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Is it safe to spray wrapped Halloween candy with Lysol?
I'm kind of grossed out about the idea of my kids going house to house and digging through bowls of candy (that 50 other kids touched before them.) Is it safe to disinfect candy wrappers with something like Lysol spray or Clorox wipes?? Also how long can germs live on something like that?
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I can understand your feelings, considering the H1N1 scare going around, but kids have been digging through bowls of Halloween candy for generations and I doubt very few have been harmed by Halloween candy, except for the resulting tummy-aches when they eat too much.
Personally, I think our fear of germs and the trend toward over-sanitizing everything is a lost cause. Germs are everywhere and we can't protect our kids from all of them. That's what our immune systems are for. A child with a healthy lifestyle (proper nutrition and adequate exercise) will have a strong immune system that will fight off most invaders.
Germs will live outside the body for a few seconds or up to 48 hours. Don't obsess about the Halloween candy. If you just can't help it, let the kids have a few pieces on Halloween night and then have them wash their hands, and put the rest up for a few days until the germs have died.
Personally, I think our fear of germs and the trend toward over-sanitizing everything is a lost cause. Germs are everywhere and we can't protect our kids from all of them. That's what our immune systems are for. A child with a healthy lifestyle (proper nutrition and adequate exercise) will have a strong immune system that will fight off most invaders.
Germs will live outside the body for a few seconds or up to 48 hours. Don't obsess about the Halloween candy. If you just can't help it, let the kids have a few pieces on Halloween night and then have them wash their hands, and put the rest up for a few days until the germs have died.
Wow, I'm going to go with no.
However according to this website:
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=18001012
Quote:----------
"Ingestion: Ingestion is unlikely through the normal anticipated use of this product. Ingestion of small quantities is not expected to cause any significant adverse effects. Contains denatured ethanol; ingestion may result in ethanol poisoning."
End Quote----
Even that being said I don't think spraying an item your children will ingest with Lysol is wise or even necessary. If you really must sanitize your kids candy try an all natural sanitizer such as Burt's Bee Hand Sanitizer with Aloe and Witch Hazel. That way if some does make its way onto the actual candy you're safer than with Lysol at least.
However according to this website:
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=18001012
Quote:----------
"Ingestion: Ingestion is unlikely through the normal anticipated use of this product. Ingestion of small quantities is not expected to cause any significant adverse effects. Contains denatured ethanol; ingestion may result in ethanol poisoning."
End Quote----
Even that being said I don't think spraying an item your children will ingest with Lysol is wise or even necessary. If you really must sanitize your kids candy try an all natural sanitizer such as Burt's Bee Hand Sanitizer with Aloe and Witch Hazel. That way if some does make its way onto the actual candy you're safer than with Lysol at least.
To Wash or Not to Wash Halloween Candy? Dr. Shu said, "Some parents may want to wipe the candy wrapper down with a disinfectant such as Lysol or Clorox wipes. Once the disinfectant has dried or evaporated completely, it’s considered safe for children to handle." However, she added, "be very careful with candy packages that aren't tightly sealed because disinfectant could leak into the candy itself and then be potentially toxic or sickening."Or, air it out a bit longer for good measure.
Let Those Germs Die. Let Halloween candy “sit” for a few days before touching or eating it. Dr. Shu says, "two days is plenty of time for any contagions" like a H1N1 virus that happens to be on the candy wrapper to die.
http://healthfieldmedicare.suite101.com/article.cfm/docs_tips_on_halloween_candy_h1n1_swine_flu#ixzz0VKD1tVcn
Let Those Germs Die. Let Halloween candy “sit” for a few days before touching or eating it. Dr. Shu says, "two days is plenty of time for any contagions" like a H1N1 virus that happens to be on the candy wrapper to die.
http://healthfieldmedicare.suite101.com/article.cfm/docs_tips_on_halloween_candy_h1n1_swine_flu#ixzz0VKD1tVcn
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That being said though, I think the H1N1 is serious business and has been making very healthy kids, with no previous immune problems or strong immune systems, very very sick.
I guess having an extra bag of candy around so you can wait the two days for any germs to die would be the best option. I don't know about spraying candy with a germicide. You really never know which candy might accidentally get some on the eating portion.