8 Tips to Flu-Proof Your Home

Cold & Flu Season Is Here

Cold and flu season is in full swing locally. Everyone knows someone that is currently sick. If you have children, they are notorious for bringing germs home from school. During cold and flu season is a time when all of us need to focus on how to keep our homes more germ-free. You home will be cleaner, smell better and the tips we offer below could keep you out of the doctor’s office and spending more time doing what you love.

First thing is identifying where germs tend to linger; the sink, telephone, countertops, desks, doorknobs are popular landing sites for viruses and bacteria. Also to keep in mind most viruses, especially the flu can linger in a person’s body for longer than the symptoms. Especially in children 0-5 year of age, they have the longest period of viral shredding once symptoms have subsided, usually a week or more after they seem well.

We give you some tips below on how to keep your home as germ-free as possible during cold and flu season. The tips shared below make keeping germs at bay much more possible int he hopes your family stays cold and flu free this season.

 

Watch Out for Where Germs Lurk

 

We have all been told the usual culprits for  germ lurking havens; sinks, remote controls, children’s toys, countertops, telephones, doorknobs, and toilet seats are great landing spots for viruses and bacteria. If you have someone in your house that is sick, it s wise to disinfect the lurking places daily. Using a dishwasher at high temperature settings to wash all cooking and eating utensils helps germs not spread also.

 

Sponges Can Spread Bacteria

 

A kitchen sponge is a haven for germs and bacteria. A kitchen sponge should be replaced every couple of weeks or use a cleaning cloth instead that can be put through the wash. If you are using a sponge, a great way to keep it germ-free is run it through the dishwasher or soak it in clean soapy water and put in the microwave for a minute on high. Both of these methods help keep germs at bay.

 

Desks Are Germ Friendly Places

This a amazed me, but then seemed to make so much sense. Experts agree that desks have many times the bacteria of a toilet seat. Disinfecting your desktop weekly can help reduce your exposure to potential cold and flu germs by maybe as much as 50 percent. The average workplace has thousands of stains of bacteria. Failing to clean regularly with antibacterial wipes can encourage dangerous bugs to breed on your desktop, such as Helicobacter pylori, Staphylococcus aureus, E-coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to name a few. The average desktop harbors 20,961 germs per square inch and that’s in addition to 3,295 on the keyboard and 1,676 on a mouse and a staggering 25,127 on the phone. Motto–clean your desk, keyboard, and mouse regularly.

 

Simple Hand Washing Can Help Keep Germs Away

 

We have been all told to wash our hands since we were children after certain activities, but it is easy to forget when you are in a rush. But hand washing is one of the easiest ways to keep germs and bacteria from making you sick. Just remember to wash your hands before meals, after eating, after using the bathroom, after you cover a cough or sneeze, after outdoor activities, and before interacting with babies.

 

Your Best Cutting Board Choice

This is where old school is best over plastic. A wooden cutting board harbors much less bacteria than it’s plastic counterpart. When its between the choice of plastic or wood for a cutting board it comes down to food-borne pathogens more than flu viruses. Food poisoning is more likely using a plastic cutting board rather than a wooden one. Plastic boards can go right into the dishwasher, but a knife scarred plastic cutting board holds onto bacteria and wooden cutting boards do not. Also it is wise to have one cutting board for veggies and fruit another for meat products.

 

Look to Natural Disinfectants

 

Many natural disinfectants do an incredible job, as well as some of the strongest ant-bacterial cleaning solutions on the market. Mrs. Meyers Multi-Surface does an incredible job and we use Mrs. Meyers products as professional home cleaning company. Using non-toxic cleaners to clean your home, keeps your home free of cleaning toxins and does a great job of cleaning besides. Lemon, vinegar, vodka, hydrogen peroxide, and many essential oils, such as tea tree oil, oregano oil, or lavender oil have properties that kill microbes. can be used as great cleaning agents. Just search for natural disinfectants on the Internet and you will come up with all sorts of great tested recipes.

 

Just Wash It

 

There are so many germ-fighting appliances today with high heat or steam cycles for disinfecting; such as dryers, dishwashers, and washing machines. When shopping for appliances search for appliances with a sanitation cycle and you’ll be amazed at the options these days.

 

Sanitize Cleaning Tools

 

Even though reusable cleaning tools are environmentally friendly, they can harbor a lot of germs if not sanitized and cleaned regularly. Cleaning tools such as mops, dishrags, and dusters can harbor a lot of germs or just push dust and germs around. Thing HEPA filter hand held vacuum for getting rid of germs and dust more permanently. If you like using mops, dishrags and dusters sanitize them between uses so they stay germ free.

 

Air Cleaners to the Rescue

 

Probably the most benefit we have derived in our home to stay germ free is investing in a really good air cleaner. We have a very open living room, dining room and kitchen and the one pictured above cleans up to 1100 square feet and doesn’t disappoint! We have one that is especially equipped for pet dander, plus we live out in the country, have kids–lots of things for an air cleaning to work on. Ours has 3 different filters and it catches most of the large particles such as bacteria, pollen, mold spores, dander, and dust–it helps reduce exposure, but not eliminate it completely. Our model catches small particles also and I get to see those when I clean it outside and wonder what we did before we invested in our air cleaner.

This is a small sample of the steps you can take to flu-proof your home during cold and flu season. Probably one of the best investments you can make is having your home professionally cleaned on a regular basis and then spot clean as needed. We would love to help keep your family well this cold and flu season, give us a call at 707-827-3316 or fill out our Free Estimate form and one of our cleaning professionals will be in touch with you promptly.