Wallet or purse
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the average handbag was considered one of the dirtiest everyday items, dirtier than a toilet seat (more specifically, three times dirtier than a toilet seat). Here goes the same thing that applies for your phone, try to always keep your purse or wallet in your hands, instead of throwing it in the shopping cart.
Additionally, once you arrive back home, you’ll need to clean it to get rid of any unwanted germs. Make sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions before cleaning it, unless you would want to ruin it.
Grocery bags
While you may be bringing your own bags to the grocery store in an effort to cut down on single-use plastic, now it’s the time to think about your safety.
“During the COVID-19 crisis, I recommend using the grocery bags supplied by grocery stores,” says Dr. Mullans. However, if you don’t want to give up your reusable bags, she suggests washing them in a washing machine after each use. Also, make sure to disinfect whatever surface you put your grocery bags down on at home. Moreover, hard non-porous surfaces like countertops, the floor, or the table are much easier to clean than rugs or carpet. Dr. May explains the virus can stay on paper bags for up to 24 hours, that’s why it’s important to disinfect the surfaces on which you put your products.
I have read that regular detergent is sufficient to destroy COVID 19. No special soap nor bleach are necessary. Also, as with hand washing, it is the friction and not the actual soap that is instrumental in removing bacteria. Keep in mind that COVID 19 cannot survive temperatures over 80′.
Your hair should be covered as well as the eyes. You may want to use “gators” or “bandeaux”, which are a tube of fabric in a cotton knit that can be worn multiple ways; and goggles or if you wear glasses: “fit over” sunglasses/night vision glasses to prevent absorption via the lacrimal duct.
Finally, if you leave items in your car when you return home, I suspect the temperature inside a closed car sitting on the driveway in the sun exceeds the temperature that COVID19 can survive.
BTW: I am a retired nurse. Thank you.
What about men’s beards that hang down outside their masks?
I wash my grocery after I get back home. Then I use the plastic bags in my small trash can. Is this safe?