How to Stop the Spread of Germs in Your Home
The school year is about to start, and that means your kids are off to school and collecting more than just new friends and piles of homework, but a whole lot of germs. Learning how to stop the spread of germs at home is important for your family’s overall health and sanity.
In the ongoing battle between your enemies, household germs, you may think they have the advantage. Germs will always be working, be moving and be in many places at once. How can you beat them? Although it sounds impossible, healthy habits can protect everyone from getting germs or spreading germs at home.
Steps to Stop the Spread of Germs at Home:
- Clean and disinfect!
Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects is the first step to stop the spread of germs. Surfaces include your hands; wash them often! Clean bathrooms once a week and use bleach. Do not ignore handles and doorknobs.
- Clean the kitchen regularly
Meat and other food items spread germs and bacteria fast. Also remember to wash or replace sponges often. You can even clean sponges in the microwave by nuking them for a few seconds. To disinfect plastic cleaning wands, dunk in a cup of white vinegar for 10 minutes every day to kill germs.
- Open the windows
If you or a family member is sick at home, open the windows and get those germs out and the fresh air in.
- Toss the trash
Take out your trash often and scrub down your trashcans. They can hold germs for days depending on the germs that found their way in there.
- Clean high traffic areas.
Clean frequently- touched areas at least once a month and when someone in your home is sick. Doorknobs, light switches, cabinet pulls, and handrails are breeding grounds for bacteria. They are frequently touched and frequently overlooked when cleaning.
- Disinfect Electronics:
Another area to attack would be your electronics. Computer keyboards, phones, game controllers are all covered in germs. Make sure to read directions and use a cleaner that is safe when cleaning them. You phone touchscreen is full of germs from your hands and face. Wipe this off at least once a day.
- Don’t forget your vacuum cleaner:
This one sounds surprising, but vacuums pick up dirt and food, which means they are breeding grounds for germs. Make sure you have a HEPA filter on your vacuum and change the bags and empty the bin often. Clean the hoses and brushes once and month and after anyone is sick. If someone has been sick in your home for a while, it may be the a good time to get your carpets cleaned! Carpets and rugs hold a lot of bacteria, especially when icky tissues have been tossed on the living room and bedroom floors for a week.
- Clean your washer and dryer:
The washing machine is a tub for dirty clothes. Just like you clean your bathtub, your washer also needs to be cleaned. Clean this and your dryer once a month, and even more if you have children. Click here for best tips on cleaning your washer.
Prevent Germs in Your Home
Place hand sanitizers in convenient locations for your family to use when someone is sick. Teach your family members about basic hand washing and why keeping germs out of the home is important. If everyone pitches in, the monthly cleanings will be much quicker.
Do these germy spots in your home have you feeling queasy and stressed? Pay attention to them more often and you should feel a lot more at ease!
What places in your home do you pay extra attention to?
