Good Information Dealing with This Virus

7 Ways You’re Sanitizing Your Groceries All Wrong
Next time you go out to buy food, avoid these mistakes at all costs.

Now that you’ve taken all the right safety precautions at the grocery store during the corona virus pandemic, the last thing you want to do is waste all of your efforts by not properly sanitizing your groceries at home. Don’t worry, there aren’t a ton of steps you need to take in order to keep your food (and yourself) safe and healthy, just a few that you should keep in mind.
So the next time you come home from your grocery store excursion, here are things you don’t want to do when sanitizing your groceries.
1
No matter what, the first thing you should do after getting home from the grocery store is wash your hands. You don’t want to go around touching your groceries—or any other items in your kitchen—before washing your hands first. If you don’t, then you won’t really be properly sanitizing your groceries, and all the effort you take to creating a clean kitchen environment will go to waste. The best thing to do is to remove your mask first before washing your hands.
2
You’re not sanitizing surfaces.
Even if you’re clean in the kitchen and wash your hands, it’s important to wipe down all surfaces just in case. This way you are not only furthering the spread of germs, but you’re avoiding any food cross-contamination that could happen if your kitchen isn’t properly sanitized. So before you empty out those groceries on the counter, wipe it down with an antibacterial wipe or spray first.
3
You’re washing your produce with soap.
While it may seem like you need to wash everything down with soap, trust us, you don’t have to—and it’s going to make your produce taste really strange. To properly wash your produce when you get home, simply rinse them down with cool water. Even if your produce needs to be peeled—like potatoes or carrots—still rinse them down so you aren’t getting any possible food contamination on your peeler and the inside of whatever produce you are peeling.
4
You’re not regularly cleaning your fridge.
You’re probably cooking a lot more than usual lately, so it’s important to keep account of what’s in your fridge and how often you are cleaning it. Take some time to evaluate what’s inside your fridge every weekend and wipe down all the surfaces, while simultaneously tossing any cooked food that’s been in there more than a week, or any other foods that have gone bad. Why is this an important step for sanitizing your groceries? Because if you don’t, your groceries will then mix in with any rotting food and crease possible food contamination because of it.
5
You’re not storing items properly in the fridge.
Speaking of your fridge, it’s also important where you store your groceries. Food safety experts say the best way to organize a fridge is to start with your leftovers and pr-cooked foods on the top shelf. Middle shelves should contain dairy products (milk, cheese) as well as eggs and juices. The lower shelves should contain any raw meats and fish that you plan on cooking soon. The bottom crisper should contain your fresh fruits and vegetables, and the doors should have all of your condiments and beverages. Storing your foods this way helps to keep your groceries sanitized after going through all of these safety precautions beforehand.
6
You’re not washing your reusable bags.
While some stores aren’t allowing the use of reusable bags right now, if you are going to a store that does allow it, you need to make sure you’re running those bags through the laundry before your next trip. This will help to prevent all kinds of germs to spread and food-borne illnesses to arise. So keep them clean.
7
Now here’s something you probably weren’t expecting, but it’s true. You do not need to wipe down every single item that you buy! According to the FDA, there is no evidence of COVID-19 spreading through packaged pantry goods, so you don’t have to wipe them down. However, if it would make you feel better to do so, make sure to leave them out on the counter after wiping them down so they can air dry. But trust us when we say, you don’t have to worry about it. It’s the refrigerated items you want to make sure are being stored in a clean fridge and your produce that needs rinsing before you cook. Take care folks and look after yourselves. GW

Plant of the day

I have found that the Snake Plant cleans air better than most other indoor plants as it has the ability to absorb excessive amounts of carbon monoxide. Additionally, it releases more oxygen than most other plants, and one of the best snake plant health benefits is … it can help a lot in getting rid of toxic air pollutants. Other than CO2, it can also absorb benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene. These cancer-causing pollutants are harmful to our health, a well-known proven fact.
Out of so many houseplants to have in the home, the snake plant is one that every home should have. They also grow quite well in areas that there isn’t much sunlight, but you should know they do like lots of water. A couple great places for them would be in the bedroom and living room. They like company. LOL

Snake Plant

Morning report May 19/2020

Good Morning!! It looks like a really nice day is shaping up for us here in Port Loring, Ontario, Canada. There are a few clouds at the moment but they should clear out of our area later on this morning making way for lots of sunshine. Tomorrow will be even better. Temperatures were sitting at 9.7 C | 49.46 F and will warm up a lot more as the day progresses. Highway 522 is quiet with a few cars moving East To West these days. But I am thinking most folks are staying home. The hype you hear on the news these days and on social media usually comes from the 20% that likes to stir up things. They are the ones that try their hardest to change folks opinion on things. To me groups separate people. Which in turn causes a lot of issues. But in saying that most folks are doing what is right, staying home taking precautions and looking after themselves and family. Kind of makes me feel good knowing that. The thing we have to do is listen to our own instincts and not what others think or do. But you all know that right? LOL On another note yesterday I did manage to get my lawn cut and I also rototilled up my vegetable garden in the areas that were too wet. Worked up great. I then got busy and planted most of my veggies. I still have to plant my tomatoes which I will do in a day or so. I also cut my lawn for the first time yesterday which makes things look pretty nice around our home. The Black flies though are starting which will make things not so nice for the next few weeks. But I do have a lot of things to do in my shop and store that I want to do, which will keep me away from them blood sucking parasites. The nice thing these days is that we can now open all our windows in the house, that is if you have screens lol, and I don’t have to burn anymore wood. With that I am off for my morning cup of coffee with my lovely wife and will then see what mischief I can get myself into. At least that is what my wife says. LOL Have a great day, stay safe and take the preventative measures needed to stay healthy. GW