Keeping Your Home Clean during a Pandemic

Keeping your home clean and tidy is always a good idea. But as the novel Coronavirus spreads, it is more important than ever to disinfect, wipe down, and clean commonly used surfaces in your home.

Here are some cleaning tips to keep your home safe and healthy.

• Wash your hands. While not a home cleaning tip, frequent hand washing can reduce the spread of germs within your home to begin with, meaning less cleaning is needed to keep surfaces germ-free. The CDC recommends washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water. Picking a fun song or rhyme to pass the time can make it fun for children and adults alike.
• Focus on common areas. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the thought of cleaning every surface in your home, start with the ones that you touch most often. These include:
  • Doorknobs and handles
  • Light switches
  • Faucets
  • Remote controls and phones
  • Dining areas
• Use disposable gloves. Gloves are a great way to introduce a physical barrier between your skin and potential contaminants. But, if you don’t change them, they can turn into an effective way to transmit germs to new surfaces all around your home. If possible, use disposable gloves that you remove and throw away after each cleaning. If you only have reusable gloves, keep them in a separate place and only use them to clean. Be mindful of every surface that you come into contact with while wearing reusable gloves.
• Check your cleaners. Now is not the best time to embrace a new cleaning product that hasn’t been tested. The CDC provides a list of EPA approved cleaning products that are both effective and safe for home use.

One of the best ways you can reduce contaminants coming into your home is to stay at home. With some elbow grease and knowledge, you can keep your home and family clean and safe while at home during this global pandemic.