The first thing you’ll want to know is that cleaning and disinfecting are two very different things.
– Cleaning is about removing contaminants from a surface.
– Disinfecting is about killing pathogens.
Do both daily if anything or anyone has entered or exited your home.
Transmission of virus from person-to-person is a much greater risk than transmission via surfaces, but the CDC recommends we clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in our homes at least once daily just to be safe, assuming we have had contact with the outside world in some way, either a person leaving and returning or goods coming in.
Target Your Home’s High-Touch Surfaces
Researchers have found that the novel coronavirus is capable of living on surfaces such as cardboard for 24 hours, but up to two or three days on plastic and stainless steel. So cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces is a step we should all take.
High-Touch Surfaces to Clean and Disinfect Daily:
Doorknobs
Table surfaces
Hard dining chairs (seat, back, and arms)
Kitchen counters
Bathroom counters
Faucets and faucet knobs
Toilets (seat and handle)
Light switches
TV remote controls
Game controllers
Everyone’s home is a little different, so just think about the surfaces you interact with most. For me, that includes the above, plus desk surfaces and mouse pads (we’ll get to gadgets in a bit). Now that you know what you’re cleaning, here’s how you should do it.
First Clean, Then Disinfect:
First, clean the surfaces, removing any contaminants, dust, or debris. You can do this by wiping them with soapy water (or a cleaning spray) and a hand towel.
Then apply a surface-appropriate disinfectant. The quickest and easiest way to do this is with disinfecting wipes or disinfectant spray.
That’s it. Just adding these to your daily routine can help lower the risk of infection for you and anyone else in your household. If you aren’t able to obtain disinfectants at this time, just do a thorough job with the soap or cleaning agents you do have.
How to Make Homemade Bleach Disinfectant Spray:
4 teaspoons household bleach
1 quart water
Pour both into one quart spray bottle, shake vigorously
Spray on surface to disinfect, let sit for 10 minutes, wipe away with wet cloth
Bleach is excessive in most cases. You should never ever mix bleach solution with any other cleaning chemical, and it’s likely to damage or discolor sensitive surfaces. Use it as a last resort if you can’t source or acquire any other kind of disinfectant. With bleach, remember to wear gloves, open your windows (ventilation is your friend), and be careful.
Let’s start with the basis –
1. Clean your house every day and keep cleaning things around when required.
2. Clean your hands before and after cleaning the house for 20 seconds.
3. Use alcohol-based disinfectants.
4. In case using wipes, opt for the ones that promise to kill 99.9 per cent germs.
5. Look for sanitizers with at least 60 per cent alcohol content in it.
6. If you don’t have cleaning spray or wipes. Mix a few drops of dish soap with a spoon of salt in a small bowl of lukewarm water and use it for cleaning.
7. Dettol, Savlon works as great disinfected as well for cleaning purposes.
8. Keep your dish, floor, and laundry cleaning water different. Do not use the same water for other activities.
9. Always clean your bathroom surfaces.
10. The sponge that you use to clean the house, make sure you have scrubbed it with hot water after using it.
Bathroom –
Your towel can be your biggest enemy. As the virus stay longer on the wet surfaces than on the hard ones. The moment you use it, put it out to dry.
Don’t forget to clean the taps, handles, knobs, mats, and the floor of the washroom. Empty the bathroom trash and toilet seat daily.
Laundry –
First and foremost, the moment you come from outside-put that pair of clothes immediately for a wash. Use disposable/reusable gloves while collecting clothes from all around the house. Any laundry that could have coronavirus germs should be handled with disposable gloves.
Wash laundry in lukewarm water and always add disinfectant in your clothes. Also, run your washing machine once empty with just hot water, detergent and disinfectant to prevent the growth of germs. Also, make sure after usage you dry it up.
Bedroom –
Start with cleaning your bedsheet, your side table and curtains.
Make sure to change the linen regularly.
Accessories –
From your watch, shoes to jewelry sanitize them with a spray as much as possible before wearing them.
Your electronics –
Your devices might be all that’s keeping you sane during your self-isolation but, as we all know, they’re magnets for germs. They’re high-touch surfaces you carry with you everywhere, so you need to clean and disinfect them, too. To avoid repeating myself, let’s just say it here: Disinfecting wipes are the best way to clean your devices, hands down. But some devices have special considerations.
Laptop displays aren’t always made of glass (matte displays are plastic) so avoid using a disinfecting wipe on the screen, just in case. The display should be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol (70 percent) solution and a soft towel. Make sure you wipe down the keyboard, the trackpad, the exterior, and where your wrists rest on the laptop.