Kids are going back to school and many of us are also returning to the office after many months of working from home. I don’t need to tell you that things are very different now. And while before it was a case of 'wallet, keys, mobile, travel card' when running through your mental checklist before running out the door – these days your list of essential items has a lot of additions.
As you prepare to return to the world of water cooler conversations and face to face meetings, you’ll want to be prepared for navigating the office safely to minimise the risk of the spread of coronavirus. As well as the obvious face mask and hand sanitiser, items like portable phone sterilisers and contactless door openers can be a godsend. Read on for the definite back to work checklist...
RELATED: 10 best face masks for the office: The back to work accessory for the boardroom
Face masks for the boardroom
This is an obvious one, but bear in mind that your novelty 'will only remove for gin' face coverings won’t cut it in the boardroom and you need something more discrete to face the boss. M&S’s antibacterial plain 5 pack is a good option – one for every day of the week.
5 pack reusable and adjustable face masks,
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Face mask storage case
You don't want to contaminate your mask when you take it off by stuffing it loose in your handbag or leaving it on your desk. A face mask storage case will keep it safe.
Face mask storage case four-pack, £7.99, Amazon
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Hand Sanitiser
Another must-have that needs no explaining, but if you’re sick of the harsh smell, Sanctuary Spa’s antibacterial hand gel spray does the job but with a lovely scent. Proven to kill up to 99.99% of bacteria and infused with 70% alcohol content, but with top notes of sharp citrus fruits, heart notes of rose petals and jasmine blossom and base notes of vanilla and sandalwood. Oh, and it has added moisturiser to stop your hands drying out.
Santuary Spa antibacterial hand gel spray,
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Hand cream
All that extra hand washing may leave your hands sore and dry, so make sure to have some hand cream on your desk. Laura Mercier’s smells divine and absorbs quickly, so you don’t need to worry about making your keyboard all shiny after using it. And it’s infused with Amino acids and soy proteins to help repair cracked or damaged skin.
Laura Mercier almond coconut hand crème 50g,
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Contactless door opener
The less you can touch surfaces with your hands, the better. Add a touchless door opener to your kit and you’re sorted. The iSOUL new model is made of alloy zinc which can slow or kill microrganisms within a few hours, and it also has a touch screen function, meaning you can use it on tablets and mobiles too.
iSOUL contactless door opener tool,
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Water Bottle with inbuilt filter
It’s important to stay hydrated, but you can also protect yourself from bacteria at the same time. LARQ’s self-cleaning water bottle might be more pricey than your average water bottle, but it’s a great investment. It purifies water on the go and is self-cleaning, activating every two hours. It uses advanced LED technology – no filter to replace – runs on a rechargeable battery and is completely chemical and ozone free. And the best thing is it eradicates up to 99.99 of viruses and bacteria.
LARQ bottle,
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Portable UV light sanitiser
You probably touch your mobile phone – and other electronic devices – more than you touch anything else, and that’s a whole lot of opportunity for germs and bacteria to spread around. Do you clean them regularly? A UV light sanitiser could solve that problem. Casetify’s newest model fits perfectly into a handbag or backpack, and it kills 99.9 of germs in just 6 minutes.
UV sanitizer lite, was
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WATCH: Casetify's UV light sanitizer - everything you need to know
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