We know you want to keep your home germ free and safe during the pandemic. To do so, we’ve put together some important facts and tips to help you avoid contaminating your home with COVID-19. COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus can live on most surfaces an average of 72 hours, and longer if the surfaces are moist or porous. Experts estimate that 42% of people do not clean surfaces in their home well enough to kill a virus like COVID-19. Plus when you do go out, places like the grocery store or gas station are potential sites of contamination that might be teeming with germs that you can end up bringing home on your clothes, your shoes, your phone and your bag. Here are our tips for helping keep your home free of contamination and help prevent COVID-19 in your home.
1. Disinfect things immediately when you get home. Remove shoes at the door, wipe down bags, open any packages and have a trash can in your entryway for any packaging materials.
2. Take off dirty clothes immediately. While it might make for more laundry, your clothes are a potential source of contamination so you want to change clothes as soon as you arrive home. Put clothes into a hamper or better yet, into a wash load as soon as you get home. Wash clothes on the warmest setting possible to kill germs.
3. Disinfect your hands and your phone right away. Wash your hands thoroughly and disinfect your phone with alcohol wipes or other disinfectant.
4. Disinfect high traffic/high touch surfaces in your home. Think of how often you and your family touch door knobs, light switches, counters, tables, remote controls, faucets, railings, cabinet pulls and handles. Disinfect these areas frequently – at least once per day or more.
5. Use the right cleaner. Not all cleaners can disinfect so you want to make sure to use a cleaner that is also a disinfectant. Disinfecting cleaners should be clearly labeled but if you aren’t sure, there is a list from the EPA you can check out <https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2>.
6. Use door mats and rugs in high traffic areas and vacuum at least daily.
When preventing COVID-19 disinfection, an abundance of caution isn’t out of line. While changing clothes and disinfecting your phone might sound extreme, the virus can live on those surfaces and contaminate you, your family and your home. The Clean Up Club cares about our community and we want you to be safe and healthy during this difficult time.
