COVID-19 Safety Suggestions To Clean Items/Products
Q: How do we know that the groceries, food or items we order from various places are not contaminated with COVID-19? My sister sprays liquid Clorox on her boxes before opening. She recently ruined a couple of tops for her kids inside a box, so she stopped. What should we do?
We order things from various places and stores and take them out of the box, put them in the garage and let them sit for at least 72 hours. If we're ordering take-out, we take it out of the original box or packaging and put food and drinks in our own dinnerware or paper plates and plastic cups. If it's groceries, we clean everything off with a disinfectant spray and a paper towel, unless it's fresh fruit or veggies, then wash our hands and let items air for a while. If it needs to go into the refrigerator or freezer then it's about five to ten minutes and then put them away. - Lucy R. in Chesterfield, MO
From Jodie: There is really no need to spray anything on the boxes or containers that products come in that you have ordered if you are going to throw them in the trash. If you are going to keep them, then it's best to clean each one. If you recycle bags, boxes or containers, set them outside or in the garage to air out before putting them in your recycling bin. The truth is, we do not know who has handled anything that we buy or order, how many individuals have touched it or if they wore a mask or gloves or put on a new mask and gloves every few hours. We have to be very careful with every item we bring into our house, especially with the current trend from a select few who spit or cough on products on purpose trying to get people sick while pretending to have the virus themselves. We don't even know if the packaging of a product or item was cleaned before it was put on a shelf. Even though the health experts say that it's doubtful that we can catch COVID-19 from grocery items, bags, boxes or whatever, they are not 100% sure and continue to regularly discover and learn things almost daily. Personally, I wipe down each item except clothing and fresh food items, with Clorox spray foam. Of course, I wash or dry clean clothing before wearing it. Therefore, I wholeheartedly agree with the reader's tips above except to wear a mask when opening anything and then thoroughly wash your hands afterwards.
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