[SOLVED] How do I STERILIZE a mobo from China?

[turbotong]

Buying replacement mobo. Tracking indicates shipment from China. How do I sterilize it so as to avoid the Coronavirus?

Alcohol bath? Hydrogen peroxide? (Will either of these damage components?) Bake it (what temp is safe but effective? There is a plastic shield on it)

 

[GarrettL]

Time.

You’d have to see what the expected virus lifetime is on a surface. Most only live a few days on a surface without a host

 

[USAFRet]

1. Almost ALL parts come from "China".
2. Human to human. Not human to hardware, then 2 months later, to human. It can't live outside a host for very long.

 

[USAFRet]

https://www.livescience.com/how-far-will-coronavirus-spread.html

"Imported goods from China should not carry infectious strains of the virus, especially given that most coronaviruses can survive on surfaces for only a matter of hours, Messonnier said on Monday (Jan. 27). "There's no evidence to support the transmission of this virus through imported goods," she said. "

 

[USAFRet]

https://news.trust.org/item/20200228215640-n07fz

The box it comes in is more hazard than the component.
But still not really a worry.

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"On copper and steel it's pretty typical, it's pretty much about two hours," CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield told U.S. lawmakers on Thursday, referring to how long the new coronavirus may be active on those types of materials. "But I will say on other surfaces - cardboard or plastic - it's longer, and so we are looking at this."

The agency said there is likely a very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures.
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[drea.drechsler]

Buying replacement mobo. Tracking indicates shipment from China. How do I sterilize it so as to avoid the Coronavirus?

Alcohol bath? Hydrogen peroxide? (Will either of these damage components?) Bake it (what temp is safe but effective? There is a plastic shield on it)

Alcohol bath would do nicely... but just splashing a bottle over the board is sufficient. DO NOT use hydrogen peroxide (I'm not sure what it would do, but it's not a good sterilizing solution anyway). Afterwards, let the board air dry for at least a day. You can speed that up considerably with a warm fan (like a blow dryer). While it may appear dry much sooner you can't always see the wet spots in the tiny crevices.

BTW, read up some on how long the virus remains viable on surfaces. I seem to remember reading it's only like 2 or 3 days, but check that for yourself. And also consider that workers in factories generally wear gloves for handling parts. I'd really be more concerned about the outside of the packaging it got shipped in because of all the handling it gets and contact with other packages in the shipping containers. If you really feel it necessary to be uber careful I'd say just wear nitrile gloves, even for receiving and opening packaging, and not touch mouth, nose or eyes until you've taken them off and washed hands.

EDIT add: so based on article linked by USAFRet: it looks like simply leaving the box sitting in a nice, warm, sunny spot for a few hours will reduce risk even should the driver of the delivery van have been a carrier. That sounds like a typical Amazon delivery: drop the package on the porch in a sunny spot so anybody passing on the street can see it. hah. There ya go, Bezos had our best interests in mind all along.

 

[CountMike]

Use antivirus