The coronavirus emergency has made it necessary for the governments to order important measures, such as the closure of several commercial activities and schools, smart working and quota entrances in supermarkets. This is in order to reduce social contacts, the main cause of infection. Not only that, on televisions, newspapers and radios, recommendations are constantly being transmitted such as washing your hands often with soap and water, not touching your face with dirty hands and using disinfectant solutions with at least 60% alcohol. However, there remains a problem, that is, how should one behave at home? After going shopping or going to the post office or to work, when allowed, what cleaning is required?
Coronavirus, fruit, vegetables and packaging
Coronavirus is mainly transmitted from person to person through saliva droplets when speaking, coughing or sneezing. Infection through objects is considered not to be excluded but highly improbable, as underlined by Dr. Brusaferro, president of the Italian National Institute of Health. In any case, just to exclude any possibility, when returning from shopping it is good to put in place the precautions indicated by the same National Institute of Health and by WHO. In particular, after having placed the shopping bag it is good to wash your hands with soap and water for 1 minutes, you can also use a disinfectant solution with alcohol. Then, all the bags in which the food was stored must be discarded and fruit and vegetables must be washed immediately before being placed in the refrigerator. Even packaged fruit and vegetables must be washed very well at the time of use. You can clean the packages of the purchased food with a piece of paper on which you have sprayed a solution of water and alcohol at least 60%. After you put the groceries away, wash your hands again and also clean the surface on which you placed the bags. We see in the next paragraph the surfaces in house that should be cleaned and how to do it.
Coronavirus, which home surfaces should be disinfected and how
Home surfaces with more contacts with the outside should be disinfected. These are passage areas, corridors, table where bags and groceries are placed. It is true that the main way of transmission is from person to person but the virus can survive outside the body on surfaces from a few hours up to three days, depending on the type of surface. On plastic, for example, it survives for 72 hours. It is also true that using social distancing and leaving the house only when strictly necessary it becomes unlikely that shoes or other objects will come into contact with the virus, but, since we are talking about the house where we live most of our time is good to pay some extra attention. The passage floors can be cleaned with bleach-based products, sodium hypochlorite in the label. Normally, for all the lovers of healthy life and natural remedies, this type of detergent would not be the ideal solution but now we are in emergency against an invisible enemy and these are the most effective tools. For handles, switches, shelves, keyboards of the computer you can pass over a cloth soaked in a solution of water and alcohol, at least 60%. When you disinfect floors and surfaces, it is a good idea to wear glasses and gloves, which must then be removed and thrown away.
Coronavirus, shoes and clothes
Shoes and clothes are unlikely to come into contact with the virus. In any case, it is good practice to take off your shoes before entering the house and then wash your hands immediately with soap and water for a minute. For further scruple, even if not necessary as pointed out by virologists, you can expose the jacket outdoors.
