Harriett Fox’s Quarantine Safety Kit
We are living in difficult times. As countries around the world fight to end the spread of COVID-19, everyday activities that we took for granted have become far more difficult to navigate safely. Adding to these worries is the issue of wastefulness, which can be a byproduct of a heightened level of cleanliness.
I have noticed that, in one particular activity, many people waste a lot of products that will end up in our landfills. I am referring to pumping gas. BUT, I have devised a way to avoid such wastefulness. Here is a description of my Quarantine Safety Kit with step-by-step instructions to safely gas up your car.
Back In My Day
Things have changed since I was a kid. When I was growing up, a gas station attendant would pump gas for you, and you wouldn’t have to expose yourself to this potentially harmful activity. Alas, gas station attendants are all but extinct today, making it important for us to think about our safety when we touch gas pumps, keypads, and other hazardous surfaces..
Disposable = Wasteful
Masks, gloves, and wipes are all necessary tools in the fight against COVID-19. However, many of these items are disposable, and after using them to handle the gas pump and manipulate the keypad, it is probably best to throw them away. This adds to our ever-growing landfills, and we don’t really want to do that.
Quarantine Safety Kit
Here are the tools in Harriett’s Quarantine Safety Kit:
The Process
The key to this procedure is to remember what is clean and what isn’t. This guides me as I go through the entire rigamarole. Here are the steps I take:
- Exit the car with my mask and gloves on.
- Use the credit card to pay for the gas, then punch in the numbers and put the nozzle into the car.
- While the gas is pumping, I spray my credit card with the multipurpose cleaner. I use a sheet of paper towel to clean off the credit card, and return the card to the bag.
- When the gas pump finishes, I put the nozzle back where it belongs, then use the multipurpose cleaner to spray off my gloves. I use another piece of paper towel to dry off the gloves. The process is now complete, and all I’ve used are two sheets of paper towel.
Tongs and a twig round out the tool kit, and can be used in special circumstances. The tongs are effective when you have to grab something or give something to someone. They can be cleaned in the same way that the credit card and gloves are. If you forget to bring or wear your gloves, you can use the twig to push the buttons on keypads.
Be Safe. Be Smart.
COVID-19 is not to be trifled with. But, we should not be wasteful as we confront this deadly pandemic. My Quarantine Safety Kit makes me feel a bit safer when engaged in dangerous activities – like pumping gas!
With a safe and smart approach, we will get through this together!
For the video version of this presentation, click here.
