How to clean up after the coronavirus

As of Monday afternoon there have been 169 cases of coronavirus in Washington State. That's a lot of people to clean up after. So how do you decontaminate a coronavirus site?

To figure it out, Record host Bill Radke spoke to Katie Herrick, senior project manager at Crime Scene Cleaners NW.

She noted that all cleaning products are not created equal.

"I like sprays better because you can make sure that you've saturated the area and that it's going to be able to kill whatever it is you're trying to kill. Sometimes with wipes people don't close the container very well the last time they've used it and they've dried out to a certain point."

Katie dresses in full protective gear while on the job, but for day-to-day life, it's just not necessary.

"For a normal person, if you're going to the grocery store or you're going to catch a bus, keeping your hands off of things and washing them when you get where you're going without having touched your face is it's gonna be as good as anything."

So to sum up Katie's advice - use a CDC approved cleaning product like bleach or hydrogen peroxide, use a spray instead of wipes, and remember you have to wet any surface your decontaminating for at least one minute before wiping it away.