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With many stores closed for the COVID-19 outbreak or recent looting incidents, more and more people are shopping online for everyday items than ever before. Experts warn that we must continue to follow safe practices when it comes to cleaning and handling our delivered packages.
If your front step is starting to look like an Amazon distribution center, here’s what you should know before starting to work your way through the pile:
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Leaving them outside for too long. Many of us were trained to leave our packages outside before opening them, but this might actually increase the likelihood of them becoming contaminated.
"As soon as a package is delivered, be sure to usher it into your home and disinfect it," Jamie Bacharach, licensed health coach and medical acupuncturist of Acupuncture Jerusalem explains.
"Leaving your package in your mailbox or outside your front door is only going to present more opportunities for unknown individuals or germs to find their way onto your package. The sooner you can be sure you've disinfected your package and the fewer opportunities there are for others to come into contact with your package, the better." Wow, good point!
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Additionally, if the contents of your package are clothing--don't forget to wash them.
Wearing your new clothes immediately, is one of the mistakes you can make, Linda Morgan, health and wellness expert with Motivation Nook, explains. "When opening a package of clothes, the first thing you should be doing is putting them in the washing machine to eliminate any germs," she advises.
"Wearing your new clothes without washing them not only exposes you but also those around you, to the possibility of COVID and other germs." Yikes!