# Help me judge the reasonableness of a flatmate situation

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-judge-the-reasonableness-of-a-flatmate-situation/688757>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 19, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-judge-the-reasonableness-of-a-flatmate-situation/688757 "2014-05-19T18:59:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-judge-the-reasonableness-of-a-flatmate-situation/688757/21 "2014-05-20T11:28:15Z")

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> [@Dervorin](#):
>
> Carol is currently subsisting on a diet that consists mostly of apple sauce, pretzels, rehydrating salts and juice. She’s not really going to be doing much cooking for anyone, least of all us. But I appreciate the concern!
> 
> No, we aren’t being blasé about this. It’s really pretty important that Eva doesn’t fall sick if at all possible, so I’m going to get some disinfectant and clean the kitchen and bathroom very thoroughly this evening before she arrives.
> 
> .

I didn’t think that Carol was going to be making a full dinner, but don’t let her even get you a drink or a spoon. Unfortunately, you really can’t trust anyone’s hand washing hygiene. Even very clean people will have microbes on their hands when they are sick.

For the disinfectant, buy bleach. Not bleach-containing cleaners or any other disinfectant. Just straight bleach and use a 10% solution. Some of the GI bugs aren’t killed by anything else.

Red Stilletos, microbiologist specializing in GI infections

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**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-judge-the-reasonableness-of-a-flatmate-situation/688757/22 "2014-05-20T11:33:51Z")

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> [@Red\_Stilettos](#):
>
> I didn’t think that Carol was going to be making a full dinner, but don’t let her even get you a drink or a spoon. Unfortunately, you really can’t trust anyone’s hand washing hygiene. Even very clean people will have microbes on their hands when they are sick.
> 
> For the disinfectant, buy bleach. Not bleach-containing cleaners or any other disinfectant. Just straight bleach and use a 10% solution. Some of the GI bugs aren’t killed by anything else.
> 
> Red Stilletos, microbiologist specializing in GI infections

This is why I love the Dope. You ask for advice on a flatmate situation and you get insight from a microbiologist who specialises in GI infections! 😃

10% solution of bleach. It shall be done. I’m planning to do the kitchen, bathroom, and all surfaces in other common areas that are frequently touched - i.e. light switches, tables, chairs etc. And no drinks from Carol. No spoons either.

\<Badly misquoted Matrix\>  
Spoon boy: Do not try and clean the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth.  
Dervorin: What truth?  
Spoon boy: There is no spoon.  
Dervorin: There is no spoon?  
Spoon boy: Then you’ll see, that it is not the spoon that cleans, it is only yourself.  
\</Badly misquoted Matrix\>

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