As COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is making headlines and going around, you may already be taking extra precautions through social distancing, avoiding unnecessary trips to the store, and practicing super-high bodily hygiene.
But don’t overlook how cleaning your home and keeping it spic and span during the crisis can help defeat the coronavirus in your new home.
Home maintenance and cleaning can help keep your home virus-free. And since the virus can live on surfaces for anywhere from a few hours to a few days, ramping up your cleaning routine is going to be important.
Here are 5 ways home cleaning and common sense can lower the riks of contracting coronavirus.
1. Sanitize And Disinfect Surfaces
Sanitizing means just cleaning, with soap and water or by dusting off. Disinfecting means killing the pathogens. Always start by sanitizing and follow up by disinfecting.
Focus on surfaces that get touched a lot like doorknobs, blinds rollers, cabinet-door handles, table surfaces, desktops, toilet flush levers, faucet on/off knobs, remote controls, microwave buttons, and video game controls.
Also, put a premium of attention on areas where it may get damp and dark so that germs are more likely to thrive. This includes mainly the bathroom and the kitchen.
2. Establish A Home Hand-cleaning Station
Not only do you need to designate one or more sinks as hand-washing stations to fight the virus, but you need to make sure those sinks are always free of dirty dishes and totally washed and cleaned – both sink bowl and faucet.
Have all the products you need to clean and disinfect hands right there by the hand-washing station. This includes bar soaps, anti-bacterial liquid soaps, hand sanitizers, sanitizing wipes, fresh, clean hand towels, and a hamper with a lid to collect used towels.
3. Stock Up On The Right Home Cleaning Products
Also, be sure to stock up on the safest and most powerful cleaning products to sanitize and disinfect surfaces in your home. Keep them in a cabinet you can easily access but that can be locked to keep kids and pets out.
You may have thought your work was finished after winter-proofing your home this winter, but spring brings its challenges too. Colds, The Flu, and Coronavirus are very real dangers, so be prepared. You will need bleach, rubbing alcohol, and products containing the same.
Use separate cleaners for the bathroom, the kitchen, and the rest of the home. Check expiration dates and be aware of EPA recommendations. Always closely follow directions for use to keep things safe, kill the most germs, and avoid damaging your furniture.
4. Get Your Laundry Area Ready For Heavy Use
Coronavirus can live on fabrics for hours or even a day. That’s why it’s important to wash and dry your clothes promptly during the crisis.
Start by removing all clutter from the laundry area. Clean the washer and dryer, inside and out. Sweep and clean the floor in the area. Have all the laundry baskets, detergents, and other products/tools you need to carry out your predetermined system for processing loads.
5. Vacuum, Sweep, Mop, and Wash Walls/Ceilings
Home maintenance must also extend to your building itself, not just the surfaces of furniture inside of it. Vacuum, sweep, and mop more frequently than usual. Take time to dust and wash walls and ceilings at some point too.
Clean off the dust clinging to the top surface of ceiling fans or to other fans (before using them!)
Have a home maintenance routine that you follow right after getting home from work and a checklist so you won’t forget any important aspects of fighting the virus at home.
For additional homebuilding advice, feel free to contact the experts at Experience Homes in Amarillo, Texas, today!
