I have been working on a crocheted item for my new grandson. However, I came down with a bad cold the day before yesterday. I will not go visit the new baby until I’m reasonably sure I’m no longer contagious, but now I suddenly wondered if it’s safe to give him the item.
How long would the cold virus last on a soft surface like yarn? Is there anything I can do to reduce the possibility of transmission? If it matters, it’s acrylic yarn, not wool or cotton. I don’t especially want to bleach it.
According to the mayo clinic: “Germs generally remain active longer on stainless steel, plastic and similar hard surfaces than on fabric and other soft surfaces. Other factors, such as the amount of virus deposited on a surface and the temperature and humidity of the environment, also have effects on how long cold and flu germs stay active outside the body.”
If it were me, I’d wash it and dry it and then put it away for a few days before giving it to him, but I am not an immunologist, virologist, or pediatrician.
I wonder if hanging it outdoors in bright sunshine would have any effect on viruses. Anybody know? I keep trying to google this issue, and keep getting advice about washing hands frequently, etc., which makes me think maybe it isn’t a problem. And then I think about the possibility of a week-old baby suffering from this horrid cough and think maybe I should nuke it (the gift, not the baby) from space to be sure, wait til I’m well, and start over with new yarn!
I had a question similar to this (I made an item for a friend in cancer treatment, then became worried about the transmission of things like the common cold). I posted on ravelry (yarn-dedicated website) for advice and a RN stated that a complete washing in soapy water is sufficient for ordinary germs. In one study, soap and water removed H1N1 better than alcohol sanitizer.. I mean, the parents aren’t taking the baby home to a laboratory clean room. Anything that survives soap & hot water they would be exposed to constantly anyway.
There’s some evidence that strong sunlight can kill bacteria (see, e.g. this article about sanitizing water with sunlight) so I don’t think that would hurt as a secondary treatment.
According to this list, only a few common bacteria and viruses can survive more than a few days, and those are mostly things that don’t present as a simple cold, like MRSA or Norovirus.
Think about this: you’ve been knitting along happily though sniffly, wearing your favorite “World’s Best Grandma” t-shirt. You wash the shirt in the laundry and hang it in the closet until you are healthy again and leaving to go visit the baby. Are you afraid there are germs left on the shirt… or your freshly washed jeans? No? Then just wash the yarny gift, block it and let it dry and don’t let Ebola stories freak you out! You should always wash and block finished objects anyhow. and some sunshine can’t hurt and will make it smell nice. Congratulations on the baby and finishing the gift!
I’m a knitter and a virologist. First, you aren’t going to find a conclusive answer for this because you don’t know which virus you had (there are several types of viruses that cause colds) and there aren’t lab studies looking at viral survival on hand knitted goods.
I agree with The poster above. Washing in hot water with detergent will very likely kill anything on the item. I would do that and then wait a week to gift it, just in case anything survived. I wouldn’t bother with sunlight because it’s unlikely to get into all the nooks and crannies of a handmade piece and it might bleach it out.
For full disclosure, I’d probably tell the parents the story too so they can make an informed choice. Some will freak out, others won’t care, but I’d want the final decision to be up to them.
Thanks everyone. This particular gift is a stuffed animal, so it won’t need to be blocked at all.
Mom and dad (my daughter and son-in-law) know I’ve been sick, since I haven’t visited the hospital at all. And their home, like mine, is far from laboratory clean.
I’ll wash and dry it and from what everyone’s said that should be enough. Thanks again!
It’s true that a definitive answer would depend on a definitive pathogen ID, still
Relevant article here
http://aem.asm.org/content/73/6/1687.full
A week on a self and a trip through the dryer are likely more than enough.