Covid and the requirements to stay indoors are both upon us, and confusion sweeps the nation along with the virus. Businesses are forced to close and people are wearing masks and gloves. The run on sanitizer and toilet paper continues.

Meanwhile, some of us were ready. No need to run out – we have sanitizer in every room, a stock of wipes in the basement, latex gloves by the thousands. That’s right – your friend’s OCD that seemed so strange for the last 20 years is suddenly the guide for what everyone is doing.

So in the midst of all this craziness and confusion, what can we learn from the brains of those who are wired for this 24/7, 365? Some of these are less of an issue while we are all on lockdown inside our homes, but carry this with you when you do go out.

  1. The chain of contamination – who’s touching what?

    One of the biggest things your OCD friends might see is the chain of contamination:

    You slide your card through the reader at the gas station and punch your numbers, then grab the handle of the fuel pump and pump your gas. When done you close it up, punch ‘No Receipt’ on the screen. You grab your keys from your pocket *contaminated* and open your door *contaminated*. You sit down and put on your seat belt *contaminated*, put the keys in the ignition, shift into drive *contaminated*, and grab the wheel *contaminated* to head out.

    Ask yourself how many people used the pump before you, hit the buttons on the screen – maybe the last person was sick, blowing their nose, got out and grabbed the pump handle just like you did. Then you spread it across everything else you touched!

    Yuck.

    The obvious ones are easy like door handles, gas pumps, or money (how many hands has that bill been through?) We have to think about multiple steps though, and where you are placing other things. A pocketbook or bag set on the ground in the bathroom at work has just been set in a miasma of disgusting – and germs are only the beginning. Thinking about where that’s been do you really want to go home and put it on your dinner table?

  2. One way to use your head is to use your feet (reduce contact in touching things)

    Today people are elbow bumping in place of hugs and are more aware of what they are touching, but as you think about the chain of contamination, how do you still go about your day? You need to open the door to the bathroom or turn the knob on the sink after you’ve washed your hands.

    Yes, with flexibility you can get creative, but not everyone can turn off a faucet with their feet (don’t look at us – we aren’t admitting anything). Paper towels are in many bathrooms and can be used to get turn off the water and get back out safely.

    Can you use your elbow or even knee to hit the elevator button? Pump gas with a grocery bag? Gently push open the door with your foot? There are many body parts you can use to touch things that are less likely than others to contaminate other things or get near your face (if you can touch your face with your elbow, for example, I am impressed!)

  3. Plan ahead – napkins, bag, for touching things, sanitizer available

    Part of staying safe is planning ahead:
    – Sanitizer in your pocket? Check.
    – Napkins just in case? Check.
    – Plastic bag as a backup? Check.

    It’s not as if you need a ton of these things for a trip out, but a couple of napkins can give you flexibility to provide a barrier if you do need to touch something.

  4. If in doubt, change your clothes – keep in a separate area for contaminated items

    This may seem excessive but be aware of where you’ve been and what your clothes have come in contact with – and remember the chain of contamination!

    If you’ve been somewhere highly questionable (say a doctor’s office), don’t just throw your clothes on the ground when you get home, or sit in your favorite chair. COVID-19, in particular, seems to be viable for up to three days depending on the surface. Do you really want to contaminate everything else in your house?

    Put those questionable clothes somewhere safe and separate from everything else when you come home, or better yet straight in the wash.

  5. Soap when you can, sanitizer when you must

    Alcohol-based sanitizers are a wonderfully convenient way to kill germs wherever you are, including when you don’t have soap and water immediately accessible. It’s also more gentle on your hands than soap and water. If you’ve just touched something small that might have been contaminated, go ahead and use sanitizer. Otherwise…

    Soap and water actually removes germs and foreign material, unlike sanitizer which simply kills the germs on your skin. Think of it like washing your dishes – you can spray your pans with Lysol and kill bacteria on them, but you probably still want to scrub off the leftover food bits!

  6. Moisturizer is your friend

    Any time you are washing your hands constantly you are in danger of drying them out. This can lead to dry, cracked, even painful hands. These cracks then provide a perfect entry point for germs!

    Fight this by applying moisturizer after washing. Try to use a cream rather than a lotion, and you can even do the glove trick if it gets really bad – load your hands up with cream at night, put on some cotton gloves, and sleep that way!

It’s not what you are touching, it’s who touched all the things you are touching, and what you can do to block the path of contagion.

Your OCD friend might have seemed a little crazy in the past, but put their troubles and practice to use to stay safe in these COVID days.

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