Here are the Best Things You Can Do to Make Your Home Virus Free

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Here are the tools, supplies and tips you need to make your home virus free and safe for family, friends, and guests.

cleaning caddy

Update-April 5, 2020

Dr. Jo gave me a helpful tip today regarding hand sanitizer. Now that most of us at sheltering in place at home, we can SAVE our sanitizer for the few times we go out. She said that washing properly (20 seconds, vigorously, up arms and all over, with warm soap) is sufficient when at home.

Social distance: Limit size & proximity.

Protecting ourselves and our loved ones from any virus, is important. Currently, the covid-19 is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Social distancing is key when viruses are rampant and especially when a pandemic is inn place. To keep your home virus free during any virus outbreak, social distancing is key. There are 2 aspects of social distancing: how many + how close. How many folks can safely gather in a home or venue (currently in my state, the limit is 10). How close? Currently, we are told to stay 6 feet apart to avoid contracting a virus.
 

Set up hand washing stations

hand wash stations

The simplest measures are often the most critical. In any virus, proper hand washing is KEY. Why? Because many, if not most, viruses are transmitted from hands to a mucous membrane~mouth, nose, eyes, ears. It is easy to make hand washing stations at every location in your home that people might wash hands. Here is all you need:

  • Soap (any soap will do; it does NOT have to be antibacterial).
  • Disposable drying cloths (paper towels, napkins, tissues).
  • Wastebasket to dispose immediately of hand cloths.
  • Hand sanitizer. If you can’t find it,  make your own following these guidelines.
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Clean and disinfect all common surfaces

In this blog post, I share the CDC recommended solution to kill the novel coronavirus.The mosthe virus may live on surfaces for hours to days, making regular cleaning and disinfecting a wise practice during this time. I share all the tips + recipes for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in this blog post with instructions + video. Once you have the effective virus killing solutions, be sure to use them to clean all common areas of your home that are touched often. 
  • Door knobs.
  • Stair hand rail.
  • Light switches.
  • Toilet flusher.
  • Doorbells or door knocker.
  • Faucet handles at sinks & tubs.
  • Shower doors.
  • Buttons on microwaves, ovens, stovetop, etc…
  • Refrigerator door handles.
  • Electronics~phones, television remotes, keyboards, etc.
  • Desk supplies, letter openers, mailbox opener.

How to disinfect surfaces that will not tolerate Clorox/bleach.

Some surfaces and items cannot tolerate or would be discolored or ruined by bleach. You can sanitize without chemicals with certain appliances (washers and dryers with a sanitize cycle).. Some steam cleaners like this one, will sanitize by emitting heat (at least 170 degrees). Steam cleaning is a great way to remove germs from upholstered items like sofas, pillows, window treatments and other fabric or porous items that would possibly be faded or ruined by bleach. Steam cleaning is the best way to clean floors, especially hardwoods, which might be damaged by bleach.

Make cleaning caddys.

It’s so much easier to keep your home clean all the time if you put all cleaning supplies in one easily transportable caddy that can be carried throughout the home. It is helpful to have a cleaning caddy for each floor of the home. Cleaning caddy supplies should include the following:

  • Paper towels.
  • Disinfecting solution (my clorox virus killing solution is here).
  • Toilet bowl cleaner with bleach (with scrub brush to get under rim).
  • Spray disinfectant for airborne viruses (Lysol or other).
  • Trash can liners for all trash cans.

Set a laundry routine

When you do the laundry, be sure to wash laundry hamper liners and any other linens that come into contact with dirty clothes. Wash laundry on the warmest setting your clothes and linens can handle. Keep dirty laundry separated from clean laundry. Avoid shaking dirty laundry, since this could spread potential viruse through the air.  Last but not least, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling dirty laundry.

Isolate sick loved ones

If Someone Is Sick, Take Extra Care

If you or someone in your home becomes sick, isolation is necessary to prevent spread of the virus. The first step is isolating the sick person. Ideally, this will mean the sick person gets his or her  own room and bathroom. The family members should not share personal household items. It is also important that the sick person’s laundry be isolated from other laundry and handled with gloves (and washing your hands afterward). Any surfaces touched by the sick family member should be cleaned daily, and a final cleaning once the person is well is an extra measure of precaution. 

I hope these tips are helpful in keeping your home virus free and your family as healthy as possible. If you have any suggestions to add to this post, please share in the comments. As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Blessings to you and yours.

 

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2 Comments

  1. Terti, this is great advice! It applies to keyboards too, I am sure. The best and safest route is a damp lint free cloth with 60% or higher pure alcohol.Stay safe and well!!

  2. Great advise! But be careful when disinfecting your remotes! When I lightly sprayed our remote with lysol and wiped, it stopped working. Even my husband (engineer) couldn’t fix it, and my family is not happy.

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