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Washing your hands frequently is essential to prevent possible viruses and bacteria, but cleaning our homes and the items in them is equally important. Regular deep cleaning will free your home of germs and bacteria before they can cause illness. Here is How To Clean, Disinfect, and Protect Your Home From Viruses & Bacteria.
Tips to Clean and Disinfect the Protect Your Home From Viruse
Though you may do basic house cleaning daily, you likely leave the most in-depth cleaning for the end of the week. We all want a clean, impeccable home, but busy schedules mean we don’t always have time for deep cleaning. However, it is essential to regularly deep clean your home, especially during cold and flu season, to ensure the health and safety of your loved ones.
Having what is known as a sanitation process is the best way to eliminate bacteria and viruses. This process requires the simultaneous application of two steps: cleaning and disinfection of any surface in the home. If you want to disinfect your entire house, this is what you have to do:
Choose the right products for home cleaning
Choose chemical cleaning products explicitly designed to sanitize and clean all the rooms of the house. In this case, we will use the product according to the surface to be disinfected: detergent with hydrochloric acid to remove lime scale, bleach, or degreaser to remove grease or greasy residue. Always use cleaning products as intended, and do not mix them because there is a risk of dangerous chemical reactions.
Grandma’s remedies also work often.
If you prefer less caustic cleaning materials, there are alternatives to explore. Some remedies used by grandmothers, such as alcohol vinegar, citric acid, or baking soda, can be used to remove dirt and bacteria. However, it is important to note that these cleaners do not tend to have the same level of efficacy as chemical cleaners available in stores. To give your sanitization process an extra boost, consider adding one more step.
Another tip to remember, especially when removing viruses, is to scrub the floors and any other heat-tolerant surface with boiling water above 158°F. All pathogens will be eliminated; just be careful not to burn yourself when handling the boiling water.
Sanitize with 75% alcohol
To sanitize the surfaces of the house, we can use a disinfectant solution of 75% alcohol. We will spread the mixture on the surface to be treated, let it act for a few minutes, and then wash the surface with water to remove the alcohol. Be careful not to touch the alcohol with your hands or let anyone lean on the surface you are disinfecting while you wait those two minutes for it to take effect. Alcohol can be extremely drying to the skin.
How to wash and disinfect household fabrics
We have covered the steps and most suitable products for cleaning hard surfaces, but what about the softer materials around our homes? Curtains, tablecloths, sheets, blankets, and sofa covers should all be cleaned, too, so what do we do differently?
According to experts, the best way to wash home fabric is to put each piece in the washing machine separately whenever possible. For example, if we wash the sheets for the whole house, we will put each set in the washing machine with detergent and hang them to air dry. We will do the same with the curtains and the sofa covers. We will ensure that the washing machine’s temperature is at least 158°F so that a complete and deep disinfection is achieved.
For fabrics and upholstery that cannot be washed in the washing machine, it is best to use steam equipment and vacuum cleaners with a filter and a collection compartment so that even the smallest particles can be filtered.
As for blankets and quilts that cannot be washed in the washing machine or cleaned with steam equipment because there is a risk that they will deteriorate, they can be taken to a laundry or dry cleaner. There, they have special equipment and machinery to wash and care for this type of fabric.
Mobile phones and computers must also be disinfected
We use them constantly, but it’s common to forget about them when cleaning. Mobile phones, computers, and tablets should be cleaned frequently. Since we use them often and sometimes share them with others, they can become a prime source of virus and bacteria transmission.
A daily cleaning of these devices is recommended. For this, we will turn them off and gently rub them with a solution containing water and alcohol. We will let it dry completely before turning it on again.
How Often Do I Have to Clean the House?
The ideal would be to clean the basic things in the house every day. The floors and the bathroom are cleaned every two or three days, depending on the number of people who live in the house. Deep cleaning can be done two or three times a month.
As for fabrics and upholstery, we will wash them every two or three months or when we see that it is necessary, except sheets and other fabrics like bath towels should be washed every week.
If a virus or a pathogen has entered the house because someone is sick, it is best to disinfect floors, bathrooms, and other surfaces as soon as possible. Ideally, the deep cleaning will be done again when the person has recovered. It is the best way to keep the home clean and avoid infections.
House Cleaning Tips From the Who
The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes using ethanol (alcohol) of at least 75% concentration. In addition, chlorine products such as 1% ordinary bleach and specific cleaning products for floors and other surfaces will be necessary. You can see the complete list of WHO cleaning and disinfecting guidelines here.
