I’ve ordered a number of things on Amazon that are going to be arriving over the next few days. But I’ve seen some troubling figures on how long the virus can last on different surfaces. On paper/cardboard and plastic, it can apparently remain contaminated for four days.
When these packages are delivered, should I spray bleach or some other fluid on them (while they are sitting on the porch) before I bring them into the house? Or is that just taking “precaution” too far?
No. Just wash your hands when you’re done.
Yesterday, I watched an Amazon delivery guy bring a stack of packages to our neighbor. He used his face - not his chin, literally his face - to hold the top package. Yes, wipe them down.
Gloves are probably cheaper, easier, and unlimited. I’d conserve the spray for situations where you can’t use gloves in case it becomes hard to replace.
You could always use a sock if you don’t have gloves.
Though, one thing to consider is that to some extent the goal isn’t so much to not get sick as it is to not get sick at the wrong moment.
If you’re young, healthy, have no underlying conditions, have someone who can take care of you, a good supply of food, and can stay away from other people for a few weeks, then it might be a good time to get sick and gain immunity. (Obviously, there is the risk that you have an underlying condition that you didn’t know about.)
But, if you figure that slowly, we will all become less good about being strict and more expected to go to the workplace, go to public events, etc. even though we shouldn’t, then getting sick then will be worse because you will be contagious and in regular contact with others.
If you can get sick and not be a drag on the hospital system, right now, then it’s sort of a social good. But, you need to be damn sure that you won’t become a drag on the hospital system.
You’re joking, right?
Receiving packages is unidirectional.
Doesn’t sound like a joke to me. There are several predictions that show most people, or a range including half of people, getting sick. It’s better to get sick before the big wave: better for the sick person who can get medical care and be more likely to survive, and better for the majority of people who are getting sick in the big wave when they’d have to compete for limited resources, because by getting sick early you’re relieving the wave a little.
Now, maybe it’s practically difficult to know you can get sick before the main wave, so the advice isn’t actionable, or even induces people to contribute to the wave. We are weighing terrible alternatives here. And maybe the uglier predictions are way off and we won’t be resource limited.
But, on the whole, the idea is at least plausibly a good one.
If you’re vulnerable or will be visiting vulnerable people, might I suggest leaving the outer packages outside? Unpack the boxes and bring the stuff inside, and either leave the boxes on the porch or put them in the garage.
Depending on our individual concerns, I think we should all take whatever protective precautions we’re willing to. Personally, I receive a lot of mail and being a high risk person, I am willing to take quite a few.
For the reasons stated by the OP, I use gloves to open mail and packages.
I have a room segregated for mail opening and if possible, I leave it alone for a few days before responding/filing, etc. For cardboard packages, I don’t open them in the house. I keep a utility sink full of water with bleach at the back entrance to my home. Everything that comes into the house is given a dip before it travels any further, if dipping is feasible.
If I can’t disinfect with a dip or a wipe, then into the COVID-19 room it goes for the requisite number of days before I handle the item again. Then wash hands and disinfect any surface the item may have touched.
Cardboard packaging is dispatched to the workshop where it awaits final disposal when I next haul to the tip.
To some this may seem excessive, but I think we can all assess our individual risks and willingness to ameliorate them within our private domains.
Taking it too far would be setting it on fire; bleaching is a rational measure as long as you don’t over-bleach it.
If it’s not in a place where it’s likely to be stolen, I’d leave it outside for 24 hours, wear disposable gloves, spray some disinfectant or wipe it down with an ammonia-based cleanser, toss the gloves and the box, then wash your hands thoroughly.
Aspenglow, do you mean that you’re letting a sink full of bleach water sit around for significant periods of time?
Because the bleach will probably dissipate into the air if so.
– and try to avoid breathing bleach fumes. That’s not good for you.
No, no, I understand your point and I made mine inartfully. When I know I’m bringing a load of stuff in that needs disinfecting, say after a trip to the market or a delivery is made, I partially fill the utility sink in my mud room and add a glug of bleach for a quick disinfecting wash. Once everything dippable is dipped and drying, I drain. (Alliteration for free. 
)
I doubt I could even walk through the room if I left it sitting full all the time. In general I’m not much of a bleach user due to being on a septic system, but this seems a quicker, more efficient way than using tons of wipes or even a spray bottle.
But thanks for helping me clarify.
I’ve taken to spritzing anything that comes into the house with Lysol-- groceries delivered by the Shipt driver, packages, mail, etc. If it can, it sits on the deck for 72 hours before passing through the doorway. Other stuff that can’t necessarily sit on the deck, gets spritzed and sits in a storage room in the basement for a few days. Junk mail gets tossed, regular mail gets spritzed and opened and dealt with. Hand washing ensues after all contact. Overly cautious? Perhaps, but I don’t care.
Is it really necessary to spray stuff with disinfectant AND let it sit for days? Isn’t it sufficient to do one or the other? If you’re spraying something with Lysol or bleach, doesn’t that disinfect it immediately? Or are you implying that you think it takes days for the disinfectant to do its job?
Part of me thinks I might be better off catching it now and just getting it over with while there are still adequate resources available to deal with any severe symptoms, as there are currently only four confirmed cases in my county of 60k people and as of this afternoon none of them are hospitalized. However I definitely feel a responsibility to society to do whatever I can to limit the spread, and of course this includes not contracting the virus myself.
I don’t think you need to do both. If I can’t disinfect it with the bleach treatment or wipes, that’s when I put it aside for a few days before handling. Example: I’m not going to bleach a head of lettuce or wipe down my onions. I can’t spray my mail because received mail is integral to the work I do and the records can’t be damaged. Those are things I set aside for a few days.
Personally I think that’s overkill but obviously you’re free to do what feels safe for you.
Even in the unlikely event you have live viruses on the packages, they aren’t wafting from the surface nor are they going to be jumping out at you. Just don’t lick the packages or your hands after touching them. You can use disposable gloves if you want to be extra careful or, just wash your hands.
The virus doesn’t survive on packaging long, and there continue to be no known cases of people contracting the virus from packaging.
Since it won’t survive the entire shipping trip, the main issue I see are the people handling it getting something on it just before you receive the package. So my strategy has been to just let it sit for a while, in the elements, and then bring it in, dispose of the packaging, and wash my hands. If I touch something else before my hands are clean, I’ll give it a quick wipe with disinfectant.
The main thing is that you can easily run out of items to use to disinfect, so I do think you’ll want to use them only when necessary.
There actually isn’t any such thing as overkill right now, unfortunately. There isn’t enough information to know.
You have to make up a bleach solution and use it quickly as it breaks down easily.