With the wake of the Coronavirus, preventative measures to combat the contraction of the virus have also been on the rise. Due to the lack of full understanding around COVID-19, the CDC – as well as the public – have been implementing new practices into their daily life. For me and my family, one of these practices and preventative measures is the thorough disinfecting of our groceries and delivered packages. This is how we do it.
While we previously wiped down our milk cartages and soaked our fruits/vegetables before the outbreak of the current pandemic, our methodology has increased in what we wipe down or soak and how we do it. When we go grocery shopping, we wear two sets of gloves. I understand many people are against this method because it can easily cause cross-contamination. However, if used correctly, the issue of cross-contamination won’t be a concern. When we go shopping, we place our phone and items into our bag and keep it out of our way. We place our card or cash and car keys in an easily accessible place for when we need to access it. Once we complete all of that, we lather our hands in hand sanitizer and then place the two sets of gloves on our hands. We then continue with our shopping, touching only items we have intentions of buying. At the time of check out, we take off one set of gloves. We then approach our car, unload the items, and then strip the final pair of gloves. Once in the car, we use 70% isopropyl alcohol to spray down our card and keys. This is just the first step.
When we get home, we take out the grocery bags and place them in our garage (it’s grocery friendly). Once we’ve unloaded, we wash our hands with soap and water for 30 seconds. After that, we wipe items that can be wiped down with lightly diluted bleach (a mix of bleach and water). This method is recommended by the CDC for disinfecting surfaces and creating a bleach solution. If not using our bleach mixture, we spray down our items with 70% isopropyl alcohol that we transferred to a spray bottle. For our fruits and vegetables, we soak them in a natural mix of warm water and apple cider vinegar to soak away the germs that may be lingering on their surface.
Now, I know that Amazon Prime workers and other delivery company workers have been going on strike in regard to them still having to work. However, I’ve been still utilizing their services for items considered “essential” to me. I was supposed to have a baby shower at the end of March for my baby on the way. However, due to the virus outbreak, it had to be canceled for the safety of the attendees and myself – considering the fact that pregnant women have a weaker immune system making them more susceptible to the flu and other contractable sicknesses. Due to this, many people have been sending their gifts and ordering them off websites – such as Amazon – for the baby. So far, everything has been shipped to me: from his crib to his bassinet to his car seat and even his diapers. Since March, we’ve come in contact with a lot of boxes from all walks of life – even one coming from Istanbul, Turkey. With this, my packages have come across many hands and have been exposed to many people as well. COVID-19 can also live on cardboard for a certain amount of time. Of course, I have a method for disinfecting them as well.
My packages are always delivered to my doorstep. Once I receive the delivered notification, I take Lysol and spray around the box and leave it outside to sit for about 15 to 30 minutes. After that, I bring them into the garage and open the package. I then take my bleach solution (can also be substituted with the 70% isopropyl alcohol spray) and apply it to the outward plastic of the item delivered to remove any living bacteria or virus that may be on its surface. After, I let the item sit for about another 30 minutes. My aunt is the first person who started doing this. At first, I thought she was crazy. Then, I realized we can honestly never be too safe. About one week after seeing her do this, I also saw a video on YouTube posted by a news channel on how to properly disinfect our delivered packages. It turns out there was a literal method to what I thought was aunt’s madness.
It’s very important that we implement these practices for both the well-being of ourselves and those around us. There’s no prediction on how many lives the coronavirus will take or how long it will be around. It is up to us to practice the proper preventative measures and aid in flattening the curve. Disinfecting your groceries/packages, practicing proper social distancing, and understanding how a bacteria/virus can be spread is the beginning to an end in our current predicament.
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