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To help combat indoor cold, I ordered online and having coming both a down jacket and some wool base layers. Up to this point, and over the last 7 months or so, I have decontaminated anything coming through the mail. If it was small enough or not that porous, I might spray the item with 70% iso and wait until dry, wash with soap and water, or simply soak in the recommended bleach solution for a period of time. Other items might be placed under germicidal lamps for a time.
Now I have two items arriving soon that I'm not sure how to decontaminate or even if I should. One is a down jacket and the other is wool base layers, both pants and shirt. Although it might be easy enough to tackle the outside of the packages using alcohol or just opening outdoors with gloves, I am unsure how to decontaminate the coat and/or thermals and would welcome any suggestions. Or even if I should. Down is certainly not going to respond well to either bleach or alcohol solutions, and even placing that under the lamp won't do well because of the porous and uneven surfaces. I suppose I could wash the thermals in a weak bleach solution, but not sure I'm going to keep them as I want to see how well they'll do in the cold first.
Let them sit out in your garage, basement, out-of-the-way interior spot for a week - plenty of time for stuff to "die". Don't risk ruining with alcohol or bleach. If you MUST, have them dry-cleaned - nothin's gonna survive THOSE chemicals!
Let them sit out in your garage, basement, out-of-the-way interior spot for a week - plenty of time for stuff to "die". Don't risk ruining with alcohol or bleach. If you MUST, have them dry-cleaned - nothin's gonna survive THOSE chemicals!
This. Think about it. Unless your order arrived via overnight or 2nd-day delivery, no one has handled the item inside the package for several days before you receive it. Especially now due to shipping delays and ordering backlogs. The shipping box/bag is the part that got handled after your order was packed. Disinfect that if you want. If there happened to be active virus on the items inside the package, its probably been inactive quite a while by the time you get it.
Last edited by Parnassia; 12-13-2020 at 02:29 PM..
My new used laptop arrived last week. It was very clean. I took it out of the box and started using it. This is not on the same level as standing face to face with someone who is infected. I'm not elderly (getting closer though haha) or immunocompromised. If I was I might leave it sit a few days just to be sure. But your chances of getting infected that way are slim indeed.
I don't think a person who has been doing this level of decontamination on any and all mail is going to feel relieved by any of us telling him it's fine.
Good point. True, I am not totally relieved. I have been in almost total isolation since it all began 7 months ago. Groceries have all been ordered and shipped here, then decontaminated. Any auto trips have been only for gasoline fill up, which is rare because I only need to visit places like bank windows on occasion. As far as doctor appointments and such, forget it. Over the top, maybe, but this is the line I've drawn.
I do have a complete decontamination system, depending on what the item is. Someone mentioned a laptop. Well, I had a motherboard go bad in the one Dell unit I have here. The motherboard, while in the anti-static bag, was placed under my UVC light, each side for 20 min per side. The board itself, once removed from the bag, was not placed under anything because of fear of damaging the components. I did let it sit for 30 days before opening.
The coat and thermals are definitely a challenge because most of what I use for decon wouldn't be easily applied. The plan is to place each item under the UVC light, each side, for 30 min once removed from the packaging, which will be opened outdoors. Unfortunately, that is the best I will be able to do and hope it is good enough.
Problem with timing is that I have read of the virus surviving much longer than most of the stats indicate.... something like 17 days on the cruise ship surfaces, for example, so do we truly know that a week is sufficient?
Believe me, if there had been any other way, I definitely wouldn't have bought this stuff now.
I don't think a person who has been doing this level of decontamination on any and all mail is going to feel relieved by any of us telling him it's fine.
Unfortunately.
Sigh. I keep forgetting that there are people who have succumbed to their fears. Keep trying to appeal to their reason.
So hang them up for three weeks and you should be satisfied there's no virus on them. We have been isolating since March also.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Iverson
Good point. True, I am not totally relieved. I have been in almost total isolation since it all began 7 months ago. Groceries have all been ordered and shipped here, then decontaminated. Any auto trips have been only for gasoline fill up, which is rare because I only need to visit places like bank windows on occasion. As far as doctor appointments and such, forget it. Over the top, maybe, but this is the line I've drawn.
I do have a complete decontamination system, depending on what the item is. Someone mentioned a laptop. Well, I had a motherboard go bad in the one Dell unit I have here. The motherboard, while in the anti-static bag, was placed under my UVC light, each side for 20 min per side. The board itself, once removed from the bag, was not placed under anything because of fear of damaging the components. I did let it sit for 30 days before opening.
The coat and thermals are definitely a challenge because most of what I use for decon wouldn't be easily applied. The plan is to place each item under the UVC light, each side, for 30 min once removed from the packaging, which will be opened outdoors. Unfortunately, that is the best I will be able to do and hope it is good enough.
Problem with timing is that I have read of the virus surviving much longer than most of the stats indicate.... something like 17 days on the cruise ship surfaces, for example, so do we truly know that a week is sufficient?
Believe me, if there had been any other way, I definitely wouldn't have bought this stuff now.
Thanks again for your response.
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