Now That You Got Your Boxes Delivered From Amazon – Should You Touch Them?

PJ Media ^ | 03/25/2020 | Victoria Taft

[SeekAndFind]

You got that box from Amazon, so satisfied that you didn't have to schlep to the store and mingle with the germy people there who might have COVID-19. Now what the heck do you do with the box? Should you touch it? Do you need to gown-up to handle it? How long does coronavirus live on cardboard, anyway?

Yesterday when the Amazon delivery person set the box on my porch I thought wait, I keep hearing that the COVID-19 virus can last on surfaces for hours. So I donned my purple nitrile gloves, which I keep around the house and use for everything, brought my spray bottle with a high concentration of bleach to water, and commenced processing my boxes.

I decontaminated the boxes with my bleach concoction, sprayed the contents, cleaned my gloves with the hand sanitizer I keep outside to put on before I walk into my house (I know, I know), and put the unwrapped objects inside, setting them inside on a hard surface by the door. Next, I crushed the boxes and, after putting the cardboard into my recycle container, used my spray concoction to decontaminated my shoes that I used to crush the boxes.

It turns out I wasn't the only one wondering about this. It felt good to know I'm not being ridiculous. It's only ridiculous if you're not doing it.

The warehouse at the firm where my husband works does pretty much the same thing with each shipment that comes in. There is no human contact whatsoever between delivery person and shipping and receiving. Each box is left by the door by the delivery person and is decontaminated by the masked warehouse guys who gown-up to receive the boxes.

[SeekAndFind]

[Durbin]

Amazon delivered 4 lbs of espresso beans to my house a few days ago. I’m just happy to have my strong coffee. I don’t care about the rest.

[CivilWarBrewing]

I would wipe down all six sides of the box with disinfectant wipes or some sort of isopropyl alcohol solution. Then you can open the box. Wipe down inner contents as well if possible. If not, UV light kills Corona so either a black light or direct sunlight exposure of box contents will do.

If you can leave box untouched for 20 days that would be even more preferable than the above!

[CodeToad]

I bet most people would freak out and kill themselves if they knew every human body contains bacteria and viruses. *shhhh* don’t tell them

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Open the stupid box, put everything away and wash your hands.

[Durbin]

LOL, too late. I’m way past the point of being saved.

[freebird5850]

Wife has been using gloves and using Lysol spray the letting it sit outside for 30 minutes.

[Conserv]

Open it. Dump(or maneuver) the stuff out. Throw out box. Wash Hands.

It’s not that hard to figure out.

[Steve_Seattle]

I believe in using sanitary precautions, but you could write a comedy skit about someone taking it so far that are unable to do anything except wash their hands and sanitize objects all day.

You order a book from amazon, and it arrives in a bag on the front porch doormat. You take the book out of the bag and throw the bag in the trash because it might be contaminated. But now you've touched the book that was in the bag! What about it? So you spray the book with some sanitizer. But you set the book on the table! Now you wash the table. But now you've touched the can of sanitizer spray! So you spray it with another can. But you forgot about the doormat which touched the package! So you spray that. Oh, and the doorknob! And so on.

[sauropod]

Any idea on how long to use the UV light on the item being disinfected?

I have a couple LW UV lights and can certainly do that.

[Magnum44]

Thats what my wife has been doing to me when I get home from work as well... ;)

[JayGalt]

The virus lasts on cardboard 24h on plastics several days. Just let the box sit a day & then wash your hands.

[ZinGirl]

Back before the insanity, my boss had been to Costa Rica and brought me back a pack of coffee. Soooo smooth and strong and good. Well, I finished it off yesterday morning and he is being all stubborn when I ask him about going back to get me more. ;)

[goodnesswins]

ja...We Got Our 4LBS yesterday...Wine & Chocolate Last week

[LostInBayport]

You order a book from amazon, and it arrives in a bag on the front porch doormat. You take the book out of the bag and throw the bag in the trash because it might be contaminated. But now you've touched the book that was in the bag! What about it? So you spray the book with some sanitizer. But you set the book on the table! Now you wash the table. But now you've touched the can of sanitizer spray! So you spray it with another can. But you forgot about the doormat which touched the package! So you spray that. Oh, and the doorknob! And so on.

And...what if the person who picked the book for your order at the Amazon warehouse read a few pages? And coughed while doing so?

Run the book through the dishwasher, that's what I say.

[eyeamok]

Just light the box on fire, that should kill any germs. After all it worked with the Economy!

[Bell Bouy II]

Is this worse than Anthrax,do we know ? IMO Nope.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/nov/23/anthrax.uk

[Durbin]

Nothing like the finer things in life while being self quarantined.

[Salamander]

They sell UV wands, one of which I have only because I am into UV and IR photography.

Bought it years ago and never got around to using it.

There’s some weird luck right there.

[pax_et_bonum]

Run the book through the dishwasher, that's what I say.

It’s the only way to be sure.