can germs live on dry surfaces? blood too?

Question

I buy used books for my family and wipe them down with a wipey or a wash cloth with soapy water. But can gearms or blood on a dry suface hurt us if it is there? is my cleaning techniqe okay?

I dont buy anything with blood on it. but you cannot see if it was wiped away. just curious about all gearms and blood too.

Answer 1

most bacteria is killed as soon as it is dried...there is a possibiltiy...but the chances re slim you will get sick

Answer 2

They can live on a dry surface for a while, although if they are left out where the sun can get on them it is less likely that the germs will live too long. (A news program recently tested a park bench and a bunch of others public items for germs, and it found that the bench was almost sterile because it was out in the sun.)

Germs won't live on surfaces forever, but I think I'd use a strong paper towel rather than a wash cloth because wash cloths can have their own germs. I have to say I wouldn't buy a used item that had blood on it because blood is a whole different thing from the usual germs that are around in the environment - but maybe that's just me.

Answer 3

Bacteria are killed by soap and water of the normal sort. Viruses on the other hand, can survive and can live without water. Technically a virus isn't really alive in the usual sense- it is just a collection of DNA, and needs a living cell to reproduce. Most viruses are eliminated by a wipe down using bleach or other such cleaning product designed to sanitize. Cold viruses can and do survive quite nicely on doorknobs, phone recievers and other ordinarily dry surfaces.
I would think the biggest thing to be concerned with in regards to a used book would be a mold or mildew. These might be removed by soap and water, but the spores would likely remain behind. To kill those you would need a disinfectant solution of some sort.
There are numerous diseases spread by or through blood contact, but I'm don't believe that the chances of that would be very great for most people. It would need to enter the body in some way, such as through the mouth or a really big open wound, and I doubt most folks would be likely to mess with blood in that manner. Medical people wear gloves because they come in contact with blood and body fluids much more frequently, which raises the odds of them developing a disease from it. But the chances of infection from any one exposure, even through a needle stick, are still very low.
I doubt very much if you have to be concerned with germs from an old book. The main concern would be from the molds/mildews, and that can be dealt with by simply adding a cap of bleach to a sink or bucket of soapy water to use for a wipe off. That same solution is very effective in sanitizing just about any surface in your home. For normal hand washing, soap from the store is just fine- you don't need the fancy anti-bacterial soaps at twice the price. For that matter, you don't need fancy or expensive antibacterial cleaning solutions either- unless you are running a hospital.

Answer 4

Most bacteria and molds can't live without moisture, so they're probably okay. Be careful about moisture on books, it can ruin them. I'd use a disposable wipe or paper towel and cleaner on things that can handle water, because wash cloths and sponges can hold germs and contaminate instead of sanitize. As for other ways to clean.... Prolonged sunlight can kill germs because of UV radiation. Ozone might kill germs, too. I've seen a product on www.sharperimage.com that uses plain water and puts ozone (a molecule with 3 oxygen atoms) in it When you wipe things with the ozone-infused water, it kills the germs and the germs can't become immune to it. The killing power is supposed to last about 15 minutes. I haven't tried it, but it sounds interesting.

Answer 5

Most single celled organizms cant live long without moisture

Answer 6

yes, of course.....