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Preparing for the Flu


westbrook

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Preparing for the Flu

 

 

I know I have been preparing for the flu for several years, Over The Counter (OTC) meds, food, boxes of klneex and so on .

 

 

I just wanted to ramble on about it in hopes that it sparks ideas that I haven't thought of, helping those getting started, as a reminder to put on your list something you forgot and so on.

 

I do want others to ask questions, throw out ideas, post information about what you have or are doing... anything that will start a list.

 

I am working on a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list since many of the links that are pinned/stickied are no longer working.

 

 

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Klneex or tissue of some sort!

 

I love the tissue with lotion in it! love it! using regular tissue is ok but not when you have a runny nose. When sick and blowing your nose over and over it does get so sore.. having the lotion tissue first seems to stop that problem.

 

I didn't like the anti-virus tissue.. I thought it was rough, not soft at all!!! bought 2 boxes when they first came out and will not buy them again.

 

Make sure you have more then enough!!! better then not having enough.

 

This brings up toilet paper... I mean we are shopping in the same isle! I like the costco brand, 36 rolls all individually packaged and have many totes filled with them. I found One 18-gallon tote stores 36 rolls.. a couple i had to squish in half... but so what!

 

Now I am using the Charmin 48 rolls = 12 why? because I don't have to change the rolls as often! ok, call me lazy!

I have found that I prefer this brand to the Kirkland/Costco brand, but I still stock up on the Costco brand. I have enough to get me through a year. Any family members coming can figure out what they are using.. but my Toilet Paper is mandatory! ROFL!

 

Down the isle is Paper towels. Now if you think this is a luxury think again. When so sick you can barely lift your head to drink water which you don't want.. the last thing you want to do is do laundry. Paper towels become a blessing. Not drying your hands on towels that will be used by others when there is flu in the house may save them from getting sick too.

 

Now to dispose of tissues and paper towels... burn them! put in paper bag, and when half full... into the fire place it goes. No fire place? got a metal trash can? drop it in the bottom.. burn. Put lid on when burnt out so no sparks fly.

 

I would rather see it burned and a little smoke in the air then putting it in the trash can and letting the virus go to the dump to spread!

 

 

 

 

 

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Anti Viral cleaning supplies

 

 

Lysol!!! buy cans to spray around. Oh goodness.. I am now carrying a large purse with a can of lysol in it. I am spraying the shopping cart down! am I being paranoid? sure why not! my life.

 

I asked lysol to make a refillable small container and they came out with one that is $4 a 2 ounce bottle.. are they joking? I asked them for a little refillable container to be refilled from my larger spray bottle.. we used to do it in the 60 with hair spray! it can be done! they came out with wipes... useless! ok perhaps not totally useless but in my world... useless! why? I am so glad you asked...

 

how many of you use the seat for children to put your bread? eggs? vegetables? and how many babies leaked through their diapers?

 

How many of you use the seat for children to put your purse? ever sit your purse on the floor on the bathroom? if not how many others do? and then you sit your purse in the cart or put your food in the cart!!!

 

can I be sure others are as nuts about this as I am? so spray, spray, spray! I try to get a cart out in the parking lot, one that has been in the sunshine and spray it down outside so it sort of dries.

 

Sure the wipes are better then nothing but still.... can't get it all wiped before the towelette dries out!

 

and... how about menus? ever touch a menu and not wash your hands? how many others touched that menu and they never wipe them down! then you eat a sandwich, burger or fries!!! with your hands!

 

keep a small bottle of Purell or GermX in your purse. USE IT! buy a large bottle and put in bathroom and use it also to refill your purse size bottle.

 

after leaving a restroom... you touched the handle on the door... did the person before you wash their hands?

 

 

Tea Tree Oil is a great disinfectant since it is antiviral and antibacterial! a few drops in your water to mop floors, wipe down counters, door knobs and so on in the house won't hurt either.

 

Of course Lysol is just as good on floors and the spray to spray knobs, phones and so on.

 

how many people will pick up a can of something on a shelf and put it back.. did they wash their hands before shopping?

 

about now I am sure you all think I am a nut case.... ask me if I care?

 

It is my job as a Wife and Mother to assure that my family is safe!

 

I am the first to tell my kids... a little dirt won't hurt you! I have no issue with a little poo on my egg shells, for crying out loud.. I raise my own meat!!! but when it comes to the invisible germs... flu, herpies, colds, and other communicable virus's and diseases.. I am a nut case!

 

I didn't used to be like this... when we all had the same or similar cleanliness habits.. but since so many people coming from other countries that don't have the same cleanliness habits, we have to be very careful!

 

Ladies.. ever see foot prints on the toilet seats at a store? it is because many are used to 'going' standing over a hole in the floor! and I am to sit my precious hinney on the same seat? No! use toilet seat covers! how many times have you gone into a public restroom and the toilets weren't flushed? urine on the seat? We have to take extra precautions.

 

I am going to purchase 100% cotton gloves.. some I will dye, some I will put a couple of pintucks on the back to decorate.. but I am going to start wearing gloves!

 

 

 

 

 

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chicken soup!!!!

 

please learn to can, wal-mart has presto canners for as low as $65!!!! it is well worth the investment!

 

to open a jar and though you may not feel like eating, at least you have the broth to drink! if you don't feel like heating that is ok.

 

Freezing homemade chicken if you don't want to can!!!

 

last is buying canned soup better then nothing.

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I am doing a lot of things. First I preparing to prevent the flu.

1. Purel in small pocket sizes AND larger sizes for refilling the smaller bottles

2. Carrying the kids when out. We have to go to a large city and a large hospital this week and we are going to carry the kids through the building so they don't touch anything.

3. Clorox Wipes. Since we do have to be out I am taking Clorox wipes with me to wipe the chairs and arms of chairs. I also plan to use one on the scale and the blood pressure cup before the kids use it.

4. Gloves required! We have to go to a lab for blood work and I will require ALL lab techs who touch the kids to wear gloves and possibly masks depending on if they are sniffing or not.

5. The kids will NOT be able to play with the toys or coloring books in the doctor's office or at the hospital. I will be bringing toys for them to play with and they will be cleaned before they use them again after that day.

6. Tissues. Lotion are my favorite, but for the kids I will use cheaper ones since they go through a ton of them.

7. Children's liquid ibuprofen AND Tylenol. Because my children always get VERY high fevers (104.6 several times) I keep both types on hand always. I've had to use both at the same time before.

8. Naps. Both of the kids are now required to take a nap even if they don't need one. Sleep keeps kids strong.

9. Vitamins. I'm boosting up on the vitamins for all of us so we can stay stronger.

10. Orange Juice. I'm making a nice picture of OJ today and instead of milk for dinner the kids and I will have OJ.

11. WATER! One thing I have learned from years of being sick, you need to be hydrated or you will be in ER. That includes in the house. We have a humidifier in both my room and the kids rooms with fresh filters and we run them when needed. I also live in a humid state so that does help.

12. Higher vitamin foods. We are adding extra fruit type snacks and eating more yellow or orange veggies to sneak in even more of the flu fighting vitamins.

 

13. Open the curtains, and windows. Air helps kill air born bugs, sun helps build up our vitamin D levels. Fresh air helps everything.

14. Relax. Stress weakens your immune system and lowers your bodies defenses. Plus it keeps you from sleeping properly and in many people eating properly. Breath, relax, and be prepared instead of scared.

16. Hand soap. Washing our hands is a habit here, but now we will be doubling it when we are out.

17. Prayer!!! Most important thing to do is pray. God protects my family all the time and he helps us to do the right thing at the right time so we get the kids in if they are really sick. Prayer helps the best.

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Wellllll, there is the cash money.... They say a lot of germs are alll over the money. So do you wash the money? Mebbe a hot iron will sterilize the bills and alcohol for the coins????

 

 

:laughkick:

 

 

I cannot help but think I'm becoming a very odd reclusive person.... :curtsey:

 

 

 

MtRider [use credit card, swipe it yourself, and don't use their pen]

 

 

 

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debit card! and I use my own pen when signing for credit card!!!!

 

I keep GermX in my purse.

 

cash? no.

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I thought I was pretty prepared for flu, etc. here at home. Last night I found out that I was wrong. I had a humidifer in the cupboard, but had never used it. It had belonged to my mom. Well, when I needed to use it last ngiht for my hubby, it didn't work! So, I went to the store and bought one today. So, be sure to check and make sure yours works! It's a bummer to find out in the middle of the night it doesn't!

 

I also bought some more generic mucinex, generic tylenol, another thermometer, vick's for the humidifer, etc. I already have gloves, masks, bath stuff for soaking in to help with cold and flu. I have powdered gatorade to help with dehydration if needed. hmmmmm.....I have lots of stuff...but will probably continue to stock up.

 

I do need more kleenex! :) Thanks for the reminder!

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how many of you use the seat for children to put your bread? eggs? vegetables? and how many babies leaked through their diapers?

 

 

and... how about menus? ever touch a menu and not wash your hands? how many others touched that menu and they never wipe them down! then you eat a sandwich, burger or fries!!! with your hands!

 

Oh my! Thank you Westie for making me think of these things. Did I mention the gagging part? LOL NEVER thought of leaky diapers and dirty menus. Heck I'm staying home from now on.....

 

:yuk:

 

We've got purell all over the place. In the vehicles, purse, kids backpacks, kitchen counter, desk etc. I normally spray the door knobs, phones etc in the house and was shocked at the price of lysol this weekened. Walmart wanted $5.26 a can!! Is it me or did the price go up?

 

Should be interesting to see how this progresses. IMHO the best case scenario would be for it to fizzle out after getting the sheeple to start thinking.

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Westie, do you think cotton gloves will be better than disposable ones? I have dozens from the past and wouldn't mind an excuse to wear them again. I had thought to use them in place of disposables for going out but wouldn't they carry the same problems. If you touch your face or eyes or nose with the germy gloves you would defeat the purpose. I believe the virus can live on objects for quite a while.

 

They would at least be washable but I keep thinking that washing my hands or using hand sanitizer might be a better way to deal with germs in the stores. I have to admit that my hands won't stand the repeated washing and alcohol though and the cotton would be better than the vinyl. (I can't use latex) We'd most likely have to take them off just as carefully as the disposables by rolling them off inside out and not touching them with bare hands and then still washing our hands after.

 

I'd like some input on this, please, cause I really wish gloves hadn't gone out of style and would love to dig them out of their box and find a new use for them....

 

:bighug2:

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gloves.. old regulars or disposables... both the same.. well one is nicer then the other and you don't throw those away!

 

I want to buy the disposables.. dye them, put pintucks on them make them pretty and wear them.

 

honestly... you aren't going to, with a glove on, stick your finger in your eye.. makes you think twice anyway.

 

can the virus go through the gloves? sure, but it is a barrier for other things then the flu! ever touch a cart? ewwww!

 

 

 

and Suz.... I have lots more of those kind of yuks! ok here is one.....

 

you wear your shoes out.. may use the public restroom, come home, walk on your carpet and then the kids lay on that same carpet! faces rolling around where you just walked and where did you walk? people spitting on the ground.. people picking their nose and flicking it on the ground... want more Yuks? ROFL!!!!

 

I do little things like take my shoes off and putting on socks or slippers. I think nothing of walking out to the barn, manure on shoes and walk in the house.... but no way with 'OP' (other peoples) germs!

 

I change my clothes when I get into the house too and put them in to be washed. times have changed, we have to be so very careful these days. I am not this anal with the kids.. well about the menus I am, and shoes, changing clothes from school to play... ROFL!!!

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At the Dollar Tree there is another brand of spray that is just as effective as Lysol, for only a dollar. I should grab another can there, I guess. Didn't even think about it until you mentioned Lysol.

May get some masks, too. Have lots of peroxide and alcohol. Got some boxes of store brand Excedrin for 87 cents a box. That was savings of over $3.50 a box. I got the 4 boxes they had left. Got free Ecotrin, too, which is low dose aspirin.

Should get more bleach, too.

I wonder in an emergency if I could disassemble one of my furnace filters , cut them up and use for masks? They are not fiberglass. These are Hepa filter quality. Just thinkiing outloud here. Would vacuum cleaner bags work ?

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Down the isle is Paper towels. Now if you think this is a luxury think again. When so sick you can barely lift your head to drink water which you don't want.. the last thing you want to do is do laundry. Paper towels become a blessing. Not drying your hands on towels that will be used by others when there is flu in the house may save them from getting sick too.

 

Now to dispose of tissues and paper towels... burn them! put in paper bag, and when half full... into the fire place it goes. No fire place? got a metal trash can? drop it in the bottom.. burn. Put lid on when burnt out so no sparks fly.

 

I would rather see it burned and a little smoke in the air then putting it in the trash can and letting the virus go to the dump to spread!

 

 

Never thought of it that way and didn't think about burning the paper. Thanks Westie!!! Prepping for flu and medical situations is a hole of mine. Now that I can't do a lot to fill in financially I'm trying to spread what I got and take inventory...finding I have more than I thought. Thanks for this thread.

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OMG....Westie!!! GAGGING

 

I should have read all the way down before posting. Yesterday I made a fast run to the store after that White House briefing. We are on limited funds...like none but I spent some anyway. I got:

 

Double size bottle of bleach

pine sol

lysol

2 - 12 pks of TP

Individual small bottles of hand sanitizer

soap pumps for each sink

2/$1 chicken noodle soup

crackers

several $1 gallons of Tampioca punch (like Sunny Delight)

cold medicine

nyquil

 

All these items were the store brand. I hope store brand is just as good because it's all I can afford right now. When I went to Dr. today he gave me 4 presecriptions and luckily I had them at home...combining older prescriptions that were never finished I have enough meds for me. I already had a couple antibacterial handwashes and kleenex.

 

Where do I get that stuff you said to throw into my cleaning stuff???

 

As of tommorrow....if I can get enough air into my lungs...my floors will be mopped....door handles disinfected and NO SHOES allowed in my house!!

 

DH is heading to Pleasant, TX as I'm typing this. I told him he better stop and get antibacterial hand wash before he gets too far south and cant find any.

 

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anewme,

 

I am being my usual bazar self... showing how little we think about the world we live in.

 

germs are interesting... we need them, need exposure to them so our bodies can learn to fight them and at the same time they can kill us.

 

I am more paranoid about filth then the swine flu. Filthy public restrooms makes me shudder! swine flu *shrug*

dirt I don't mind, messy I am cool with, but a dirty menu....ewwwww.

 

 

tea tree oil.. very interesting stuff. kind of expensive though you only use a few drops to a gallon of water.

 

anti bacterial and anti fungal... found at wal-mart in the herb isle on the bottom shelf in brown bottle. About $7.00, dang just got another bottle and can't remember.

 

I have used it for years... dogs ears, ring worm and athlete's foot on the boys,,, they wrestled, floors, counters... and more.

 

it isn't necessary to have, lysol works just fine.... don't spend the money.... let's do this as cheap as possible.

 

There are other things to buy that may save your life more important then tea tree oil...like food, water, aspirin, thera-flu and more.

 

I have been gathering a list of things..... right now I am working on how to make masks.

 

I am not too worried about this round of flu as we are getting into summer..but winter is just around the corner...let's get ready for that...slow and steady.

 

 

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I wonder in an emergency if I could disassemble one of my furnace filters , cut them up and use for masks? They are not fiberglass. These are Hepa filter quality. Just thinkiing outloud here. Would vacuum cleaner bags work ?

 

 

funny you mentioned vacuum hepa filter bags.... was thinking about them today when discussing making masks since they are sold out!

 

 

 

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Good Thinking Thread Westie, thanks!

 

I found this link that was interesting, called How to Stay Germ Free Without Going Crazy

 

Here's an interesting quote from that article that I thought might be of use ....

 

Little known fact: sprays intended for surfaces do not work in the air. You're spraying in the bathroom only masks odor; it doesn't kill airborne germs.

 

In order to sanitize the air you would have to buy that Oust product of the Lysol Neutra air. I don't know how effective these type products are against this swine flu, but just thought I 'd point out the difference between sanitizing surfaces and sanitizing the air.

 

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp196341_333181_...fresh_scent.htm

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Westie.... your killing me (shudder) spit is one of those triggers that truly make me gag!

 

Thankfully I got rid of the carpet years ago and am a moping dervish. I need to stop thinking about this or I'm going to become OCD lol

 

Tell ya what, my DH is an over the road trucker. He's always carried purell, lysol etc but because of my ranting he claims hes afraid to go into the truck stops LOL This my friends is a GOOD thing. Germ wise and $$ wise!

 

Just think of all those germs on a truck stop door handle :0327:

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be sure to store several tooth brushes I replace mine every 3 months.... how about you?

 

if you have the flu..... boil or bleach, or alcohol- vodka or? what are you going to do?

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