TMG’s Greg Smizaski on Mitigating Risk
Like you, all of us at the Moorefield Group are beyond grateful to the first responders, police, firefighters, grocery workers, nurses, doctors and every person in the medical profession on the front lines battling COVID-19. We know how lucky we are to be able to stay home and limit our risk of contraction and/or spreading the virus.
While the information on limiting our risk to COVID-19 is widely known, TMG Listing Success Manager Greg Smizaski would like to share some of the strategies he has been implementing during this challenging time. After graduating with a BS in Chemistry, Greg worked in healthcare for several years before joining us. Working in a clinical laboratory collecting and testing genetic samples, successfully preventing contamination involved a methodical, meticulous process of repetitive steps in the lab. An interesting fact to note is that his former lab is the leader in using the COVID-19 RT-PCR test for diagnosing potential carriers of COVID-19.
Beyond following the general CDC recommendations - keeping 6 feet away from others, washing hands constantly, and cleaning and disinfecting counters and surfaces – Greg would like to share some specific protocols he uses to limit personal risk and protect others. Perhaps you are already doing them – but it’s always good to share information, now more than ever.
Sanitizing: Washing is always the BEST way to sanitize, but hand sanitizer is the next best option when soap is not available. Hand sanitizer MUST be AT LEAST 60% alcohol content to be effective, so make sure to read the label for any store bought sanitizer. Hand sanitizer can also be made at home. A simple home recipe is 2 parts of at least 91% isopropyl alcohol (aka isopropanol, rubbing alcohol, etc.) to 1 part Aloe Gel (the stuff you use to treat sunburns and the like), then I usually add a touch more alcohol. The key part is to bring the effective concentration of alcohol to 60%, which this recipe does pretty much exactly (that’s why I always add a bit extra alcohol).
Sanitizing surfaces – use 70% rubbing alcohol (or any of the other pseudonyms above) when wiping down surfaces. Make sure to wipe down the most frequently touched surfaces like door knobs and handles. Bleach is an effective sanitizer as well, but notoriously harsh and corrosive.
Designated “safe” spaces – these are spaces that are considered “clean” where PPE (Personal Protection Equipment), like gloves, are not necessary. These are spaces where you can confirm that no one else will enter, like your car or your home. These spaces should be wiped down as best as possible so that all is required after this initial cleaning is sanitation of the most frequently touched surfaces (doorknobs and handles for instance).
Shopping: It’s impossible to eliminate the risk of contracting the virus and/or spreading it, but there are ways to limit it. Grocery shopping, I bring two sets of gloves. Latex, nitrile - it doesn’t matter and both are still widely available. On one hand, I wear a glove, and assume everything outside of that glove is contaminated. That’s the hand I use to pick out my groceries. On the other hand, which I clean and sanitize before entering the store, I access my personal items I have already cleaned and keep in one pocket – my credit card, keys and phone. We will get to phones in a moment but, the extra gloves are for if two hands are needed to lift heavy items. Once I am done using that second glove, it’s turned inside out and disposed of. When I get home with my groceries, everything is brought inside the house individually, and carrier bags stay outside and are put in the trash immediately. Reusable bags are not recommended at this time since they could potentially carry the virus if not immediately properly cleaned.
Post-Shopping at Home: I take off my gloves, turning them inside out and putting in garbage. Then I use some hand sanitizer for my hands & wipe down all of the surfaces I touched on the way in with alcohol – door knobs, etc. I then wash my hands and wipe off that faucet I touched. As for those groceries, I wipe down each item before I put it away (or wash them with dish soap if they are vegetables), then wipe and disinfect the kitchen counter I laid them on.. As for delivery packages we receive, it’s the same process: leave the box outside, bring the items in, clean and/or sanitize each item.
Wiping that Phone: This is SO important, not just now. We can follow all these protocols and forget to constantly wipe that item in our lives that has consistent contact with our face. Well before the emergence of COVID19, phones are a disturbing breeding ground for germs. You’ve got to wipe it down all the time. This short video on Tech Insider is required viewing to truly understand why you must wipe down your phone all the time, even in the best of times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siHopHBdW2c
Thank you to Greg for sharing these tips. We are all doing our best and are inundated with information, but doing our best to protect ourselves helps us protects the other members of our beloved community as well. Let’s stay safe and keep looking out for each other, Jersey City!