One of the most important ways of preventing the spread of the Corona virus is to maintain good personal hygiene. A proper cleaning routine removes any viruses and bacteria that may be present on any surfaces or objects.
Washing your hands regularly, using disposable tissues, not touching your face, these are all measures we know. But there is another important aspect of keeping the virus outside, and that is disinfecting your home on a regular basis.
As we have learned this year, a virus can spread easily. It can survive on a surface for several hours or even days. Take a material like aluminium, for example, on which it can remain active for up to 8 hours. Other materials, like wood, glass, paper and plastic, allow for the virus to survive for 4 to 5 days.
As ShBarcelona is a real estate expert, it would like to give you some advice on how to disinfect your house or apartment. After all, there is no denying this virus being around anymore, so we’d better deal with it and clean our house thoroughly!
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How to clean your home during the Corona virus?
Before getting a bucket from your garage and filling it with water: What is actually the best household disinfectant? Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this question… There are several products that are effective when disinfecting an apartment, whether you own the place or have rented it.
In order to provide its residents with good advice, the Spanish Ministry of Health has drawn up a list of products that have been authorised in Spain. If you still have any doubts, click on the link to find out if your product is on this list.
Is your cabinet not filled with an efficient cleaning and disinfecting product? Then go out and do some shopping first, and don’t forget to check the label on each product, because there should be a certain percentage of ingredients in order to be effective against the virus.
If you want to disinfect the house and remove any bacteria, follow these instructions:
1. Ventilate all rooms in the house for at least 10 minutes a day.
2. Change your shoes before entering your home.
3. Use (disposable) gloves when cleaning.
4. Start with soap and water, and finish with a disinfectant.
5. Regularly clean objects that are touched frequently, like tables, doorknobs, light switches, your desk, mobile phones, laptop, toilet, taps and washbasins.
We will now discuss every room in your house and give advice on how to clean it.
Front door and entrance
There is no way to avoid using your front door and the hallway, so it is of the utmost importance to clean this first part of the house properly, even if it is only a small entrance with little space.
A hallway doesn’t often come with a window, so ventilating it can be quite a challenge. The only times fresh air enters the hallway is when you exit or enter your home. You should therefore take extra care when cleaning this part of the house.
The most important elements in your hallway are those items you touch or take with you every day, like your keys, the coat rack, door handles (inside and outside), your wallet, mobile phone, a backpack or handbag, etc.
💡 Tip: place a disinfectant spray right at the front door, which makes it easy to clean the above mentioned items before and after using them.
Photo via Pexels
Kitchen
There is one great advantage to the room that is your kitchen, because of course you already clean the surfaces in this part of the house regularly! Nevertheless, it is still important to keep the entire kitchen well disinfected, and not just the table and kitchen sink… Also pay attention to drawers and cupboards (handles and surfaces), because this is where bacteria thrive.
💡 Tip: when vacuuming the kitchen, don’t cut any corners. A strategically placed disinfectant spray will help using it daily.
Photo via Pexels
Bathroom
The elements you touch the most in the bathroom are: the taps and toilet (toilet seat, flush, etc.). This is probably the most important place where you should not forget your daily hygiene. It would be handy if every resident has its own towel to dry their hands or face with.
Every time you use a shared towel, you run the risk of infecting the other person in your household. So prevention is key here!
💡 Tip: give each person inside your house its own coloured towel or attach labels to them. Anything that makes it easier to get used to a new rhythm helps in this situation.
Photo via Pexels
Laundry room
In addition to cleaning your hands properly, cleaning your clothing also requires a little extra with this virus around.
The clothes you wear enter the house and every room you are in after that. So we would advise you to wash your clothes a little more often that you might be used to. To ensure all bacteria are removed in the washing machine, wash your clothes at the maximum recommended temperature.
💡 Tip: avoid touching and shaking your clothes too much inside your home, before putting them in the laundry basket. This could cause the virus to spread. And remember to clean your laundry basket regularly, especially where everyone touches it to open and close it.
Photo by Andy Fitzsimon via Unsplash
Living and dining room
As mentioned earlier, all surfaces we touch regularly should be cleaned with soap and water and with a specific disinfectant. But what about the rug that doesn’t get cleaned that often? Bacteria could pile up without you realising it…
💡 Tips for effectively cleaning rugs:
- First of all, vacuum the entire rug, and vacuum it in every direction.
- Then wash the rug with soap and water. You can use a broom to apply more force, and soon you will see dirt appearing at the surface, which can then be rinsed away easily.
- Repeat this process, but now with a special disinfectant.
- Leave the rug to dry thoroughly.
Photo via Unsplash
Bedroom
This is, without any doubt, the one room in the house where we spend most of our time. Don’t forget to wash your sheets frequently, because bacteria can accumulate in those sheets. Wash them at least once a week, but preferably change your bed every three to four days.
💡 Tip: wash your bed linen separately from the other laundry, and do this at 60º.
Photo by Burst via Pexels
Home office
Now that we have have grown accustomed to working at home more often, we can clearly see the benefits, which makes it all the more important to keep this part of the house clean and tidy.
For example, you should clean your keyboard and mouse regularly. Although you should prioritize these objects, there is more than just that in your home office. There is a desk, a bin and maybe a filing cabinet.
💡 Tip: at the end of your working day, get into the habit of switching off your computer, taking a damp cloth with the correct disinfectant and cleaning your keyboard and mouse. If clients visit you at home, reserve some time in between clients to repeat each step to make sure everyone is safe.
Photo via Pexels
Terrace or garden
If your lucky to have an outdoor area with furniture, then we would highly recommend washing the covers of cushions regularly. Everything that can be washed (pillow covers, outdoor carpet) can be cleaned, and you don’t necessarily need to use your washing machine or dry cleaner to do this.
💡 Tip: if you have some space, wash the items by hand and let them dry outside in the sun and wind. They can then return to where they belong.
Photo by Juli Kosolapova via Unsplash
How to disinfect your home if someone tested positive for Covid-19?
The recommendations written above were aimed at preventing the virus to enter your home, but what if someone has contracted the virus? It could happen to a family member or someone in the same apartment building as you.
As a general rule, you should still follow the same guidelines for every room in the house, with one major exception: the person infected should be separated from the rest and be quarantined for at least 15 days. Medical guidelines should also be followed.
Every object or element inside the house that this person touches (e.g. bathroom, toilet, doors and door handles) requires for you to pay extra attention during cleaning and disinfecting it. However, now that you have read this article and know how to deal with it, cleaning and disinfecting will be a piece of cake.
What other tips for disinfecting your home can you share with us?
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