The COVID-19 pandemic had been a serious threat in the lives of the entire human population of the world, it’s still ongoing and producing variants. The whole world is stuck in one of the darkest times in history. We could easily identify the difference between the life before the pandemic and our new normal of living now that we’re in the middle of it. People were used to having human-to-human contact every day like in public transportation, in fast-food restaurants, in school, at work, everywhere! Since the COVID virus is spread by droplet infection and eventually airborne, direct physical contact is prohibited and the mask mandates and social distancing rules are implemented. In times of the pandemic, proper hygiene or cleaning, in general, had become a primary concern of all people. Everybody is on their computers, searching up procedures and essentials to have a cleaner and safer home and lifestyle.
In a pandemic or not, having a clean home should be aimed by everybody. Not only does a clean and safe home a nice look for the guests but it also has a positive impact on the health and well-being of everybody who is living inside the house. Besides the usual sweeping and mopping, how can we truly clean our home to make it germ and virus-free?
Cleaning Procedures for a Safer Home
Maybe before the pandemic started, the usual dusting off the shelves and wiping the floors clean should be enough to get your house ready for the day but due to the virus breakout, additional procedures must be observed. Although people are advised to stay inside their houses during these times, we cannot avoid going out for our necessary errands like going to work, getting groceries, or even paying at the bank; as much as we want to stay inside our own houses, going out is truly unavoidable. That is why as we go out and go in from our houses, we cannot avoid bringing unwanted germs with us inside the house, so disinfection is a must. Listed down below are additional procedures that you can add to your cleaning routine in order to fully shield your home and your family against threatening diseases.
1. Disinfect high-touch areas.
High-touch areas such as doorknobs, light switches, handrails, mobile devices, toilets, tables, chairs, and other areas or objects that are often touched especially when it is touched by multiple people a lot of times in a single day, should be disinfected thoroughly. These areas and objects have the highest possibility to accumulate germs because of how often they are used or touched by users. Making sure that these areas are clean and having your house clutter-free guarantees to eliminate the germs before they are transferred to other daily objects. Other areas include gate handles, car doors, cabinet and drawer handles, faucet knobs, stair handrails,
refrigerator and oven doors, kids’ toys, and window handles.
2. Disinfection solution.
For disinfection, we must make sure that we are using the proper solution in order to really eliminate the virus and other harmful germs. Disinfection is an essential for a cleaner, safer home especially in this time of the pandemic. Wash dirty areas such as door handle, with a mixture of soap or detergent and water and scrub thoroughly. After that, disinfect the areas with a disinfectant product made with alcohol with 70 percent solution, or a mixture of water and bleach. Of course, the method of cleaning varies from what area or object you are trying to disinfect, you wouldn’t want to splash your electronic devices with water. For mobile devices, laptops, and other electronic devices, wipe the screens and keys with a clean damp cloth and let the unit air dry.
3. Change curtains and pillowcases regularly.
Although the duration of how the COVID virus stays on clothes and fabric is still unclear and currently being studied, there is no harm in regularly changing your curtains, pillowcases, and blankets on a more regular basis. Not only does it reduce the risk of having the virus transmitted on the fabric that surrounds us the most, but it also helps on getting rid of accumulated dust and germs that aren’t good for our skin, hair, and health.
4. Disinfecting objects from outside.
As people are doing their best to stay at home and refrain from going out, buying stuff and food online became part of the norm. It is best to disinfect these products before bringing them inside as they’ve probably been handled by more than one person in transit. This would make sure that the germs and viruses are killed before they even enter the house. As for the food, of course, you don’t want to contaminate the food itself with dangerous chemicals. Immediately remove the food from its disposable container and transfer them to your own plates and bowls. Throw the disposable containers to a garbage bin with a secured lid.
5. Have a disinfection station and proper ventilation.
As stated above, it is unavoidable to go out of the house no matter how much we try to stay inside. If you can, it is better to have a disinfection station ready at your doorstep. It doesn’t have to be expensive, you could set up a small table near your door with the essentials that you need, such as used face mask disposal, a large spray bottle of alcohol, a laundry basket for socks, handkerchiefs, and coats, and a bottle of hand sanitizer. This would serve as a checkpoint for everybody entering the house, even guests so that any unwanted particles wouldn’t get past the threshold between the outside world and your home.
Having a well-ventilated home is also a must. It is important to have a consistent airflow of natural air inside your house so that any harmful particles would not linger longer inside your home. Living in a well-ventilated community is a great advantage. Having a well-designed home that adapts to natural lighting and passive ventilation helps a lot. If you’re looking for a properly designed house and lot in a safe community, Bria Homes is here to help. Bria Homes provide affordable house and lot properties nationwide that are already designed for passive cooling and give you the best lot orientation for natural light.
These are just some of the routines that you could to your house cleaning procedures to ensure that everything is virus-free and the risk of getting unwanted diseases in this already hard time. Having a clean and safe home is not hard to accomplish. Here are some essentials that you need to have in order to have a cleaner and safer home during the pandemic.
Clean and Safe Home Essentials
The pandemic had been around for more than two years now and yet the signs of it slowing down is still blurry. Although mass vaccinations already started and booster shots are being administered, the virus is still a threat to the health of everybody. Despite this, avoiding getting the virus is easy by using special cleaning products and protective gear. Below are essential products that your home should have to fight against the virus.
1. Cleaning alcohol with at least 70 percent solution.
2. Hand sanitizer that is accessible in every part of the house, mini bottled sanitizers are handy for traveling.
3. Hand soaps for thorough hand washing after handling outside objects and before and after meals.
4. Disinfectant sprays, there is a lot of brand of good disinfectant sprays that you could even buy online but a mixture of water and bleach is an alternative.
5. Toilet paper for wiping dirty areas. Toilet paper is recommended because they are disposable.
6. Face Masks should always be present and accessible inside your home. Disposable face masks worn with cloth masks are recommended if you don’t have N95 masks.
7. Thermometers should always be present in your house so that one is always at reach when one of your family members is starting to feel unwell.
Being prepared nowadays is the responsibility of everybody. Having a clean and safe home in a pandemic does not only protect you and your family but also shows your responsibility and sensitiveness to the health of others as a community member. As the whole world fights against the pandemic, we should also take part as individuals, by following rules and mandates, getting vaccinated, social distancing, wearing masks whenever it is needed, and looking out for everybody else.
Written by: Rashid Mansan
