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Grocery shopping and other errands have become anything but routine during COVID. You no longer just have to remember your shopping list–you have to pack masks, gloves, hand sanitizer–oh, and don’t forget the wipes.
It’s a very involved process, but it’s incredibly important to remember all the steps, experts warn. And that includes properly cleaning shopping carts, and using them with caution.
We spoke to leading health experts to learn the mistake you’re probably making when it comes to taking that cart at the market:
"People don’t realize one of the biggest dangers while shopping with a cart: touching your face," warns Isaiah Ram and Dr. Robert Karsh, AICA Orthopedics.
While most of us know that the cart needs to be sanitized before we use it and that we should wash our hands or use sanitizer after we're done, many of us forget this critical intermediate step.
"It doesn’t matter how well you sanitize or clean your hands after shopping. If you’re touching your face, you’re putting yourself at risk," they remind us. Good point!
"Touching your face once you have touched or fiddled with the carts," is the worst thing you can do, Jagdish Khubchandani professor of public health at Ball State University agrees.
But that's not all--we've rounded up one more shopping cart tip for you:
"Throw away any trash or debris in the cart before thoroughly sanitizing your hands and the cart handle," suggests dentist Elizabeth Cranford Robinson of Cranford Dental.
READ MORE: The One Thing Experts Say You Should NEVER Do When Grocery Shopping
"Gloves and masks are often left in carts, and you should use a tissue to pick these up—or select another cart," she warns. And don't forget to sanitize your hands and anywhere on the cart that your hands may touch before pushing it.
