You already know what you must do to protect yourself and others when going out during the pandemic. You must wear a mask, avoid physical contact with others, stay six feet or more away from them, and sanitize your hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol.
You must also know what to do upon returning home. In addition to sanitizing the things you are bringing home, you must know how to handle your clothes and shoes properly.
Immediate Change of Clothes and Footwear
Do not bring your shoes into the house. Have a designated spot by the door where you can leave and immediately sanitize your shoes. ;
Proceed to the bathroom, where you must have a ready change of clothes. Remove the clothes you are wearing, taking care not to let them touch your face, especially your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Do not shake out your clothes to avoid sending droplets into the air and onto other surfaces. Put your clothes into a bag or hamper that you can close. Take a full bath and wash your hair.
Doing the Laundry
After changing into fresh clothes, put your used clothes into the washer and wash and dry it on the highest heat possible. Studies show that you can inactivate the Covid-19 virus within five minutes by exposing it to high heat.
According to an article from Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Covid-19 virus survives longer on hard surfaces than softer ones such as cloth. A study found that the Covid-19 virus can stay on fabric for up to two days and on harder surfaces for seven days.
If you cannot wash your clothes immediately, you must keep them in a closed bag or hamper for more than two days before handling them again to wash or send out for laundering.
It is best to do your laundry at home to minimize exposure outside.
If you do not have your own washer and dryer and use shared facilities, make sure you practice physical distancing. Avoid situations where there are several people in the room. If you live in an apartment building or condominium, propose a schedule to use the laundry facilities to avoid crowding.
If you use a commercial laundromat, schedule your visit, and do not go during peak hours. It is better to choose a laundromat with pick-up and delivery services so that you limit your exposure. You can also use these services during those times when you need to send certain household items for special cleaning, even if you do your regular laundry at home.
When you receive your clean clothes from the laundromat, do not wear them immediately. With a mask on, transfer them to a clean closed container and let them stay there for more than two days. Throw away the wrapper used by the laundromat and wash your hands immediately after handling the clothes.
Choice of Clothes and Footwear
You need to sanitize your shoes with alcohol or with soap and water every time you come home. Knowing this, you must avoid using shoes that will not do well under such conditions. Your leather or synthetic leather shoes will dry up and crack from alcohol and will look run down in no time. Preserve them for use in better times and choose to wear shoes that you can wash frequently. Canvas sneakers or slip-on shoes will hold up well, even for daily use.
You must also choose your outfits with the same considerations in mind. Avoid wearing leather, whether genuine or not, because you can damage the garment when you spray it with alcohol. Do not wear clothes in fabrics that cannot withstand high heat. Data show that you can damage even cotton with frequent drying in high temperatures. You must therefore choose to wear more often the clothes that you are willing to let go of earlier.
Look Your Best
This does not mean you have to look drab and unkempt during the pandemic. You can still look your best while following these tips.
You can still have fun choosing the appropriate outfit of the day and footwear. You can even choose to have several masks in various colors so that you can always wear one that matches your outfit.
You can also only look your best if you are healthy and free from Covid-19. Keeping your clothes and shoes properly sanitized is part of your armor against the coronavirus.
