A documentary have shown that shoes can be the unlikely source of the virus inside your homes if you do not take them off as soon as you get in the door. In a recent episode of Channel 4's 'Coronavirus: How Clean Is Your House' a doctor and virologist educated their viewer on what to do to stop coronavirus from entering inside our homes.
Although hand washing can help inactivate the virus in our hands, it may not be enough to prevent them from entering our homes as coronavirus particles can still infiltrate our homes by other means.
Take off your shoes
Only one pair of shoes should be worn outside the house and they should be taken off the moment you get home, according to experts Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, an A&E doctor, and virologist Dr. Lisa Cross. By doing this, you can limit the chances of the virus contaminating your homes.
They added that when coming from outside, you must first take off your shoes immediately as most shoes have a non-porous rubbery sole which the coronavirus can survive anywhere between three to five days.
Only use one pair of shoes to go outside and keep them in your hallway or at the same spot. Coronavirus can stay on clothes for up to 24 hours, so if ever you have had to use the public transportation or come close with people, change your clothes immediately and put them in the wash, instructed the experts.
Read: Detectable Level of Coronavirus Infection on Face Masks Can Still be seen after Seven Days
Clean your food too
Dr. Cross explains that care should be taken when bringing groceries or a takeaway into the house. Food should be emptied and wiped clean with soap and water in an especially designated area as those food comes from the outside and could have viruses on them.
Foods and other items that come with an outer plastic packaging that can be thrown should be emptied into separate containers before putting it inside the fridge. Additionally, people should wipe with a plastic cloth any jars, cartons, or tin cans.
Current guidelines tell us that food itself is not likely to be a risk because the particles of the virus will not survive in our stomach, said Dr. Abdelmoneim. After washing the food and has been put away, wiping the floor and reusable bags with soap and water and washing your hands should be an important practice.
Dr. Abdelmoneim reminded people to not forgot the shopping bags used outside. You can put canvass shopping bags in your washing machine but for plastic bags, you can just easily disinfect its outsides.
Every time we bring something from outside we are potentially bringing infectious viral particles in also; we must remember that the house should be the shining example of cleanliness, Dr. Cross explained.
You just need two cleaning products
According to Dr. Lisa Cross, it's just either a correctly diluted bleach solution or soap and water that you need as cleaning products. Soap and water are suitable for destroying the virus on children's toys or cleaning those that come into contact with the food safely and effectively.
Dr. Javid also advised to have a different towels for hand-drying and dish-drying towels to prevent cross-contamination. When washing those towels, it is recommended to set your washing machine at 60 or above because an elevated temperature will inactivate the virus.
Read Also: COVID-19 Patients are More Likely to Die in US Counties with Higher Levels of Air Pollution
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