Interview Script:
Lisa Bonhotal:
Welcome to another episode of Northern Valley Vibes. I'm Lisa Bonhotal with Coldwell Banker and today we got to do things a little bit differently for this episode with the Coronavirus outbreak here in New Jersey and all across the world we have to abide by the new guidelines, with social distancing and quarantining. So right now take a ride and we're going to go to U.S. Pharmacy lab in Northvale. We're here with David at US Pharmacy. I got my social distancing going on, but this is where I come for everything and I know he's been pretty good with keeping everything well-stocked, so I just wanted to speak to David for a second. He can explain a little bit more.
David:
Oh man, it's been pretty crazy over here. As you can see, I'm wearing a mask now. We're trying to keep everything in stock, but I think the main thing is people don't panic just yet, because panicking is causing everyone next to you to panic. So if everyone was just going through the day as business as usual. I don't think we will be having these types of shortage, but because everyone is hoarding everything, it's just compounding the situation. So let's try to keep our heads on together and not to panic as much as possible.
Lisa Bonhotal:
Got it.
David:
I know it sounds funny telling you not to panic and you're seeing me like this.
Lisa Bonhotal:
I know.
David:
But-
Lisa Bonhotal:
Well you got to stay safe too because everybody from doctor's offices are coming in and whoever really is sick so you got to protect yourself as well.
David:
Well the main thing is keep your distance, don't go out if you don't need to go out. If you do go out give everyone a little space. Even in the pharmacy, I'm just limited to two people at a time just to keep everyone away from each other [inaudible 00:01:50]. That and your hands. Keep your hands away from your face that's the main thing.
Lisa Bonhotal:
And David, what are your hours and what is your address here at U.S. pharmacy lab in Northvale. So people can contact you.
David:
So we're at 220 Livingston Street, if you know where the heart medical group is, we're right underneath them on the same building. So we're open Monday through Friday, nine to 6:30 and on Saturday nine to one but if you have an emergency, during closed business hours, you can always call the store number and leave a message on my cell phone and I'll get back.
Lisa Bonhotal:
Oh, okay. That's good to know David. So okay, stay safe everybody and contact David for all your needs. Now we're standing in my kitchen and I don't want to focus on what we can't be doing. I would like to focus on what we can be doing and these are some of the products that I have and you probably should have them too on hand to keep yourself clean and let me explain what I have and what I'm doing with it. First off, we have Lysol spray, there is lemon, there is lavender, there is plain, whatever kind of scent you can get have this on hand because what I have my family do is when I come in the house, the shoes go off right away and we spray the bottoms with Lysol, you have the shoes facing upright and so the bottom is wet with Lysol and therefore air drying, and this is going to kill the germs. This is step number one.
Lisa Bonhotal:
Number two, what I have on hand is rubbing alcohol. I believe it has to be 60, 66, 70% alcohol. But in order to make this stretch its life and go a long way, I've put it in a spray bottle and with the spray bottle every day I go around and I spray the doorknobs or counter or something. But the spray bottle is a little helpful hint someone told me about and it really does work. So this will make the alcohol, go a long way. Disinfectant wipes, we have travel packs for your purse or your briefcase and the larger size for home. So of course it has to say 99% kills all germs, but these are good for wiping down the counters, wiping down the appliances. Don't forget the handles on the fridge, the dishwasher, that's where all the germs are.
Lisa Bonhotal:
And also with the travel pack, like I said, I keep these in the car and my purse as well. And ladies, one thing don't forget, your pocketbook. I now am only taking my phone, my keys, my driver's license and a credit card because money also is one of the things which is very dirty these days. So I'm using a credit card. But ladies, when you take your purse and you go food shopping, you put your purse in the shopping cart and how many people don't wipe the bottom of their purse. So word to the wise wipe your purse when you leave food shopping. One of the other things on hand, hand sanitizer. I also have a small bottle. I leave this in the car and also I have the glove. So when I go food shopping, I put on the gloves, I have a wipe, I wipe off the shopping cart handles.
Lisa Bonhotal:
Some of the food stores do have the wipes upon entering the store, but a lot of times they're out. Sometimes they're also by the meat department, but take the wipe, clean the handle, put on the gloves, go in. These are the masks. These are not the n95 masks because those I donated it to my sister who was a doctor needs them in the hospital. These are just germ busters, which David has at the pharmacy and folks, from what I'm understanding, you should not be wearing masks unless you are sick because what happens is when you go in the food store, you have a mask on your face, the germs go on the mask, you go home, you take the mask off. Now the germs are in your face anyway. So from what I'm understanding, just where I'm asked if you're sick, but you can ask your doctor about those.
Lisa Bonhotal:
One of the other things I'm doing is stocking up on the vitamins. So my family and I, we all take Vitamin D, which... It's a beautiful day out today, go out and get some sun while you can. The vitamin D helps your immune system also vitamin C, so I've been taking these little emergency packets. There is Tangerine, there is Orange and there is Raspberry. There's also strawberry Kiwi, but those they were out of. If you can't find those. I also got the generic brand from whole foods and you just mix it straight in water, shake up the bottle and drink it, but that will help your immune system and keep you healthy. The next thing you might want to know is where can I find out more about the Coronavirus in the testing centers and what the latest rules and regulations are for us. So if you go online, the website is covid19.nj.gov and you can go on there it has all the latest from the governor and from the state to see what is what in terms of testing centers, hours of operation.
Lisa Bonhotal:
There is a testing center Bergen Community College over in Paramus, also William Patterson University, but now with so many people being infected, they have certain days where they are testing for only the first responders. So please go to that website. That will give you the latest information. Like I said, it's covid19.nj.gov also, what I did, which is extremely helpful, is you can send a text and the text that you would send is NJCOVID. That is N-J-C-O-V-I-D, and that is to the number eight nine eight two one one and that way every time there's an update you will get a text instantaneously. So therefore you can keep up to date with what is going on with the Coronavirus outbreak.
Lisa Bonhotal:
And yes, we still are getting those phone calls to listing homes this spring, but while you're home and we have time, you might as well take advantage of it. So here's a few things that you could be doing to get your home ready for market. Number one is landscaping. Nothing looks better than when you pull up to a home and it has great curb appeal. So get rid of those dead leaves from over the winter, edge your flower beds. Put some mulch and some flowers and really make those photos look amazing. Two is declutter, get rid of all the doubles of things around the house, the Tchotchke, the photos. You want to depersonalize your home. So when people come in your home they can envision themselves living there. So room by room, take it one day at a time because all we've got now is time everybody.
Lisa Bonhotal:
So you could do this one room, one day at a time, everything that you are definitely taking with you, pack it in a box, then take all those boxes that you are definitely taking. Put all those boxes in one room. Once those rooms are done then you can declutter also organization, go through the linen closet, go through the garage. You can do this one day at a time. Organization goes a long way. Another thing you could be doing is painting. Even if it's touch up paint. I always tell my sellers a little paint goes a long way, whether it's touching up the walls or if you have some crazy color in the kitchen, you want to paint in something neutral. So please a little bit of paint goes a long way. And those are just a couple of tips. Thank you for watching another episode of Northern Valley Vibes. This is Lisa Bonhotal and see you next time.