Key Takeaways
- In spite of the vaccine, health authorities still advise the public to practice health protocols and it starts with knowing how to clean your house after COVID.
- Prioritize cleaning surfaces touched most often such as switches, door handles, chairs, counters, faucets, and computer keyboards. There are newer disinfecting agents that are EPA-approved for most germs including COVID.
- Practice quarantine when sick and even after recovering, cleaning the contaminated spaces should be done after one full day has passed. Wear gloves and a mask.
- Keep all things separate, including laundry and utensils of the sick. Clean with soap and hot water.
- Always wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after doing any task.
In spite of vaccine availability in the US, we are still not out of the woods of the COVID 19 scare. However, John Hopkins Medicine says the newer variant is more contagious that any person can easily bring the coronavirus home. To help protect everyone in the household, here are some tips on how to clean the house after COVID 19.
Tips to Clean and Disinfect the Home
Disinfect High Touch Surfaces
The Centers for Disease Control acknowledges the easy transmission of the coronavirus by touching surfaces. Be sure to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces regularly. This includes doorknobs, faucets, light switches, windows, remote controls, and cabinet handles.
To mix a good disinfecting solution, use four teaspoons of bleach for every quart of water. Make sure to wear rubber or disposable gloves when mixing and to do so in a well-ventilated room. You can put this mixture in a spray bottle to clean most surfaces.
As for your computer keyboard, they are even dirtier than the toilet seat! Obviously, though, you can’t spray it with disinfectants, so your best recourse is to wipe with cotton moistened with 70% alcohol or disinfectant wipes.
You can also get a protective silicone keyboard cover over it. That way, you can wipe this keyboard cover with alcohol or disinfectant wipes every now and then.
For the computer screen, disinfectant wipes are NOT recommended as some screens are made of plastic, not glass. Use 70% alcohol instead, using cotton to apply it.
Wash Your Hands Regularly
Wash your hands with soap and water and lather up for at least 20 seconds to effectively kill COVID-19. Do this especially before and after coughing, sneezing or touching your face. You should also wash your hands when you touch surfaces at home like tables, computer keyboards, or your phone. An alternative to handwashing is hand sanitizer or 70% alcohol to prevent the spread of germs.
Disinfect Dirty Laundry
Washing with the warmest appropriate water setting alone will not kill the virus, but soap and bleach will. Wash laundry immediately especially the clothes, beddings, towels of the sick person in your household. Do not shake the dirty laundry in the air before washing to prevent the spread of the virus in the air.
Wash the laundry using the warmest appropriate water setting and use bleach according to instructions. Wear gloves and a mask while doing so. Dry laundry completely in either the dryer or under the sun.
Cleaning/disinfecting the laundry basket or leaving it under the sun will also reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
Limit the Spread of the Virus by Room Quarantine
After the quarantine period of the infected household member, wait for 24 hours before you clean and disinfect surfaces of the room. Wear gloves and a mask when cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces with the bleach-water solution or any disinfectant then change immediately and take a shower.
Every member of the household should practice wearing a mask. Try to limit contact with visitors/outsiders, but if unavoidable, reduce the risk of coronavirus contamination or transmission by requiring the wearing of a mask.
Practice Hygiene in Food Preparation and Consumption
Make sure you wash hands with soap and water prior to food preparation. It is also a good idea to make it a point of cleaning and disinfecting the surface where you prepare food.
Wash the dishes with soap and hot water or use hot water in the dishwasher. If someone in the household is still infected, wash dishes separately and remember to keep wearing gloves when doing any cleaning tasks.
Handle Garbage Carefully
Keep a separate garbage can for someone who has just been infected with COVID 19. Bear in mind that this contains infectious material such as tissue, so always wear gloves and a mask when handling it. If you have to spray it with a disinfectant, do so in an open, well-ventilated area.
Limit Outside Trips
Cut the frequency of your grocery shopping by buying more grocery items in one trip. Shop during lean hours to avoid person-to-person contact. As much as possible, disinfect your hands with 70% alcohol or a hand sanitizer.
Opt for online shopping to prevent the risk of catching the coronavirus. Although COVID 19 can stay for about 24 hours on surfaces, by the time your package has reached you, there is a slim chance that the virus is still on the surface. However, if neighbors or those in your apartment lobby handle your package, using disinfectant wipes on the surface will be okay.
Limit Family Gatherings
Family gatherings are where transmission is quite likely because relatives tend to protect themselves less and feel safer. After all, it is familiar people who are around, right?
Wrong! This is what happened to a family in Arlington TX among many other family gatherings around the world. Save the family gatherings for the future when it is deemed safe by health authorities.
Change Footwear In and Out the Home
Leave the shoes you wear outside the house to prevent the risk of bringing home COVID 19. Have a disinfecting doormat at your home entrance.
Have Professional Home Cleaning Services
Hiring professional cleaning services during and after someone has just been sick will give you peace of mind knowing they use only commercial-grade products and tools when disinfecting all over. Furthermore, they can clean hard-to-reach areas more than you could.
How to clean and disinfect your home where someone might be sick with COVID-19?
Clean and disinfect by regularly cleaning with disinfectants that are approved against the coronavirus. Check the label and make sure to follow instructions. Practice quarantine for 2 weeks and keep all his/her things separate, from the laundry to food and utensils, and have a separate bathroom if possible.
When cleaning the room/bathroom, wear gloves and a mask. Each person at home must wear a mask at all times and use gloves when handling possibly infected items. Always wash your hands with soap and water after every task, from doing the laundry of the infected household member to garbage disposal.
Do disinfectants kill new strains of COVID-19?
There are some EPA-approved disinfectants for COVID 19. These disinfectants are enumerated in EPA’s ListN. Make sure you read the label if it says that it helps eradicate COVID in surfaces and follow the directions for use.
What are some of the recommendations for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Regularly clean high-touch surfaces such as light switches, doorknobs, handles, countertops, chairs with EPA-approved products which you can check on the label. If unavailable, make a mixture of four teaspoons of bleach for every quart of water.
What can I do to prevent COVID-19 during grocery shopping?
- Always wear a mask.
- Carry a hand sanitizer or 70% alcohol with you and use it as necessary.
- Alternatively, you can wear disposable gloves while shopping and dispose of them soon after.
- Take note of lean hours of the grocery when there are the least people and maintain at least 6 feet distance from other shoppers.
Can COVID-19 be transmitted through food?
Transmitting Covid 19 through food is unlikely. With the high cooking temperature, bacteria and viruses are killed.
Who is more likely to have severe COVID-19 symptoms?
Aside from the elderly, those with comorbidities are most likely to have severe cases. Comorbidities include persons with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and those with lowered immunity such as transplant patients taking steroids, and cancer patients undergoing treatment.
How can you protect yourself and others from COVID-19?
Wear the prescribed mask and keep a distance from others. Avoid crowds and always wash your hands or use hand sanitizer and alcohol. Lastly, strengthen your immune system by eating more healthfully (protein, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables) and taking supplements according to the prescribed dose of Vitamin C, D3, and Zinc if you are not eating enough fruits and vegetables.
Can I recover from COVID-19 at home?
Yes, you can recover at home. Eat fruits and vegetables, protein such as poultry, meat, and fish, dairy (milk, cheese, yoghurt). Get enough sleep and drink plenty of water. Also, have your daily dose of Vitamin C, D3, and Zinc within the recommended doses.
Conclusion
While the whole world is still trying to recover from the pandemic, we need to take these health precautions and follow them seriously. Aside from this, eating healthfully, sleeping enough hours a day are the best ways to strengthen immunity.
Until we have achieved herd immunity through the vaccination program in our respective locations, it is best to be safe and keep healthy.
The threat of COVID is real, hundreds of thousands succumbed to it while millions got infected. For your peace of mind after a coronavirus infection at home, call us at EZ Bee Cleaning to properly clean and disinfect your premises. We only use high-grade disinfecting products and equipment to thoroughly clean your residential property.
