Get it nice and clean

The number one way to prevent the spread of diseases is to wash your hands.  It is a fact.  Covid-19 is no different.  Absolutely every reputable doctor and scientist will tell you that.

But what does one do when the soap is flying off the shelves?  My simple answer was to purchase soap concentrate and a foaming hand soap pump.  I could have used a pump I already had, but the concentrate I use (Dr. Bronner's) works best with a foaming pump and I didn't have one of those.

Luckily, I was able to get the soap concentrate at Costco and the pump at Daiso (the ¥100 shop).

The mixture is simple - 2 tablespoons of soap and 2.5 cups of water.  Put in the pump and wash away.  You can use the scented soap concentrates or add essential oils, but I prefer unscented.  You can also add a small amount of coconut oil for added moisture.

Just to note, castile soap is not anti-bacterial.  By definition, anti-bacterial anything must kill 99.99% of germs.  It is, however, a disinfectant, which kills 99%.

While Dr. Bronner's soap isn't in every store, I have found it in several shops in Japan.  Typically I just stumble across it because it is often times tucked away in a weird place.  For example, in IMA, the department store near the station, it is with the natural body soap, but in other stores it is with the household cleaners.  It can be used to clean either the body or the home, so it can be in a number of places in a store.  You just never know the logic behind the person organizing the store.

After mixing up some hand soap, I moved onto household cleaner.  I am a huge fan of using vinegar in my home.  It has been my primary household cleaner for years.  But I couldn't use it for some time in Japan because I couldn't find white distilled vinegar anywhere.  I searched and searched (and complained and complained).  Finally, my husband had enough and found some online.  He bought me a case of 6-1.8 liter bottles!

So now I make my own general household cleaner using 50% vinegar and 50% water.  I use it in the kitchen, bathroom, windows, floor - you name it.  The vinegar smell dissipates very quickly.  But, if you don't like the smell, soak some citrus peels in vinegar for at least a week.  Then mix up the solution with the same 50/50 ratio.

While these actions are not combating Covid-19 itself, it is giving me something to do and reducing my environmental impact.  It is also helping me to avoid joining in the stockpiling fever racing through the country right now.  I feel good about not clearing the shelves of basic necessities.