No one is talking openly about it but it seems like a vast majority of people feel something unsettling about having to step out of the house to get groceries. Unfortunately, normal is now a double-sided coin. When you’re at home,things feel somewhat normal but as soon as you go anywhere, you’re reminded of the pandemic. You then suddenly find yourself hoarding canned goods and cleaning and sanitizing essentials. You see these items fill your pantry. While hoarding will always be frowned upon, making your house safe and clean is always a good decision. You’re neither paranoid nor overacting to think it’s a necessity.
Here are some of the CDC-recommended cleaning and disinfecting tips you can start doing at home. These are minimum standards of safety. Meaning, if you have something better that can help secure you and your home, you can complement it with these tips.
Disinfect after a thorough cleaning
The very first thing you need to understand is disinfecting and cleaning are two different terms. The CDC encourages people to do both, even if no one is sick in your home. For one, cleaning means removing all surface contaminants. Disinfecting, on the other hand, is all about eliminating the pathogens. Do both regularly.
As you already know, person-to-person transmission poses a greater risk than surface transmission, but it’s better if you also disinfect high-touch surfaces after cleaning them. Do this once a day if you think that you had any form of contact with the external environment. This is especially true in cases where someone or something leaves and returns home.
Focus your energy on the high-touch areas and surfaces
Studies have revealed that this novel virus can live on surfaces like cardboards for about 24 hours. In plastics and stainless steel, it can stay alive for two to three days. With these findings, it’s logical to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces even if you are not leaving the house. When people or items come in and out, you can assume that there is a risk of exposure. Here are some of the high-touch surfaces you need to clean and disinfect daily:
- Bathroom counters
- Dining chairs (arms, seat, and back)
- Doorknobs
- Faucets and faucet knobs
- Game controllers
- Kitchen counters
- Light switches
- Remote controls
- Table surfaces
- Toilet handle
- Toilets seat
Since no two homes are the same, identify all the surfaces in your home that you interact with frequently. You can even include your laptops, trackpads, mouse pads, and desk surfaces. If you have kids frequently playing with gadgets, regularly sanitize them too.
While you’re at it, might as well clean and check the windows for any signs of damage. Broken glass must be replaced immediately by trusted installers such as vanisleglass.com.
The proper way of cleaning and disinfecting
If you’re not sure how to carry out the cleaning and disinfecting process, you can start with cleaning the surface of the material you’re working on. As you clean, remove all the debris, dust, and other contaminants. You can accomplish this task by wiping it with a hand towel or soapy water. You can also use a cleaning spray here.
Once you’re done removing the contaminants on the surface, start applying a surface-appropriate disinfectant. The easiest and fastest way to accomplish this is by using a disinfectant spray or disinfecting wipes. See? It’s not as complicated as you think. These daily routines can significantly lower your and your family’s risk of infection. In the process, you also transform your household into a COVID-free place. If you can’t get a hold of commercial disinfectants, you can still clean and disinfect with soap and other cleaning agents that you already have.
Cleaning and disinfecting your homes at this time may seem like a burdensome task. Though you’ve cleaned in the past, you need to be more vigilant and proactive in your cleaning efforts now. When you see your family safe and virus-free, you’ll realize that all your efforts are well worth it.