Carefully treating hands with antiseptics, wiping food packages and washing the floor with water with the addition of bleach, people forget to disinfect money from coronavirus. Meanwhile, coins and paper bills are one of the most common sources of infection.
How long does coronavirus live on money?
Coronavirus particles remain viable for quite some time - from 4 hours to 9 days. The exact time depends on the type of surface. For example, pure copper destroys the protective membrane of the virus very quickly, and polyethylene and plastic do not interact with lipids in any way, so the infection lives on them the longest.
Russian banknotes are made from a combination of several materials (in particular cellulose and cotton or linen). For this reason, the exact period of activity of coronavirus on money cannot be called, but it can be assumed that it is about five days.
Coins are also minted from a variety of alloys, so accurate information on the survival of coronavirus on the little things is missing. It makes sense to consider them potentially contagious within two weeks (they give so much money to “lie down” in a special bank vault before proceeding with the recount).
How to disinfect paper money from coronavirus?
There are several ways to sanitize banknotes:
- High temperature mode. To properly "fry" the money, but not to burn it, use an iron. It should be warmed up to the maximum temperature (as a rule, this is the “Cotton” mode, aka “Cotton”). The bill should be placed between two layers of thin tissue paper or twice folded gauze. Gauze can be slightly moistened with water - steaming will turn out even more effective than conventional ironing. By the way, it is with the help of an iron that money is disinfected in the markets in Georgia.
- Ultraviolet radiation. If the house has a quartz lamp designed for household disinfection, then it will perfectly cope with coronavirus. It is enough to lay out the bills in the treated room and leave it under the influence of UV rays for 30-40 minutes.
- Washing. A good, but risky way that will add troubles to everyone who decided to use it. It’s only suitable as a last resort - when there is a suspicion that the money was in the hands of a person infected with SARS-CoV-2, but there is no way to disinfect the bills in another way. Money is simply erased - to begin with, they are soaped with 72% household soap and left for 20 seconds, then rinsed with water and dried in the open air.
- Medical alcohol. This method is good in that you can process banknotes in any conditions - without even leaving the cash register. It is enough to carry a bottle with a spray nozzle - spraying a bill on all sides is easier and faster than wiping. Due to the fact that the alcohol evaporates quickly, the money dries up almost instantly and can be put in your wallet or pocket.
How to process coins so that they do not have a coronavirus?
At home and in the field, coins are treated from coronavirus in the following ways:
Why disinfect money?
The fact that coronavirus lives on money and that this is one of the ways of transmission of infection is a well-known fact. Processing bills and coins will help minimize the risk of infection. True, it will only be effective nationwide if all citizens are involved in disinfection.
Do I need to process a credit card from coronavirus?
Yes. Despite the fact that it is only in the hands of the cashier and owner, the virus can easily get on it. After each trip to the store, you need to wipe the card with an alcohol cloth, but carefully so as not to damage the magnetic tape.
How to disinfect the wallet, because the viruses that are on the banknotes also get on it?
It is enough to wash it, soaking in a powder solution for 15-20 minutes. Or treat it inside and out with strong alcohol.
Money disinfection is an important link in the entire chain of measures aimed at combating coronavirus. In many states, national banks do this, but if everyone takes care of the microbiological purity of their banknotes and coins, this will significantly reduce the duration of the pandemic.