Which Household Items Should You Clean More During the COVID-19 Crisis?
LAUNDRY TIPS
Everybody wants to do their part to flatten the curve and prevent themselves and their family members and loved ones from contracting a dangerous virus. Staying home and limiting your exposure to others is one important part of the equation, but that’s not all you can do to stay safe.
Cleaning and disinfecting common household items can also help stem the spread of disease. Take a look at some of the household items you should be cleaning more during this time.
High Touch Surfaces
Think about the things that you and your family touch most throughout the day like light switches, doorknobs, countertops, the dining room table, phones, tablets, and keyboards. These are all surfaces that can quite easily become vectors for the virus if you’re not careful.
You can keep yourself and your family safe by cleaning and disinfecting these surfaces at least twice a day. If a surface is heavily soiled, use soap and water to clean it first, before applying a disinfectant spray or solution. Use a clean microfiber cloth to gently apply disinfectant to clean surfaces.
Dishes, Glasses, and Utensils
Obviously, you’ll want to keep anything that will be going near your mouth or touching food that will be going in your mouth clean and free of germs. If you’re using a dishwasher, use the highest water temperature setting available to be sure that your items come out clean and disinfected.
If you’re handwashing your dishes, however, you’ll need to take an extra step to be sure that your items are disinfected after use. Handwash them normally, but before drying, fill a sink with cool water and one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water and give the dishes a final soak in that solution. Then remove the dishes and allow them to air-dry completely before using them or putting them away.
Laundry
If you go out of the house, it’s especially important to keep on top of your laundry, since that’s where you might be likely to pick up the virus. Wear disposable gloves while you do the laundry and make sure to keep the dirty laundry away from your face.
You can wash your clothes much the way that you normally do, but you may want to add a laundry disinfectant to the load in order to kill any virus that may be on the clothes and fabrics.