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By now, most of us know how important it is to respect the stay-at-home orders that have been placed on our cities and are diligently social distancing for the good of our families and the greater community. Even if some locations are relaxing the restrictions, that doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t take extra precautions when going out.
While limiting outings to grocery store and pharmacy runs and staying at least six feet away from neighbors whose paths we may cross on nightly walks will go a long way towards stopping the spread of COVID-19, many people still wonder what they can do to keep themselves and their family safe when they do have to leave the house. Check out the steps below for making sure you don’t bring Coronavirus home with you.
1. Take your shoes off at the door
When we venture out into the world, our shoes come in contact with surfaces that people may have coughed or sneezed on. Removing them at the door ensures that we don’t track germs through the house that can be picked up by us or other household members later on.
2. Wash your hands immediately
As soon as you’re able, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds. Being out in public means that we’re at risk for touching something that has been coughed or sneezed on by an infected individual.
While the virus can’t penetrate our skin, having it on our hands means that it can easily pass through a mucus membrane when we touch our faces. Washing our hands well and often eliminates the virus and keeps us all safer.
3. Wipe down anything you’ve brought home with you
If you’ve been to the grocery store or pharmacy, you likely purchased items that will need to be sanitized before you put them away.
Use a disinfecting wipe to thoroughly wipe down the surface of anything you bought before you put it in the refrigerator or pantry.
Don’t forget to wipe down the counter or table where you placed your items to wipe them down too as the virus may have transferred from surface to surface.
Also included in that list is your phone. For a quick video on that, check out our Spring Cleaning Guide.
4. Take a shower
Taking a shower with soap and hot water helps ensure that you are clean and not spreading the virus within your home when you return from an outing. As soon as you’ve sanitized your surfaces and put away your items, consider hopping in and soaping up!
5. Wash your clothes
Instead of putting your clothing in the hamper and waiting until wash day to get them clean, consider skipping the hamper and putting your items directly in the washing machine to prevent the spread of the virus.
While cleaning and sanitizing so thoroughly each time you return from an essential outing can feel like a daunting task, doing so is one important way you can keep yourself, your family and the community safe during these uncertain times.
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