Moving during the pandemic poses certain unique challenges otherwise unimagined of. Thankfully, one need not subject all their stuff through the UV tunnel or spray liters of disinfectants and sanitizing solutions on their household goods to keep away infection. Right sanitization methods and precautions rooted in common sense can help prevent the infection.
Medical bodies and agencies around the world including the WHO have found that the transmission of the novel coronavirus happens through close contact with an infected person mainly via respiratory droplets or smaller aerosols while coughing, sneezing, breathing heavily, speaking or singing. However, the virus tends to remain live or active on hours and days at stretch depending on the types of surfaces and materials. It therefore is essential to clean and disinfect surfaces in your house to stay safe. While cleaning means removing dust, dirt and infectious agents from an object or environment, disinfecting on the other hand involves use of chemicals (disinfectants) to destroy, inactivate or reduce the concentration of pathogenic agents. A thorough cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces across your house during a move can significantly lower the risk of the virus spreading.
Here are a few easy and practical tips to sanitize your things during a move.
Protect yourself and others
To prevent the spread of germs, including COVID-19, it is recommended to wash hands with soap and water whenever possible because it reduces the amount of many types of germs and chemicals on hands. But if soap and water are not readily available, using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can help you avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Choose hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol (often listed on the label as ethanol, ethyl alcohol, isopropanol, or 2-propanol).
During a move, keep hand soap available for use within easy reach as you may want your family members and the movers to frequently sanitize and clean their hands. Keep sanitizers available should water supply be a constraint during moving.
Wipe away woes
Like other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus with a fragile outer lipid envelope that makes it more susceptible to disinfectants compared to non-enveloped viruses such as rotavirus, norovirus and poliovirus. Studies have found that the COVID-19 virus 24 hours on cardboard and up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel. The COVID-19 virus also survives in a wide range of pH values and ambient temperatures but is susceptible to heat and standard disinfection methods.
Therefore, it is advisable to wipe clean cardboard boxes and plastic wraps used while moving with disinfectant wipes. This should kill the viruses on these surfaces making it safer for subsequent handling. Do not forget to wash or sanitize your hands immediately thereafter.
Keep the doors open
Avoiding touching surfaces that are repeatedly in use during a move can help you stay away from harm’s way. The novel coronavirus can spread through touching infected surfaces such as doorknobs and keys. As the mover’s crew bring and take out cartons in and out your house often wading through various rooms, it’s easy to prevent them touching doorknobs and keys by keeping the doors open throughout the move. This simple act can help prevent the transmission of the virus through high contact surfaces.
Things to consider
Frequent washing of hands using soap and water, wearing a mask at all times and using the right disinfectant solution to wipe clean your stuff should keep you safeguarded during a move. Before zeroing in on a moving company, it is advisable to check their SOPs during the pandemic and how often the crew are subjected to medical tests. Also, it pays to ensure that the crew practices good hygiene and frequent washing of hands on the moving day.
By following standard pandemic rules, practicing social distancing and upholding sanitization requirements, managing a move becomes a bit easier. If you have queries regarding your upcoming move, please get in touch with our experts at +62-21-7588-2338, or WHATSAPP chat with us, or place your enquiry to get a free moving quote.