Cleaning is not the only daily habit that could (and should) change for good after COVID. Frequent cleaning of surfaces with a high rate of contact will help prevent the spread of illness.
At home, you should make a priority of creating healthy hygiene habits, as well as cleaning and disinfecting routines with your family.
Your Hands
Frequent hands washing remain the best way to prevent COVID, as well as many other diseases. It’s important to use soap and water to rub your hands together for 15-20 seconds. If water and soap are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand rub. Alcohol is often used to kill bacteria and viruses by breaking down cell proteins.
Doorknobs & Handles
Among the most frequently touched surfaces in the home, doorknobs and appliances handle should get daily cleaning and disinfecting attention. The more often an item is touched, the more frequently it needs to be cleaned and disinfected.
Light Switches
Light switches are among the most bacteria covered spots in your home. These frequent contact surfaces allow easy transmission of bacteria and viruses. A spray disinfectant can eliminate viruses and other illness-causing bacteria in 2 minutes or less.
Kitchen Counter
Salmonella is easily transferred from raw food to other surfaces by improper handling, as well as contact with kitchen surfaces and equipment. Make a habit of cleaning your countertop before preparing food, as well as immediately disinfecting after any use of raw meat, egg or dairy products.
Floors
Giving your household floor more attention than a daily sweeping may be tedious, but a twice-weekly cleaning and disinfecting routine could go a long way toward preventing the spread of infection. The presence of COVID concentration on the floor is largely attributed to gravity and airflow. Most virus droplets will float or fall to the ground, where they will be carried elsewhere by foot traffic.
Dish Sponge
77% of household dish sponges contained E.cOLI OR Salmonella bacteria. 90 seconds in the microwave should be long enough to kill any dangerous bacteria, and you should replace it every 1-2 weeks.
Keyboards
If you are actively a laptop or desktop computer, your keyboard could be a hotbed of bacteria from the various surfaces you touch between hand-washing. Unplug the keyboard shake it out upside down to get rid of loose debris or food particles. Clean with disinfectant wipes onto every button and gap surface.
Bathroom Surfaces
When you flush the toilet with the lip up, microbes can travel up to 6 feet, landing on all of the surrounding bathroom surfaces. This “plume” phenomenon creates a potential germ hotspot in your bathroom, spreading germs far and wide.
Considering the bathroom sink faucets have an average of 6200 bacteria per square inch, some of which can survive on hard surfaces for weeks, disinfecting become more critical.
