Covid-19 Safety Tip…Strip!
Want to keep the Coronavirus out of your home? Leave your outside clothes outside, and use this simple tip to create a safety barrier.
A Tried and True Technique
Growing up in suburban Pittsburgh we had a mud room. It was a small room by the driveway where are we hung winter coats, stashed hats and gloves, and left boots so as not to track dirt into the house. In those days, everyone had something similar. Maybe it was the back entrance to a farmhouse, or a simple floor mat and a coat closet just inside the front door.
Now I live in Florida, where coats are rarely worn and coat closets are practically extinct. Here, it's the sand. And it spreads everywhere! So, I hung a lovely shelf with hooks beneath it, and placed a color-coordinated wood bench just inside the front door so my family would remove their shoes and leave the sand outside. It didn't work. I lovingly (and patiently) reminded my family that leaving their dirty shoes at the door was for everyone's benefit. They somehow missed my loving motivation and interpreted as nagging.
What I came to realize, was that we usually come in through the garage, not the front door. So I tried a similar set up in the garage, but met with the same resistance. Eventually I gave up. "Everyone's benefit" was too nebulous. It wasn't enough motivation for them to change their ways.
A Reason to Make the Effort
Fast forward to 2020 and the Covid-19 crisis. Now we have a reason to change. We are motivated to protect ourselves and each other.
Being in the mold remediation business, we are still working to protect the health and safety of our customers. Our sons also work in essential businesses, so we are all out in the public on a regular basis. To protect ourselves, we took a page from the standard worker safety practice for abatement professionals called "clean door - dirty door." I first came across this in the lead abatement industry about 25 years ago, and it translated to mold remediation over 20 years ago. (NOTE: This does not replace donning and doffing chambers on a remediation site.)
What is Clean Door - Dirty Door?
The concept is similar to a mudroom. The idea is to keep the contaminants out of the living space. Since we tend to come in through the garage, the garage entrance is our dirty door. The front door is our clean door. It works like this: we enter the garage then strip down to our skivvies leaving the outer clothes in the hamper and shoes on the mat. Next, we go directly to the shower and wash thoroughly, especially hair which can hold a lot of contaminants.
We use the dirty door anytime we have been in contact with other people, like at the grocery store or when George comes back from a job site.
The clean door is only used for going in and out when there is no contact with other people. We use this door if we are going for a walk, taking out the trash, tending the garden, etc.
Only have one entrance door?
In an apartment or condo with one entrance door, place a floor mat where you can leave your shoes just inside the door. Add a hamper or even a large cardboard box for clothes and you’re all set. Neighborly hint: Be sure to close the door behind you before you start stripping!
Shy about walking through the house half clothed?
Ask for some privacy. I'm one girl living with three guys. If they are with me, they disrobe and hit the shower first because they shower faster. I find a shady spot and wait outside until it's my turn. When I ask for some privacy, the boys duck into their room or busy themselves on their phones.
You are Worth the Effort
Not only does the clean door - dirty door protocol reduce Coronavirus and other contaminants carried in on clothes, shoes and hair, it reduces the chance of spreading germs throughout your home and to your loved ones. Even if you are the only one at home, use clean door - dirty door to protect yourself. You are worth the effort!
If you have questions or think you have water damage or a mold in South Florida, feel free to call us 561-693-8955. We’re here to help!
