It’s never been more important to keep your home disinfected, so keep reading for a how-to guide.
Disinfecting Products
The most important step to disinfecting your home is to have the right tools. For strong disinfectants, you have a few options. The most popular home disinfection products contain some amount of bleach or alcohol. These will undoubtedly do the job, but if you’re looking for something less harsh, some viruses and bacteria can be killed by things like vinegar. Another option is using the heat caused by steam to kill germs. Regular soap and water can also work. With so many products and types of germs, it can be difficult to find the right one for your home, which why a great resource is the comprehensive list of approved products made by the EPA.
Make a Plan
Most people do at least some amount of home disinfection in their normal cleaning routine regardless of whether they realize it or not. To fully disinfect your household, you just need to add a few steps to that plan. A good place to start is switching to a new cleaning cloth for every room in your house, or simply using disposable paper towels. This will help stop germs from spreading from room to room. It’s also important to pay attention to high-touch surfaces like light switches, stair railings, and door handles. These places are more likely to be contaminated, and since they’re touched frequently by different people, they have a high probability of spreading germs.
Hard vs Soft Surfaces
Hard surfaces like counters and tabletops can easily be sprayed and wiped with a disinfectant, but soft surfaces like the fabric on furniture can be a little trickier. For pillowcases and other things that can fit in a washing machine, a cycle on high heat for both washing and drying will kill most viruses and bacteria.
But what about larger furniture? Well, there are a couple of options. The first step for either of them is to vacuum the furniture. Next, you can either spray it down with an alcohol-based cleaner or use a steam cleaner. Of you use an alcohol spray, you can either purchase it in-store or use a recipe to make your own at home. Make sure you don’t use bleach-based cleaners for furniture as they will destroy the color of the fabric.
Sunshine and Rainbows
Sunshine is good for more than just getting a tan, it can also help kill germs and bacteria. Leaving blinds or windows open on sunny days can help with home disinfection. Bulky or cumbersome items like rugs can be brought outside to sit in the sun for some extra germ-killing time as well.
Don’t Forget!
Some surfaces you don’t often think to clean, so making a list of tasks for full home disinfection can be helpful. After you’re done cleaning, it might also be a good idea to walk back through everything you’ve cleaned to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.
Here are some of the most often forgotten things you should remember to clean:
- Electronics, especially those with touchscreens
- Keyboards and headphones
- Door and drawer handles
- Light switches
- The doorbell
- Stairway railings
- Walls
- Hampers and laundry baskets
- Cars (doors, steering wheel, radio, etc.)
- Office and school supplies
- Children’s toys
- Bookshelves and books
- Windows
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Home disinfection is a huge task for one person to complete alone but working together is a great way to make it easier. The workload will be more manageable, and you can all celebrate together once the job is done. And if you’re overwhelmed, contact Cleaning Service Clearwater today for a professional cleaning service.
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