Grocery shopping in the time of coronavirus just got one step more complicated.
According to Dr. Mehmet Oz and his correspondent Mara Schiavocampo, making the harrowing trip to the supermarket is only half the battle. Now, you have to disinfect your groceries, too.
“You know Dr. Oz, this takes me much longer than my normal routine. What you used to take five minutes of unpacking groceries now takes twenty minutes,” Schiavocampo said. “But, food is really the only thing that we are bringing in from the outside and we know that the virus can live on cardboard for up to twenty-four hours, and on plastic, up to two to three days. So I’m taking these precautions very seriously.”
You heard that right — that box of pop tarts could be harboring coronavirus germs from the last person who touched it at the store.
Schiavocampo explained her routine for cleaning all the new products she brings into her home, and what she uses to wipe them.
“So I see that you used these disinfect sprays to clean products when you unpack them, but what can you do if you don’t have these sprays or wipes because we are actually running short?” Dr. Oz asked.
“There are a lot of other good options. You can use rubbing alcohol. You can use plain water if you have to. And good old-fashioned soap and water is very effective even for fruits and vegetables because you can’t forget those are surfaces that need to be clean too,” she said.
In case you need a refresher on how to properly wash your hands during this pandemic, here’s Dr. Oz explaining the process to Jimmy Fallon.
Watch the clip from the March 26 episode above.