Possibly Dumb Question...

[kitbuddy]

Hey guys, I have a potentially silly question. About 12 days ago I was at an event for my work and two of my co-workers were recently ill. Their symptoms sounded like a virus but no one else in contact with them that week got it. Anyway, I wasn't really near them much that day but I showered/bleached everything when I got home. Anyway, I left my outfit from that day on top of the hamper. I recently moved it into a bag for dry cleaning. My boyfriend put his jeans on that hamper, put them on after showering, and rubbed his nose right after. Then he went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea. (He claims he washed his hands before doing that.)

I know the chances are very very very small, but would he be okay even if my co-workers were contagious? The only contact I would have had would be if one of them sat in my chair and contaminated my clothes....12 days ago. I've read that viruses can survive on surfaces for up to two weeks, but no one knows if that could still infect others.

I'm just being silly, right?

[LolaBlack]

Hey,
I think its really unlikely that you could get it from this. Although apparently viruses can survive for weeks, clothes are not the ideal location for them to reproduce so there wouldn't be many of them in the first place. And also, they would have to have moved onto the chair, to the clothes, to the hamper, to the other clothes into his nose, and even if they did get that far, they'd still have to get past his immune system (or yours if that's what you're worried about). And that's assuming that it is a virus, which it may not be as no-one else has had it. (It could have been food poisoning or something.)

I would probably be panicking like you are, just at the thought, but as someone who is detached from the situation I would say don't worry! I would say it would be practically impossible for you to get something from this!

[kitbuddy]

I've been doing a Google search (bad, I know!) and depending on the source, it says that viral particles can linger on clothes for anywhere from 4 to 7 days. So we should be okay, right?

And that's IF:
*they had something contagious (unsure, one of the guys has a 1 month old son and a wife so he was probably being careful; my friend used their laptops WHILE they felt sick and didn't get it)
*they were still contagious (it had been about 48 hours for the first guy and 24-36 hours for the second guy, so maybe)
*they touched my chair (unlikely, one of them sat near me for maybe 5 mins)
*I put the dress on top of the hamper with the exact "contaminated part" touching the chair
*The particles lived on the hamper and the dress for 11 days, then traveled to my boyfriend's jeans, then to his hand, then to his nose when he rubbed it.

Writing it out, it looks beyond crazy. It's finally spring here in Chicago, I am just ready for my anxiety to take a back seat! Anyone else want to tell me I'm over-thinking this?

[Dairyfreelife]

You are over thinking it. There's no way the virus, if it was a virus, is still on your clothes. You weren't even around them when they were ill, they just told you about it. They did not throw up or poop on you, so there's not even going to be any virus particles on your clothes in the first place. Enjoy spring. Neither of you are getting sick from them or that event.

[SabG5]

Yeah I agree with everyone I think u should be ok! Because you took the precautions when u got home after the possible exposure! I have done the same exact thing when I feel like I have possibly been exposed to stuff and I don't catch it!