unhygienic trolleys

[jazzactivist]

Hi all, a frenzied debate is going on in our local paper's letters page about whether letting children ride in supermarket trolleys is unhygienic, or not. The complainers say that snotty nosed children, in nappies, or with unclean shoes spread germs onto the trolleys that then infect people who use it later. Others argue that people pushing the trolleys also pass on germs. Another woman said that she carries antiseptic wipes and wipes the trolley and her hands before and after using it! I don't shop in supermarkets, so it doesn't affect me much, but I have always just accepted that small children travel in the child seat of trolleys for safety and convenience. I have never considered whether this is unsanitary, or not. What do the rest of you think?

[eleanor2]

i think it is ridiculous.we are going to end up sanitized whimps. germs are good for you.they strengthen your immune system.you get a slow build up of antibodies day in day out.you end up tougher.all these anti bacterial sprays are making us so clean that the first attack of germs we come across we will topple.

[Katelb]

Hi Jazz,I don't have a problem with children sitting in the little seats provided at the front of the trolley,but sometimes you see children who are plainly too big to go in the seat actually in the trolley amongst the shopping. It is of course up to the family if they are happy to have feet etc all over the shopping,but when you see some of the kids that 'hitch a ride' and who look none too savoury to be honest,I think I would applaud a supermarket that issued a ban on that sort of behaviour.It could also be a danger to the child as I have seen some of them standing up and bouncing around in the trolley. I do agree you have to be exposed to a certain amount of 'grime' etc.to gain some immunity,and you can always wash your hands if you fell sensitive about germs and the like,but toddlers/babies in their proper place on a trolley is fine.

[Serenity]

Do you know I'd never ever thought of trolleys being a hygene risk. When my son was small I used them all the time, it must put parents of small childeren in an awkward situation when shopping in your local supermarket. I think its blowing things out of all proportion and agree with Eleanor2, with all the antibacterial products available we will have no resistance to germs. I personally won't use them and think that the companies that produce them use scare tactics in the advertising of them.

[Oola]

Serenity yes, that stupid advert that says there's more bacteria on your toilet seat than on your child's high chair - well I'm sure there is but a) I wouldn't eat off my toilet seat because it's not high enough and b) they're probably completely different strains of bacteria! Idiotic!

As for the children in the seats - well I have no problem with them sitting in the chairs with their feet dangling through. I'm not bothered about touching the trolley handles either, I think most people are just about clean enough for me not to have to worry! I am REALLY particular usually about public hygiene, there is a particular multi-storey carpark in Bedford where Rich and I refuse to touch anything because it's just so revolting. THe stairwells are used as toilets, so we don't touch the handrails or walls, we cover our hands with our sleeves so when we pull the doors open we're not making contact. The place is VILE - you really do feel dirty even walking through it. I'm funny about touching public doors, especially in public toilets. I really can't use them unless I have to. There's toilets in the MK shopping mall that are ok - you don't have to touch the tap (it's one of those movement sensors) to turn it on and wash your hands, which is nice. Public telephones are also another no-no for me.

I also find that I can't eat certain foods in public - lol! Especially soft sandwiches, bananas and something with baked beans in it. I don't know what it is but some foods are only for eating at home or in really tidy and well-maintained restaurants! I know that sounds really odd! The thing is, if I see something disgusting - say a bird poo, someone's spat on the floor or something - I can't just ignore it. It plays on my mind and I can't stop myself from looking at it again and thinking how gross it is. I go off food really quickly if I notice something yucky, even if it's really minute. Yet I don't care about the trolley issue. I suppose I don't eat whilst I'm shopping, which is probably why!

[Crocus]

Where else would one then let the little ones sit? What does worry me though is the fact that many, many hands touch these trolleys, and you sometimes see babies chewing onto the handle of the trolley. That bothers me quite a bit. I never allowed my boys to chew on the handles. Something else that I notice, are people who put their dogs into the trolleys. Surely that can't by hygienic? I fully agree that certain germs are good to build our immunity, but there are limits to that as well. Talking about babies/kids in trolleys - Friday afternoon at the Spar a mother was pushing her basket trolley with a little girl age about 3, and the next moment the trolley got stuck onto something or another and the whole top basket where the little one was sitting, came tumbling down! She fell right on her forehead with one enormous bang! I was so shocked that I couldn't focus and just stood there with my heart in my throat! Fortunately there was another lady directly beside this mom and she just took one step, picked up the little one and tried to console her. She was screaming with shock and pain. I think it's very dangerous to put the little ones in the basket trolleys - rather take a big trolley which provides a seat for babies.

[jazzactivist]

These comments have highlighted some new areas of possible concern that I just hadn't considered. I am surprised, Crocus, that in SA dogs are still allowed in the shops and supermarkets, as that isn't the case in the UK. Even guide dogs have to be requested in food halls. I think that is unhygienic for dogs to be carried in trolleys, or in the shop at all. I guess that occasionally it would be possible for babies to pass on germs if they chew the trolley handle, but most people probably are clean enough not to have to worry about it. If I have to go into a place that is pretty filthy I do as you do, Oola, and use my sleeves or shoulder to open doors etc. Bizarrely, the worst toilets that I have ever been in were in the Arts faculty of the university that I work for. It was an evening launch for my partner's book, and the toilets were absolutely filthy and had clearly not been cleaned at all for weeks, but whoever was using them hadn't let that put them off making them even worse! I wished that I had those unnecessary antiseptic wipes then!

[Crocus]

Yes Jazzactivist, in some shops they're still allowed! I get so angry when I see this. It's not all of the shops of course, and I think it depends a lot on the manager as well. About the babies chewing on the handles - the babies are clean, but all the hands that push the trolleys around are not always clean. I also do not like to touch door handles at toilets or any doors for that matter. So many people don't wash their hands after using toilets and it takes only a few 'dirty' hands to deposit bacteria and germs.

[sunflower]

I think it depends. Normally, as Elenour says, a little bit of bacteria 'aint gonna do much harm and build up your defence system. However, when I was a child, if I had an infectious disease, such as chicken pox, or a bad cough, I was kept in.....so as not to spread germs. Nowadays, parents still take their children out regardless of whether they had diarehea and thrown up a couple of hours ago. I think it is especially important that pregnant women are aware of the risk.

[dinger]

I never thought about this before but went shopping today and had to search for a trolly that was reasonably clean .

[Healing Hands]

What is this world coming too..but I must agree with Oola I do not use public toilets unless I really, really have to and as you get older the less you can hold it in!

[eleanor2]

if you worked in a psycho geriatric ward like me .by 7 in the morning after a night shift.you could have washed upto 20 male bums.anything upto 3 times a night with a few of them caked in faeces of all sorts.i hardly ever had time off sick in 17 years.being in contact with every day germs strengthens your immune system.the problem nowa days is weak immune systems.

[sheddie]

Oh Eeeee I know someone has to do it but I couldn't no way! I think it's horses for courses.X

[jazzactivist]

I think that there is some truth in what Eleanor says about being exposed the germs making us more immune to them. Being raised in Africa I was more exposed to germs as a child than people maybe are here. Also, I have worked with hundreds of people from all backgrounds for many years eg in homeless people's projects, doing home visits, and in community centres and run down halls, and I was never ever off work sick. Once I started working at the university, I have had several colds, sickness bugs, conjunctivitis...!

[JerseyLily]

What insight to how others' shop!

When it's actually down to using a trolley I don leather / cotton gloves according to seasonal conditions, which all boils down to the thought of sticky-fingered lolly-licking / choco-eating kiddos, and other unmentionables. YUK.

Leather is wipe-clean, cotton machine-washable, and I carry wipes in the car for hands. I guess that sounds like I don't much like super stores. That assumption is correct! And, when I think of nits and how they can leap distances 100 times their actual size that's probably why I avoid queues if possible and prefer shopping locally.

[sheddie]

I too don't use public toilets, it would have to be a real emergency, I would rather go behind a hedge personally.X

[eleanor2]

i use them all the time.dont actually sit on the seat just stoop over it.i went an old fashioned public loo in france once,desperate.it was disgusting.these loo's in the floor are absolutely awful.most loo's in france now are quite o.k by the way.

[Crocus]

Behind the hedge Sheds! ;) I would rather try and run for the house, but I don't think I will be able to sit behind a hedge! What if someone walks past, or something? As for Eleanor who stoops over the toilet, yes if I must go to the toilet, that's what I do! I've been in public toilets which you just cannot believe how it got to that state! But I must say, in our shopping centres' toilets, the moment you come out, the cleaner goes in, and cleans up with anti-bacterial substances. etc. Of course, this does not happen everywhere. O goodness me............ don't think or talk any further!:eek: