Confusion

[ThatJerseyGirl]

Okay! So I have gotten so many mixed answers on this and maybe some of you can help the confusion! I still live with my parents and I noticed that my mom was looking for a razor the other day and she used mine from my drawer I guess not realizing that I used it to shave my lower area. Can transmission happen from razors? What about from sharing beverages like beer bottles/straws? I know that the virus can't live even 20 seconds off the body but I'm getting so many mixed answers and I'm confused. Help please!!

[Anna01]

I would say for the razor, unless you recently used it, there is no risk there. Don't let your fears control your life. If you used your razor at 10 am and your mom uses it at 3 pm, there is no risk. So relax ;-) As far as sharing drinks, I was initially paranoid about it BUT I came to realize that people who share...share. If they don't come in contact with HSV1 through me, garaunteed they are coming into contact with others. Over 80% of the population has it. If I am drinking through a straw and someone wants to taste my drink, I let them taste it from the cup. It is highly unlikely they will get HSV1 that way. I am also concious to rotate my cup so they can drink from a different location. I have never been a germaphobe so it is really hard for me to tell people no when they ask for a sip.

[2Legit2Quit]

Nothing here for me to say... Anna pretty much mailed it on the head. :-)

[NothingGoodGetsAway]

I might want add that the risk should be even less of a time - if you used the razor at 10am, rinsed it properly (and used even a little soap to shave down there), there shouldn't be anything infectious remaining even a few minutes later. The same would be true of towels - I feel pretty confident that if I dry off with a towel, even just a few minutes later someone else can use it. Same with a toilet seat.

 

The virus "living" on inanimate objects and being "transmittable" on inanimate objects is very different. Meaning, yes - there have been studies that see that *minuscule* amounts of the virus can live for hours on counters and such - but that does NOT mean that it's enough to transmit.

 

In order to transmit through objects (finger, towel, toothbrush), you need to have enough virus on something (meaning from an outbreak or a big shed), immediately move it to a mucous membrane (eye, mouth, a cut somewhere), and rub it in. So if you shaved, didn't rinse, handed it to your mom and she cut herself with the razor? Maybe. But other than that you're okay!

 

Trust me. It's funny, because you read what I'm about to say in the early stages and think "no one else must go through this" but almost EVERYONE goes through a paranoia stage. It's good to be aware - wash your hands. Use a straw. Don't mess "down there" or in your mouth when there's an outbreak - but the paranoia will go away. Well...a bit. I still have moments here and there, but they're going away!!

[WCSDancer2010]

@Anna01 and @NothingGoodGetsAway basically nailed it, but if you want more info:

 

http://supporttruthanddialog.com/toilets-towels-and-touching-oh-my/