Grand Rapids Library Says Stop Microwaving Books To Kill Covid-19

Apparently, in an attempt to kill the novel coronavirus, some folks in West Michigan are microwaving their library books.

The Kent District Library Plainfield Branch recently shared pictures of returned burned books on Facebook. They say the radio frequency tags in all KDL materials have metal in them and they will catch on fire in the microwave.

KDL reminds us that they will quarantine returned materials for 72 hours.

Elizabeth Guarino-Kozlowicz, regional manager of Kent District Library told the Detroit Free Press they've completed a lot of research to come up with the library's safety procedures and are following U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidelines:

"All of the items go into a separate space. We set them aside for three days and then we check them in after that. We don't want them to feel concerned that they need to do anything."

Officials have warned against microwaving masks for the same reason: they could contain pieces of metal. Cloth masks can also overheat quickly and catch fire.

To sanitize masks, the CDC recommends laundering them in the washing machine with detergent.