Thursday, June 18, 2020

Cleaning Your Home Amidst COVID-19

Coronavirus and Cleaning Your Home

It seems like every time you turn on the television or radio there is some new statistic related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Each day brings new information, new numbers and new guidelines for staying healthy in the midst of the pandemic. However, some specific cleaning tips are proving to be very effective for disinfecting your home against the Coronavirus. In this post, we will take a look at some basic practices for reducing the spread of this unwanted intruder.

Keep Your Surfaces Clean and Use Disinfectants

One of the easiest ways to mitigate the spread of the virus is to keep commonly touched surfaces clean and disinfect them frequently. There is a difference between cleaning and disinfecting. For example, it is possible to clean a surface or material without disinfecting it. Cleaning and Disinfecting could be defined as follows:
  • Clean - the removal of dirt and/or germs and impurities from a material's surface. Removing the impurities reduces the number on the affected surface, thus reducing the spread of infection.
  • Disinfect - the use of chemicals to kill germs on a surface and does not necessarily remove the dirt or impurities from the affected surface. By killing germs on the surface, the risk of spreading is reduced.
As you can see from the above definitions, both cleaning and disinfecting are important for effectively reducing the spread of COVID-19. By cleaning surfaces and disinfecting them, you are sure to get the best results.

Which Disinfecting Cleaner to Use

So which cleaner is the right one to use for combating the Coronavirus? There are a number of them the are readily available. We have taken an extensive list that is published by the EPA and filtered it down to include the registered distinfectants for use in residential environments. You can find our list on our website on the Residential Coronavirus Disinfectants Registered With the EPA
As you can see from the list we have posted on our website, there are a number of registered disinfecting cleaners that can be used for fighting the spread of the Coronavirus. Just be sure to use the disinfecting cleaner of your choice according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

How Often to Disinfect Cleaned Surfaces

The answer to that question is going to depend on the environment about which you are asking. Not all rooms or areas of the home have the same amount of traffic and/or activity. Some environments are used frequently and others sporadically. What are the key factors in determining which rooms of the house to disinfect more frequently?
  • Rooms with heavier traffic and more activity.
  • Areas or rooms in which surfaces are touched the most.
  • Rooms in which a person with an illness has spent time.
The above list is not comprehensive, but it does give you an idea of what to look for. Furthermore, even if a room does not have a high rate of use, there may be areas in those rooms that get quite a bit of use or contact; especially with hands. For example, here is a list of "high touch" surfaces that can be found throughout the home:
  • Light Switches
  • Door Knobs
  • Appliances
  • Faucets
  • Remote Controls
  • Computer Keyboards
  • Telephones
  • Cabinet Doors
  • Handheld Devices
The idea then, is to be mindful of what areas are getting the most contact. Cleaning and disinfecting those surfaces more often makes the most sense. So the frequency of the disinfecting and cleaning should be commensurate with the amount of use a surface receives. Additionally, having your surfaces professionally cleaned and disinfected periodically will help you keep a leg up on that COVID-19 enemy.