How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home to Keep it COVID Free
We have all become more aware of the importance of hygiene over the last few months. Even though the lockdown limitations have been lifted, the epidemic is far from gone, and we should continue to wash our hands, wear a face mask, and use hand sanitizer when out and about.
But how do we safeguard ourselves at home? According to authorities, regular cleaning plays an essential role in minimizing the spread of Covid-19. We’ve been going out more and having more people around since the lockdown ended, which could be bringing germs into our houses.
Squeaky Cleaning has put together a guide to deep clean and disinfect your home, with some expert advice and recommendations.
Clean Before Disinfecting
Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces such as kitchen counters, tabletops, and bathroom surfaces should be done in two steps. To clean, spray the surface with distilled white vinegar and wipe it down with a clean towel. You can also use warm water and a microfibre cloth or a cleaning cloth that is dipped in a detergent solution and wrung out thoroughly.
Regular disinfecting using products containing at least 70% alcohol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide, or bleach, and cold water can still effectively inactivate the highly contagious mutant coronavirus. That’s approximately 50 ml of thick home bleach diluted in 2 liters of water.
Increase the Effectiveness of Your Disinfectant
It’s not simply the components that determine how efficient a disinfectant is at killing bacteria and viruses. The amount of time left to work, referred to as ‘contact time,’ is also a factor.
To get the most out of your disinfectant, you will need this ‘contact time.’ Use a product that claims to destroy 99.9% of germs and viruses. Leave it to work for at least one minute, preferably three minutes, on a hard surface.
Leave Your Shoes at The Front Door
We recommend making your home a “shoe-free” zone and cleaning hard floors on a regular basis. Start by vacuuming or sweeping hard surfaces to remove loose dirt, then mop with a warm disinfectant solution. It’s important not to over-wet laminate flooring since it could cause it to deform.
‘High-Touch’ Surfaces Should Not Be Overlooked
Cleaning and disinfecting visible germ hotspots like the toilet and kitchen surfaces are easy to remember. However, other commonly touched surfaces in our houses, such as door and kettle handles, light switches, and railings, require attention as well.
If you’re using bleach, rinse the area you’re cleaning after applying it. Never spray anything directly onto a light switch for obvious electrical safety reasons. Instead, create a disinfectant solution in an old spray bottle and spritz it onto a microfibre cloth, then wipe the switch and switch plate with it. Buff using a clean, soft cloth or a fine microfibre cloth for a satisfactory finish.
If you or someone in your home has coronavirus, the NHS recommends cleaning the bathroom after they’ve used it, especially if other people use it as well.
Watch Out For Shared Gadgets
You might not think about cleaning your laptop and phone on a regular basis. But because we use them so frequently, they can accumulate a lot of germs.
Microbes may be attracted to tech gadgets utilized by the entire family, such as the home phone. To clean them, start by wiping away dust with a soft cloth, then wiping away filth with a microfibre cloth spritzed with water. Then wipe away germs and viruses with a clean cloth. Cleaning the tiny spaces between buttons with a cotton bud is also a good idea.
Make Use of Steam
When it comes to destroying germs, steam is an excellent ally, and it may also help lift dirt and filth. Steam cleaners may be used on various waterproof, sealed surfaces around the house – but not on wooden floorboards – and can also be used to clean ovens with the proper accessories.
Thoroughly Clean The Cleaning Cloths
A “one cloth fits all” approach to sanitary cleaning is ineffective. For example, if you clean with towels and sponges, switching to a clean one after each surface and before moving on to the next will help prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.
Rinsing microfibre cleaning cloths repeatedly and thoroughly under warm, running water while cleaning is enough to eliminate all bacteria that may have grown up in the fabric. This should theoretically allow you to use the same cloth for longer before switching to a clean one.
Warm or hot water (which helps open the fibers) and folding the cloth into a pad (which allows the fabric to make the best possible contact with the surface you are cleaning) are the best ways to clean with microfibre cloths. Microfibre cloths, like other clothes, will need to be machine washed at the highest temperature possible after cleaning.
Squeaky Cleaning offers professional house cleaning services Toronto, contact us today and get an instant quote.