PREVENTING VIRUSES AND BACTERIA FROM ENTERING YOUR HOME WITH THESE FIVE TIPS
- Posted By Prince Lakshman
With people being mandated to stay at home to avoid the spread of the coronavirus these days, there’s less to zero chance that COVID-19 will infect the people in your household. However, there are just some trips you can’t avoid, like leaving your home to buy the groceries.
Going to shops exposes you to other people’s viruses and if you aren’t mindful of your every move, you could end up bringing these viruses back into your home through the groceries and other surfaces you touched along the way.
As always, frequent hand washing and disinfecting are the best strategies to minimise the chances of getting these viruses and bacteria into your home.
Follow these five steps that you can take every time you come home. These might be your new normal according to health experts.
USE HAND SANITISER BEFORE ENTERING YOUR HOME
You should be mindful of everything you touch once you’re out the door. Avoid touching your face until you have washed or sanitised them. It would be best if you can bring along a hand sanitiser with you so you don’t leave any harmful viruses and bacteria on your personal belongings or surfaces, like your car’s steering wheel or your home’s door knobs. Always sanitise or wash your hands thoroughly before walking back into the house.
PLACE GROCERIES ON THE FLOOR
Bacteria and viruses can live on surfaces for days or several hours; hence, it’s advisable that you don’t put your grocery bags on benchtops unless you plan to disinfect them well after. The same rule applies to delivered packages you might normally place on the kitchen table.
The right thing to do when you arrive from shopping is to put the bags on the floor. While you’re at it, you can hang your purse or bag on a hook. Or you can put them where you normally would for as long as you’re not putting it in high-contact areas that increase the chances of cross-contamination.
TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES AND CLOTHES
Since you are a primary germ-carrier, it makes sense that your shoes and clothes are potentially harboring these germs, too. Therefore, removing your shoes before entering your home and changing into a fresh set of clothes are recommended steps when you arrive from any short trip. Some even take a bath directly once they arrive at home. Just make sure to put your soiled clothes directly in the hamper or wash them right away.
WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE UNPACKING
As if sanitising your hands before entering your home isn’t enough, make sure to also wash your hands before unpacking and putting away your groceries.
DISINFECT IF YOU NEED TO, OR JUST WASH YOUR HANDS AGAIN
You can never be too careful! In these unprecedented times, it’s always important to always wash your hands thoroughly. Don’t forget to disinfect surfaces where your grocery bags have touched with either a bleach or alcohol-based cleaner.
Since the supply for hand sanitisers is dwindling, you might want to skip using the hand sanitiser once you’re at home. Remember that soap and water is more effective in removing these unwanted germs from your hands.