are you washing your produce with soap? alcohol?

I would never wash my produce with soap or alcohol. They do have some cleaners for produce, I think they may have lemon or vinegar in the cleaner. Never used them, still just rinse under filtered water, don't have much produce now except tomatoes and potatoes.
 
Thanks, RadishRose! I like your avatar, too. =smile= What gave me the idea was watching a doctor demonstrate the elaborate lengths to which he goes to decontaminate his groceries. Maybe he was over the top.

I just got a bunch of fancy brush-tip pens from an online art supply company, and I ordered specific colors, so I know the package was assembled by a human being. So now I'm wondering if I need to decontaminate all these pens.

This is getting crazy....
 
I've always washed some produce with soap & water; depends on the produce.
I eat lots of Persian Cucumbers which have an edible peel. I've always scrubbed them with soap & water - mainly because I don't like the waxy preservatives they're coated with. Same with apples.
Before peeling oranges & lemons, I'll scrub them with soap & water - just dish soap.
 
Fiona said:
Thanks, RadishRose! I like your avatar, too. =smile= What gave me the idea was watching a doctor demonstrate the elaborate lengths to which he goes to decontaminate his groceries. Maybe he was over the top.

I just got a bunch of fancy brush-tip pens from an online art supply company, and I ordered specific colors, so I know the package was assembled by a human being. So now I'm wondering if I need to decontaminate all these pens.

This is getting crazy....
Click to expand...
BTW, isn't your avatar Madeliene Kahn in "Young Frankenstein?"
 
Fiona said:
Thanks, RadishRose! I like your avatar, too. =smile= What gave me the idea was watching a doctor demonstrate the elaborate lengths to which he goes to decontaminate his groceries. Maybe he was over the top.

I just got a bunch of fancy brush-tip pens from an online art supply company, and I ordered specific colors, so I know the package was assembled by a human being. So now I'm wondering if I need to decontaminate all these pens.

This is getting crazy....
Click to expand...
Thanks Fiona, here's a chart from WebMD

Metal
Examples: doorknobs, jewelry, silverware
5 days

Wood
Examples: furniture, decking
4 days

Plastics
Examples: packaging like milk containers and detergent bottles, subway and bus seats, backpacks, elevator buttons
2 to 3 days

Stainless steel
Examples: refrigerators, pots and pans, sinks, some water bottles
2 to 3 days

Cardboard
Examples: shipping boxes
24 hours

Copper
Examples: pennies, teakettles, cookware
4 hours

Aluminum
Examples: soda cans, tinfoil, water bottles
2 to 8 hours

Glass
Examples: drinking glasses, measuring cups, mirrors, windows
Up to 5 days

Ceramics
Examples: dishes, pottery, mugs
5 days

Paper
The length of time varies. Some strains of coronavirus live for only a few minutes on paper, while others live for up to 5 days.

Food
Coronavirus doesn't seem to spread through exposure to food. Still, it's a good idea to wash fruits and vegetables under running water before you eat them. Scrub them with a brush or your hands to remove any germs that might be on their surface. Wash your hands after you visit the supermarket. If you have a weakened immune system, you might want to buy frozen or canned produce.

Water
Coronavirus hasn't been found in drinking water. If it does get into the water supply, your local water treatment plant filters and disinfects the water, which should kill any germs.

https://www.webmd.com/lung/how-long-covid-19-lives-on-surfaces
So I'm thinking you may not have to wash your pens.
 
I'm just using regular water to rinse my produce and I do eat a ton of it. Some people don't even rinse produce (it destroys the vitamin content), they use a produce brush instead. But I do rinse mine, without soap or alcohol. That's taking this thing way to far and alcohol would ruin the taste of your food.
 
Before eating it, I soak most produce for 15 minutes in water with a little baking soda. A study came out a couple of years ago saying that baking soda did a stellar job at eliminating pesticides on apples. I soak most fruits and veggies then rinse. It doesn't leave any type of film or mess with the taste. Plus, it's really cheap.

One exception, I don't use baking soda for berries but instead spray them with vinegar and rinse under running water. The baking soda soak makes berries a little too soggy.
 
I'm glad I now know about the virus living on metal for 5 days.
I will wash my hands after touching a gun.
I don't want to be infected with Coronaglock or Coronauzi.
 
Gaer said:
They asked that question on the TV news and the answer was that fresh produce can't carry or hold the virus. Just quoting, don't know the truth of it.
Click to expand...

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safet...-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

I wouldn't know why it couldn't stay viable on fresh produce, when it stays alive for quite a long time on most everything else. "It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. However, it’s always critical to follow the 4 key steps of food safety—clean, separate, cook, and chill – to prevent foodborne illness."

The virus doesn't suddenly die or become inert on produce. If someone with the virus has it on their hands and touched the apple that you pick up and bite into, that meets the criteria for spread. They just don't have any studies yet to 'prove' that this is a method of transmission.
 
The produce industry commonly uses a bleach solution to disinfect certain fruits and vegetables. Since the beginning of March, my wife and I have been doing this with all apples, pears, cucumbers, and other loose produce that is commonly handled by customers in the stores while making their selections. The link below will take you to a publication from Louisiana State University that describes this process.

https://www.lsu.edu/agriculture/pla.../8_Pub.3448-WashWaterChlorineDisinfection.pdf

If you want to do this, here are some notes:
1. As always, use all appropriate care when using bleach. NEVER mix bleach with ammonia, alcohol, or acidic solutions such as vinegar.
2. Use only plain bleach. Avoid scented, thickened ("splashless") or other specialty bleaches.
3. We use a 200 part per million (ppm) bleach solution made by adding 2 teaspoons of bleach to one gallon of warm water in a large mixing bowl.
4. The bleach we have is marked 8.25% sodium hypochlorite (that's the the source of the chlorine in household bleach). Know the sodium hypochlorite concentration of the bleach you're using and do the math to adjust quantities as necessary.
5. We place our fruit into the 200 ppm solution and let it soak for at least one minute (turning occasionally), then rinse it well with tap water and place it on a clean towel to air dry.
6. As a bonus, you can use the left over bleach solution to disinfect countertops and other food-contact surfaces. Just wipe it on and let it air dry. Do not use it on metal surfaces or any other material that could be damaged by exposure to bleach.
 
Tommy said:
The produce industry commonly uses a bleach solution to disinfect certain fruits and vegetables. Since the beginning of March, my wife and I have been doing this with all apples, pears, cucumbers, and other loose produce that is commonly handled by customers in the stores while making their selections. The link below will take you to a publication from Louisiana State University that describes this process.

https://www.lsu.edu/agriculture/pla.../8_Pub.3448-WashWaterChlorineDisinfection.pdf

If you want to do this, here are some notes:
1. As always, use all appropriate care when using bleach. NEVER mix bleach with ammonia, alcohol, or acidic solutions such as vinegar.
2. Use only plain bleach. Avoid scented, thickened ("splashless") or other specialty bleaches.
3. We use a 200 part per million (ppm) bleach solution made by adding 2 teaspoons of bleach to one gallon of warm water in a large mixing bowl.
4. The bleach we have is marked 8.25% sodium hypochlorite (that's the the source of the chlorine in household bleach). Know the sodium hypochlorite concentration of the bleach you're using and do the math to adjust quantities as necessary.
5. We place our fruit into the 200 ppm solution and let it soak for at least one minute (turning occasionally), then rinse it well with tap water and place it on a clean towel to air dry.
6. As a bonus, you can use the left over bleach solution to disinfect countertops and other food-contact surfaces. Just wipe it on and let it air dry. Do not use it on metal surfaces or any other material that could be damaged by exposure to bleach.
Click to expand...
Many thanks for such important information! The PDF link is really helpful and worth saving. I will STOP using the soap and alcohol method and use this bleach method from now on. Plus, the PDF has a 'cheat sheet' for those of us who are mathematically challenged!
 
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Tommy said:
The produce industry commonly uses a bleach solution to disinfect certain fruits and vegetables. Since the beginning of March, my wife and I have been doing this with all apples, pears, cucumbers, and other loose produce that is commonly handled by customers in the stores while making their selections. The link below will take you to a publication from Louisiana State University that describes this process.

https://www.lsu.edu/agriculture/pla.../8_Pub.3448-WashWaterChlorineDisinfection.pdf

If you want to do this, here are some notes:
1. As always, use all appropriate care when using bleach. NEVER mix bleach with ammonia, alcohol, or acidic solutions such as vinegar.
2. Use only plain bleach. Avoid scented, thickened ("splashless") or other specialty bleaches.
3. We use a 200 part per million (ppm) bleach solution made by adding 2 teaspoons of bleach to one gallon of warm water in a large mixing bowl.
4. The bleach we have is marked 8.25% sodium hypochlorite (that's the the source of the chlorine in household bleach). Know the sodium hypochlorite concentration of the bleach you're using and do the math to adjust quantities as necessary.
5. We place our fruit into the 200 ppm solution and let it soak for at least one minute (turning occasionally), then rinse it well with tap water and place it on a clean towel to air dry.
6. As a bonus, you can use the left over bleach solution to disinfect countertops and other food-contact surfaces. Just wipe it on and let it air dry. Do not use it on metal surfaces or any other material that could be damaged by exposure to bleach.
Click to expand...
And to add an important note here: Expiration date on bleach bottle is critical....it loses its potency to disinfect if used after that.....
 
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