We clean for lots of reasons and health is certainly one of them, especially now. The good news is that you probably don’t need to pull the house apart for a full, deep clean (although you may still want to!). As we deal with a new normal when it comes to cleaning in the age of coronavirus, it’s more important than ever to focus your cleaning time on more frequent, specific cleaning tasks.
First off, it’s helpful to keep in mind that not all microorganisms are bad and not all dirt poses a major health risk. A floor can look dirty but have few harmful germs while a seemingly clean door knob could have just been touched by someone with the flu or coronavirus. According to Sally Bloomfield, Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the key is prioritizing the places and times when harmful germs like coronavirus are mostly likely to spread, through targeted hygiene.
Here are some crucial moments:
- Food handling: Wash hands before and after preparing food and clean all utensils and surfaces involved in food preparation and eating.
- Using the bathroom or changing a diaper: This is a key time to wash hands and a key location in the home to keep clean.
- Taking out trash: After taking out the trash, be sure to wash your hands and regularly clean any trash containers.
- Frequently touched items: This covers everything from phones to door handles and light switches: Anything hands touch frequently can be a hot spot for harmful germs and should be cleaned daily.
- Handling dirty laundry: Wash hands after carrying or touching dirty laundry and after transferring clothes from the washer to the dryer.
- Caring for the sick: When someone in the home is sick, it’s time to be more vigilant in keeping communal spaces and surfaces cleaned as well as disinfected.
Until next time, stay clean, healthy and happy!
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