, you'll have another problem. Whether you buy your food when you venture outside, or have food delivered, what you buy will probably be touched by other people in the stores, before you (it) get out the door.

I carry antibacterial wipes, and alcohol based disinfectant, when I go shopping. The first thing that I do, when exiting a store, is to wash my hands with disinfectant and / or wipes.

All that said, unless you spend a lot of time disinfecting your purchases - and every floor and counter surface in your home - you will still have possibly infectious material on your hands, when you're safely inside. The only solution for this will be to wash your hands - frequently, and thoroughly.

Plan to spend 1/2 hour / day at the bathroom sink, washing hands - over and over.


The recommended time to spend washing is 20 seconds. I, personally, prefer to shoot for 30 seconds - using lots of disinfectant or soap. I work up a good lather, then rub my palms together, vigourously. Then I wash the back of each hand, thoroughly. Then, I interlock my fingers of each hand, front to front, front to back, back to back, and back to front - and work a good lather between my fingers, each time, as I rub between my fingers.

Specific CDC observations:
  • Rinsing with cold water appears to be as effective as hot water.
  • Cold water is less irritating than hot water, and uses less energy.
  • There does not appear to be significant numbers of germs transferred between hands and the faucet. To minimise water consumption, you may want to turn water off after wetting hands - then on again, to rinse.
Next, I rub the tips of my thumb and 4 fingers, together, into the palm of the other hand - and get lots of lather under the fingernails.

I learned about this detail, the hard way, when I first cooked my world famous Chuck's KIck Ass Chili. Again, one hand then the other. Hot peppers - or virus particles - get it all off your fingers. Finally, rub each finger / thumb, one at a time, wrapped within the palm of the other hand.

That's a good 30 seconds, done slowly and deliberately. Then rinse, until you feel no disinfectant or soap. Have you ever watched Grey's Anatomy, where the surgeons wash before surgery? That's the idea. Then, dry your hands using a clean towel - and plan to wash your towels, regularly.

And every time you handle anything in your home, that might possibly be infected, return to the bathroom and repeat the washing sequence.

That's a lot of time spent, washing, isn't it? How much time might you spend in a hospital bed, using a ventilator (hoping that the hospital would have a bed, and ventilator, for you)? I'll do the washing, a couple dozen times / day (maybe 30 minutes / day, total?), myself.


Corona Virus is part of our lives - and will be for many months into the future.

Never never put your fingers near your face - or any other opening of your body - without knowing that your hands are sparkly clean.

Anything that you touch, outside your home or inside, might be contaminated with the virus. Plan to spend 1/2 hour / day, washing your hands - thoroughly. Watch Grey's Anatomy or a similar TV show, and see how surgeons wash up, before surgery.

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