Shopping Tips Online

Earlier this month we heard about a University of Arizona study that showed that shopping carts have more saliva, bacteria and even…ahem…fecal matter…than public telephones, escalators and public restrooms.

Now a company named Nice Pak has announced a
“no rinse” shopping cart wipe. These wipes are available for groceries to place near the shopping carts on a stand.

This didn’t sound particularly revolutionary to me, after all, my grocery provides wipes by the carts and the door already. So I went to the corporate site to check it out. Nice Pak manufactures all sorts of wipes for consumers and businesses. The No Rinse Sani-Surface™ Shopping Cart Sanitizing Wipes, marketed toward retailers, is one of several similar products they offer.

So what makes it different? Apparently, the previous generation, called SaniCart Wipes, intended for hard surfaces, had a longer drying time (5 minutes), and required surface rinsing and hand washing after use. The new No Rinse wipes are apparently meant for both hands and hard surfaces. They dry in only 1 minute, and you don’t have to rinse the surface or wash your hands. Both wipes kill bacteria and E.Coli, but the new wipes kill E.Coli in 60 seconds, while the old wipes take 5 minutes. The new No Rinse wipes are not proven to kill the common flu virus, but the SaniCart wipes are. Visit the commercial area of the Nice Pak website to download sell sheets on both products.

Here’s my take on this.

The temptation, of course, is to say that we have all grown up around grocery carts and lived to tell the tale. On the other hand it’s probably not wise to ignore the problem and hope it will go away. Shopping carts are filthy dirty and probably do pose a health risk.

But the whole thing is pretty confusing. I have occasionally availed myself of the free hand wipes at the door on my way out, but if they were the “must rinse” kind, I had no idea. A “disinfectant” wipe is different than a “sanitizing” wipe; some wipes kill some things and some don’t. How should I know?

Because I am a several-times-a-week shopper, I usually grab a hand-held shopping basket for the few things I’m picking up. These are probably germ-ridden, too, but at least there hasn’t been a kid with a messy diaper sitting in it. I always use the plastic baggies provided in the meat section to prevent leaking meat packages from contaminating my other food. I think those are a couple of things I’m doing to prevent the spread of bacteria. Short of wearing a pair of disposable gloves while shopping, my plan will be to use the wipes where they’re offered and wash my hands or use a wet wipe after shopping.

Shopping Cart Germs, Hand Wipes