Wondering how you can keep your home clean and prevent the spread of COVID-19? Read on to find out!
The COVID-19 pandemic keeps spreading across the world, despite numerous efforts to curtail its spread. One primary reason for this is that currently there’s no vaccine for this virus. The only real chances of containing and eventually eradicating the novel coronavirus are social distancing and maintaining proper cleanliness. This includes personal hygiene, such as washing your hands according to the standards set by the CDC. However, another important aspect of keeping clean and preventing coronavirus is keeping your home clean and disinfecting it daily.
Here’s how you can clean and disinfect your home during the COVID-19 Pandemic:
- The first step that you must take before cleaning your home is to wear disposable or rubber gloves. Wash your hands with soapy water for about 20 seconds before wearing the gloves.
- For cleaning various surfaces, use soap and water. Make sure to clean all high-touch surfaces such as light switches, doorknobs, tables, countertops, chair backs, handles, desks, keyboards, phones, faucets, sinks, etc.
- For disinfecting, you can use a household disinfectant. Just make sure to follow the instructions on the label.
- You can also use a diluted household bleach and water solution (5 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water) to clean certain surfaces. Just follow the instructions on the label and make sure the product is not expired.
- Alternatively, you can use alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol to disinfect certain objects and surfaces.
Let’s take a look at how you can clean and disinfect the various surfaces and objects in your home:
Soft Surfaces
Here’s how you can clean and disinfect soft surfaces such as rugs, carpeted floors, and drapes:
- Use a soap and water solution to clean the surface or use a household cleaner suitable for cleaning such surfaces.
- You can also launder the items according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure to use the warmest water setting and dry the items thoroughly.
- To disinfect these surfaces, you can use an EPA-registered household disinfectant.
Electronics
Here’s how you can clean and disinfect your electronic items including your laptops, phones, remote controls, and keyboards:
- Firstly, invest in a cleanable cover for your electronics.
- Carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and disinfecting these items.
- If there are no instructions to follow, then you can use alcohol-based disinfectant wipes or sprays that contain at least 70% alcohol to clean and disinfect these items. Just make sure to dry the surfaces as thoroughly as possible.
Laundry
Here’s how you can clean and disinfect your laundry items such as clothing, linens, and towels:
- Make sure to wear disposable gloves when washing the laundry of a sick individual.
- You can wash the dirty laundry of an ill individual with other items.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to wash the items.
- Make sure to use the warmest water setting and dry each item completely.
- After washing the laundry, make sure to remove your gloves, throw them in the bin and wash your hands right away.
If you have a family member who’s sick or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, then make sure to quarantine them in a separate room of the house and make no contact with them till they recover.
