# So what shortages are you personally seeing? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [July 24, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268 "2020-07-24T23:28:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/421 "2020-11-28T02:55:48Z")
Sidebar, please: what is peanut oil used for? Why do people have gallons of it for use? ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/422 "2020-11-28T02:56:32Z")
Commonly used for deep frying. Eta: I almost always use canola so I guess that’s why I’m clueless. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/423 "2020-11-28T04:17:26Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Sidebar, please: what is peanut oil used for? Why do people have gallons of it for use? We use it as our default bland cooking oil. It has a high smoke point, stuff doesn’t stick to the cooking surface when we use it, and I like the flavor well enough. We cook with olive oil, peanut oil, butter, and reserved fat from cooked meat, mostly. I used to keep corn oil around in case we had people over who had peanut allergies, but we didn’t go through it very fast. I don’t have gallons of any oil. The only common cooking oil I really dislike is canola, which goes rancid very quickly and often has a sort of weird bitterness even when it’s fresh. But I like peanut more than the safflower/corn/vegetable oils. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/424 "2020-11-28T05:24:18Z")
Peanut oil is a neutral oil. I like the taste and use it and olive oil for frying. They both have a high smoke point and are somewhat healthy (olive more so). _Large_ quantities are needed to deep fry a turkey or turducken. This trendy method can also require a special pot or frying apparatus. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/425 "2020-11-28T05:47:47Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Sidebar, please: what is peanut oil used for? Forget the peanut oil, what are so many of you desperately searching for isopropyl alcohol for? I use about 6 to 8oz of it a year. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/426 "2020-11-28T08:48:12Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Forget the peanut oil, what are so many of you desperately searching for isopropyl alcohol for? I use about 6 to 8oz of it a year. We’re using isopropyl alcohol as a surface cleaning agent. I don’t concern myself with buying Lysol wipes or anything like that— isopropyl alcohol on a paper towel works just fine. Earlier on, we were also mixing isopropyl alcohol with aloe vera gel to make our own hand sanitizer — but that hasn’t been necessary anytime recently. EDIT: Anyone still sanitizing groceries, packages, mail, etc. may go through isopropyl alcohol quickly. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/427 "2020-11-28T12:52:35Z")
Wait… we’re supposed to be sanitizing our groceries? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/428 "2020-11-28T13:05:56Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > Didn’t think peanut oil kept as well as some. I’ve had no problems keeping the gallons in our garage in cold weather and basement in warm weather. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/429 "2020-11-28T13:08:38Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > what are so many of you desperately searching for isopropyl alcohol for? I use about 6 to 8oz of it a year. Going into quarantine, I had four quart bottles of isopropyl. Stoners use it to clean glassware (pipes and such). I also use it to clean my grinder every so often. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/430 "2020-11-28T16:12:04Z")
About the only thing I use isopropyl alcohol for is cleaning glassware, and I’ve found really cheap vodka works just about as well. AFAIK, there hasn’t been a single veried, confirmed case of surface transmission anywhere, ever. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/431 "2020-11-28T16:20:19Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > Wait… we’re supposed to be sanitizing our groceries? It was recommended for a while, because it was thought the virus was surviving for days on surfaces. They seem to have decided that while virus fragments may be present, live virus in large enough quantities to cause infection is extremely unlikely. People who got in the habit may be reluctant to stop, though. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/432 "2020-11-28T16:28:23Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Earlier on, we were also mixing isopropyl alcohol with aloe vera gel to make our own hand sanitizer — but that hasn’t been necessary anytime recently. I tried that, and discovered that it refused to remain a gel. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/433 "2020-11-28T17:04:50Z")
This is correct—you don’t end up with a Purell- like product. It’s liquid, but it does the job. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/434 "2020-11-28T17:09:43Z")
OK, the daily anti-soap-scum shower spray we discussed months ago finally has shown up again. Store-brand as opposed to any of the name brands, and not that much of it. > [@bordelond](#): > > We’re using isopropyl alcohol as a surface cleaning agent. Right. On the shelves recently the disinfectants I’ve seen return happen to be either chlorine- or alcohol-based, rather than the other chemical agents a-la-Lysol/Seventh Gen/etc. With the ongoing rise in infection cases, this time being more nationwide, I anticipate a re-tightening of the supplies over the holidays. > [@silenus](#): > > I’ve found really cheap vodka works just about as well. 😁 Once upon opening a bottle of Nadja, I had one of those deep-rooted olfactory memory effects, and I was again at a rural public health service clinic in the 1960s getting some childhood vaccination or another. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/435 "2020-11-28T17:12:05Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > Wait … we’re supposed to be sanitizing our groceries? No — but impressions formed early on don’t necessarily go away once the science changes. One member of our household insists that objects entering the home be wiped down 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/436 "2020-11-28T17:15:35Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > OK, the daily anti-soap-scum shower spray we discussed months ago finally has shown up again. Store-brand as opposed to any of the name brands, and not that much of it. I noticed that the section in the store that used to have the spray shower cleaners is empty now and I don’t get it. The stuff I use makes foam that’s then washed away with the showerhead. I don’t see it useful for anything else. So why is it perpetually sold out? Are people cleaning their bathtubs more obsessively than previously? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/437 "2020-11-28T17:21:21Z")
could be a supply chain issue - that some of the ingredients they use are getting higher priority for medical purposes, so the soap-scum removers aren’t able to produce as much. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/438 "2020-11-28T17:24:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I noticed that the section in the store that used to have the spray shower cleaners is empty now and I don’t get it. The stuff I use makes foam that’s then washed away with the showerhead. Different product but my WAG (and it was also mentioned back when first brought up) is that the capacity and inputs for the specialized shower/tub cleaners are being repurposed for the more basic general cleaners for which there is far greater demand. Not just for institutional use but also because of people being more conscientious of cleaning and because we’re _home_ more so there is more wear and tear and messing up of our living space. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/439 "2020-11-28T17:26:16Z")
People who are looking for yeast: try smaller local and ethnic grocery stores. Around here, they have been pretty well-stocked throughout. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/440 "2020-11-28T18:51:00Z")
The commissary yesterday was low on paper towels and even lower on TP. Both were rationed – one multi-pack or five single rolls. Disinfectant wipes and sprays were either/or, though that was a moot point as there didn’t seem to be any wipes available. Current major shortage here is books – the library is closed for two weeks. ☹ (As are all town offices.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268.md?page=23)