They say that the flu is a seasonal threat, but it’s a year-round problem that your household will, without a doubt, encounter. As a homeowner, you likely clean your house weekly, however, certain viruses hide in not-so-obvious places that your family will come into contact with daily. Your efforts to avoid these viruses outside of the house will be in vain if you don’t clean your house correctly.
Since it’s better to be proactive than to be reactive, we’ve put together a few tips on how to clean and disinfect your house during the flu season. As a full-service property management company, we’ve specialized in house cleaning and organizing for over fifteen years, making us pros when it comes to keeping your home clean.
#1 Choose the Correct Cleaner
You can’t use any detergent to get rid of the flu virus – it should have the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also suggests using cleaning agents that contain chlorine, detergents, and iodophors. While soap and water can clean your house, it would be wise to choose stronger cleaning agents.
Aside from choosing the right cleaning agent, don’t forget to carefully read the instructions. Wiping surfaces isn’t sufficient – in most cases, the cleaner needs to stay on the surface for some time. Disinfectants are meant to kill germs, but they will work only if you follow the label directions.
#2 Clean High-Touch Surfaces
As a general rule, you should clean everywhere, however, some areas need extensive cleaning more than others. Determine your home’s “contact points” or the areas that your household touches the most. This includes doorknobs, locks, stair rails, and the like. Give these areas more attention during the flu season, as there’s a good chance that the flu virus is thriving there.
Furthermore, don’t forget to clean electronics such as your remote controls, computers, cell phones, and laptops. Since your household uses these items daily, it’s a good idea to clean them with wet wipes regularly. Consider using disposable wipes instead of rags to prevent the spread of flu viruses.
#3 Wash Sheets and Clean Mattresses
The flu virus can cling to non-porous surfaces for over twelve hours. However, the virus can stay on absorbent materials such as beddings and sponges for over five days. Hence, it’s important to clean these areas during the flu season, especially if someone in the house has suffered from the flu.
When someone in the house is sick, make sure to change their blankets once they’ve recovered. If not, the germs can linger and infect other people in the house. When throwing these items in the wash, be sure to set it at the hottest possible temperature to get rid of the flu germs.
A property management company that offers all-around house cleaning solutions will ensure that your sheets, mattresses, etc. are changed regularly. If you don’t have the time to attend to your home, consider enlisting their services.
#4 Be Careful of Communal Items
It would be hard to ask a sick family member to stay in their room for a week or so, however, you can prevent the spread of viruses by making sure to disinfect shared items. For instance, throws should be washed daily if someone in the house is showing signs of the flu. Also, towels shouldn’t be shared and toothbrushes should be as far apart as possible.
Make sure to keep wet wipes and tissues around the house so you can easily clean the areas that the sick person interacted with. You should also consider asking the sick individual to stick to one spot on the couch so you can ‘contain’ the virus.
#5 Focus Your Attention to the Bathroom
The bathroom needs a good, year-round cleaning, but you should pay more attention to it during the flu season. This is especially true if multiple family members share a bathroom.
Be sure to clean all of the contact points, including the toilet flush, faucet, and showerhead. Spray the surfaces with a disinfectant, and wait a few minutes before rinsing down with water. To keep bacteria at bay, make sure to disinfect the toilet and sink at least once a week. To prevent mold growth which can trigger allergies, ensure that the room is well-ventilated so that the floor is dry at all times.
#6 Keep Your Desk Squeaky Clean
Did you know that your desk contains more bacteria than the toilet? Yikes. That’s because you likely spend most of your time on your desk, considering how the entire world has adapted to at-home work. Each time you work on your desk, you risk getting germs on your hands from the viruses that are already there. To make sure your household doesn’t get sick during flu season, wipe down your desk regularly. Pay attention to your computer keyboard since studies have found that it has over 3,000 viruses per square inch!
#7 Clean Your Cleaning Rags
Don’t reuse mops, rags, and other materials as these can continue to spread germs. Practice disinfecting your cleaning tools after using them so you don’t drag germs around the house. Rags and mops should be washed in water with two drops of bleach or soap. Afterward, they should be rinsed with warm water and then allowed to air-dry. Alternatively, you could switch to disposable wipes so you don’t need to go through the trouble of disinfecting your cleaning materials.
#8 Humidify the Home
To maintain the ideal humidity level in your home is to prevent viruses. Invest in a humidifier to ensure that indoor levels are at 40 to 60 percent at all times. Not only does this create a comfortable environment, but it also prevents the transmission of airborne viruses. This is particularly true in the case of the COVID-19 virus, which can survive when the humidity is low.
The Bottom Line
No one wants to suffer from the flu. To make sure that no one in your household gets sick, let Luxury Property Care keep your house flu-free. As one of the top South Florida property management companies, we offer cleaning solutions for homeowners that don’t have the time (or don’t want to) clean their homes.
Having been in the industry for over fifteen years, we’ve established relationships with the country’s top cleaning companies. This allows us to secure their services at unbeatable rates.
Call us at (561) 944 – 2992 or contact us online to learn more.
