[independentmind]

Gas pumps are a sanitary quandary for me.

Steps I take to refill my gas tank:

1) turn off car and take keys out of ignition,
2) take cc out of wallet, open door, put into machine
3) punch buttons on screen
4) pick up,gas pump handle and put in gas tank
5) wait for tank to fill (I usually get back in my car, which means I touch the outside handle of my car, and then parts of the interior)
6) get back out of car, touching interior door frame, remove pump,from car, and then hang it up,
7) get back into car, close door with hand, put cc back in wallet in purse
8.) pick up keys and put in ignition, car starts put hands on steering wheel

Question:

Assume the gas pump handle and/or the touchscreen is infected. What is the best way to keep your hands and everything else you have touched free of the virus?

[RummyChick]

Prior to this mess I used paper towels to touch everything.

Then used hand sanitzer before I got back in the car

Now just going to use a glove

Costco has them cheap. 400 in a box

[Black Agnes]

Take a clorox wipe with you and wrap that around your fingers/hands you use to touch anything.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I get gas, I’ll just go into the store and wash my hands for 20 seconds afterward.

[Thud]

Gloves.

[CJ Wolf]

First you are doing it wrong. You should lick your fingers and thumb prior to inserting your card and punching numbers. The salvia gives you a slippery protection. Against surfaces touched. You must wipe on the rag when done. As the rag use some of that stuff in your closet you never wear and donate it to the trash can at the pump. I am gonna put the “slash s” here.

[mom aka the evil dictator]

DO NOT GET BACK IN YOUR CAR WHILE FILLING YOUR TANK!!!!
I have seen the aftermath of that one. Static electricity will ignite the gas fumes. It will not be pretty.

[Vermont Lt]

Hand sanitizer before and after.

As long as you are touching your face you will be fine.

Wash going in. Wash coming out.

[calenel]

“Assume the gas pump handle and/or the touchscreen is infected. What is the best way to keep your hands and everything else you have touched free of the virus?”

Hose everything down with Lysol. You’ll be doing a public service.

[metmom]

Use gloves.

I carry gardening gloves in my console for pumping gas.

I do all the inside of the car stuff with my bare hands, open the gas cap, then before I insert my cc and touch any part of the pump, I put the gloves on.

I pay, pump the gas, get the receipt, then open the car door, sit down, then pull off the gloves and toss them on the floor. If I use vinyl or nitrile, I peel them off so they are inside out. For the gardening gloves, I don’t. I just slide them off.

Then I pick them up a couple days later.

I started with the gardening gloves because those pump handles are so stinking cold in the winter and I wasn’t going to ruin my good gloves on the pumps. Then it occurred to me that it was a great way to prevent the spread of disease.

The other thing to do, is pick the pump that’s been in the sun, if possible. The UV will have helped disinfect it.

[metmom]

I also have thrown a tub of disinfecting wipes in my car and if I think I’ve touched anything,I get one out and wipe it all down, then that gets tossed on the floor as well for pick up when I get home.

[bgill]

Wrap a wipe around your fingers to push the button and pump. Stay outside the car.

I wonder about the credit card. Guess you’d want another wipe for it before putting it back into your wallet. And then there’s the wallet itself. Maybe just keep the wipe wrapped around the card and slide it into it’s own separate pocket of the wallet. But then you’re stuffing the wallet back in your pocket or purse and hunting for your keys and everything is infected again.

Then you turn on the a/c or heater but turn off the air recycle and put it on outside air but germs on your purchases or off hair and clothing are being swirled around. So, you open a widow hoping they’ll blow outside. But then the wind blows hair in your face so you’re using your hands to fix the hair.

It is the same thing with using a store’s stylus at the check out. And you set your purse on the counter to shove the receipt in that the cashier touched. It never ends.
Calgon, take me way! Ack, just do your best.

Yesterday, the cashier used hand sanitizer before running my groceries. Her hands are going to rot off if she uses it for each person.

[grey_whiskers]

Have a package of alcohol based wet wipes with you in the car. Take one out and encase your fingers in it.

Touch and/or hold everything outside of the car using the wet wipe.