As the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has completely changed the normal living style, it is important to frequently clean and disinfect your house to protect yourself as well as your family from coronavirus. Since peer-to-peer transmission of COVID-19 is riskier than transmission through surfaces, the CDC and health experts advise people to clean and disinfect homes and frequently-touched objects at least once a day, especially if there’s a sick person in the house. This is because anytime items and people enter and exit your house, so there’s a higher chance of exposure.
According to a recent study, COVID-19 can survive in the air for up to 3 hours and on surfaces like cardboard for up to 24 hours, and stainless steel and plastic for up to 3 days. This is why, being one of the leading bulk PPE suppliers in the USA, we advise people to fully clean and disinfect whenever they bring goods to their house or whenever guests arrive in your home. Keep a hand sanitizer, with at least 60% of alcohol content, at the entrance so that it is easily accessible to those who enter your house. You can also sanitize products that you bring from the market or that which is touched by anyone coming to your house. If possible, you can even wear face masks while talking to your guests at home and wear disposable gloves when cleaning and disinfecting your home.
If you’re looking to buy hand sanitizers or any personal protective equipment online, Co-Defend is the place to be. We offer a wide range of PPE and medical supplies in bulk quantities to help you in the fight against COVID-19.
What’s the Difference Between Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Home?
If you want to keep your home clean and free from germs, you need to first understand that cleaning and disinfecting are not the same. Cleaning a surface means simply removing dirt and particles, whereas disinfecting means to kill viruses and germs.
You may use various products to clean solid surfaces such as soapy water and vinegar. In high-traffic areas, you need to pay special attention to high-touch surfaces to remove virus-containing contaminants by cleaning and then disinfecting those surfaces.
What Do You Need to Disinfect?
To reduce the risk of coronavirus, you need to take extra care of the high-traffic areas of your house. You don’t need to clean and disinfect your house from top to bottom every day, however, you need to focus on high-touch surfaces for germs. The following are the most important items that you should consider disinfecting each day.
- Wardrobe and drawer knobs/pulls
- Faucets
- Kitchen and bathroom counters
- Table surfaces
- Toilets, especially the commode seat and handle
- Dishwashers, handle of the oven, microwave, and refrigerator
- TV/AC remotes and game controllers
- Light switches and switch plates
- Mobile phones, tablets, and other mobile devices
- Computer keyboards and mouse
- Door knobs or handles
- Staircase railings, and so on.
If possible, wear disposable gloves and dispose them properly after disinfecting the surfaces. If you’re using reusable gloves, don’t forget to disinfect them after your job is done. Always remember to practice hand hygiene before and after you clean and disinfect your home.
As one of the most trusted PPE suppliers in the USA, we supply high-quality, medical-grade gloves as well as disposable and reusable gloves made from Latex, Nitrile, and Vinyl that are effective in protecting people against COVID-19.
Now, let’s take a look at a few ways to properly clean and disinfect your home and keep your household germ and COVID-19 free as much as possible.
Important Tips to Clean and Disinfect Your Home During COVID-19 Pandemic
- Use an Effective Cleaning Product
Avoid using natural homemade cleaning products as they might not contain essential chemical content to kill the germs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enlists some important household cleaning products that are effective in killing COVID-19-containing pathogens. Some of the popular brands for these products include Clorox, Lysol, Seventh Generation, etc.
- Carefully read the Instructions for Use
To ensure the effectiveness of your disinfectants, it is important to use them correctly. Also, you must take note of how long the disinfectant must sit on the surface. For example, you must keep Lysol Disinfectant Spray wet on the contaminated surface for up to 3 minutes and then air-dried. This means that the chemical content in the product does not kill germs immediately upon contact with the surface.
- Make Your Disinfectant Using Bleach
The CDC suggests mixing 5 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water or 4 tablespoons of bleach per quart of water. Please note that the beach should not be expired.
- Wear Gloves While Disinfecting
Frequent cleaning and disinfecting may cause contact dermatitis (or skin rashes) as your skin is exposed to chemicals. You can also get it from frequent handwashing which you might have noticed during the past few months.
At Co-defend, we offer a handpicked selection of FDA-approved gloves that can protect your hands from chemicals as well as COVID-19 pathogens. Just reach out to us if you’re looking for disposable gloves, reusable gloves, or any other personal protective equipment online.
- Handle Electronics with Care
When disinfecting electronics such as cell phones or keyboards, you can use disinfectants with at least 70% of alcohol content.
- Rub the Surfaces When Cleaning with Soapy Water
When you clean with soap and water, make sure to rub the surface to remove contaminants and germs as it creates friction to help breakdown pathogens. This is the rule of thumb for both cleaning surfaces and hands, and that’s why it is recommended washing hands for at least 20 seconds.
- Keep the Products Away from the Reach of Children
Make sure you store disinfectants and cleaning products away from infants and children as these products can be dangerous for them.
How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home If You Have Sick Person?
If you’re having a sick person at home, the CDC advises to take the necessary precautions while cleaning and disinfecting your home. The sick person should be kept isolated from other members of the house and should use a separate bedroom and bathroom, if possible. Make sure to clean and disinfect the area around the ill person when needed, such as when the area is visibly dirty or soiled. This will help you limit the contact with the sick person.
If possible, you can give cleaning products to the sick person so they can clean their own space. If you’re sharing a washroom with a person who is sick, they should clean and disinfect the area before and after each use. If this not possible, you should wait for some time before cleaning and disinfecting the space.
Don’t Forget to Practice Proper Hand Hygiene
We admit that we’ve repeated this point many times, but that’s because it’s important. No matter what you do, the best way to contain the spread of COVID-19 is to wash your hands when needed, especially when it’s visibly dirty. The CDC advises all to wash your hands, between the fingers, and under the fingernails with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
If you’re looking to buy the best quality personal protective equipment online, you may place your order with Co-Defend, one of the most trusted bulk PPE suppliers in the USA.
FAQs
Q.1. How to monitor a person with COVID-19 at home?
Ans. If possible, you can use remote monitoring technologies to monitor COVID-19 patients from a distance. You should also consult with a doctor on proper care and treatment of COVID-19.
Q.2. When should I end the home isolation of the COVID-19 patient?
Ans. You can end home isolation if the patient doesn’t have a fever for three days without the use of medicines. Moreover, there should no sign of COVID-19 symptoms like cough and shortness of breath and at least 10 days must be passed since the symptoms appeared last. Lastly, but most importantly, the patient should get two negative tests consecutively, 24 hours apart.
Q.3. How do I know if I’m at risk for COVID-19?
Ans. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to adhere to social distancing and quarantine norms issued by states and countries, especially in highly-affected regions. You may be at risk if you’ve traveled to highly-affected states or countries like the USA. You should consult with your doctor if you’re concerned about exposure to COVID-19+ person, or if you’ve COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath.
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