How to Wash Clothes, Receive Deliveries, and Walk Your Dog Now?

During quarantine, it's important to be especially careful: thorough handwashing alone won't be enough. We explain how to behave properly after returning from outside, greeting couriers, and walking your dog. Recommendations for coming home and a video with safety rules we found in the A medclinic group.

I had to go outside. What should I do when returning home?

• Don't touch anything.
• Remove your shoes immediately.
• Then take off your clothes. Put them in a bag to wash later.
• Leave all items you brought with you at the entrance: bags, keys, wallets.
• Take a shower or rinse off with water those parts of the body that weren't covered.
• Put on clean home clothes.
• Disinfect your phone and glasses.
• Put on rubber gloves.
• Wipe down surfaces of bags, purchased products, and packages with a disinfectant.
• Load the clothes into the washing machine and wash at over 60 degrees Celsius.
• Remove gloves carefully, dispose of them, and wash your hands thoroughly.

Important: How to Remove Gloves Correctly

The most important thing is not to touch the outside of them.

1. Grab one glove near the wrist and carefully pull it off so it turns inside out.
2. Then insert your fingers of the free hand inside — between the second glove and wrist.
3. Roll the glove off your hand and put it inside the first glove you removed.
4. Dispose of gloves and wash your hands.

Important: How to Remove a Medical Mask

Gently pull the mask by the ear loops without touching the fabric (microbes often accumulate on it). If you've taken off the mask, dispose of it immediately — it is no longer suitable for reuse.

What else should you know?

The coronavirus can survive on surfaces for up to 17 days (as long as it lasted on the Diamond Princess cruise ship), so just washing hands won't be enough.

The virus lives longest on stainless steel and plastic, so it's important to thoroughly disinfect packaging of all store-bought products. However, it can also survive on other surfaces for several hours, so everything should be wiped down. If you don't have disinfectant, you can make it at home.

What if I want to order groceries for delivery?

Of course, this is much safer — you won't have to go outside. But don’t forget that couriers visit many addresses in a day, so it's better not to interact directly with them. The ideal option is contactless delivery (the courier leaves the package at your door and steps back three meters). Tips can also be sent online.

If you have a large supply of disposable gloves, you can use them to handle the product package, unpack it, and disinfect all items (including door handles — they should be wiped after every touch). Afterward, remove and discard the gloves immediately. We've explained how to do this above.

I just walked my dog. How to disinfect its paws?

Veterinarians say there's no need to disinfect the paws of pets with antiseptics. In fact, it could be dangerous for your pet. So standard precautions are enough.

Try not to touch your dog during walks and don’t let it approach other animals or people. It's better to keep the dog on a leash so you can control it more easily. Don’t let your pet pick up anything or lie on the ground.

If possible, wipe your dog’s paws before it enters the apartment. And don’t forget to wash them well with soap. If your pet has rolled around somewhere, you can wash it with shampoo (but not too often).

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