How to Clean Your Home After Covid (5 Easy Tips)
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How to clean your home after Covid may seem daunting, but with these seven easy steps, you’ll be able to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Following these simple tips will make your home clean and free of harmful bacteria or viruses.
Consider a few things before you begin. After the person is no longer sick or showing symptoms, wait as long as possible before you start to clean and disinfect.
Importance of Cleaning and Disinfecting After Covid
- Using household cleaners that contain soap or detergent is an easy way to reduce the number of germs on surfaces and decrease your risk of infection.
- The CDC states that trying to reduce the risk of infection by disinfecting your home is unnecessary unless someone in or near it has been sick with COVID-19 within the last 24 hours. Cleaning with soap or detergent, as stated above, is sufficient in this case.
Remember that the following recommendations are for when someone is no longer sick or showing symptoms. Here are the basic guidelines to follow from the CDC.
- Less than 24 hours: Wear a mask while cleaning and disinfecting the bedroom and bathroom that the sick person used. Open windows and allow proper airflow throughout the rooms.
- You will not need to disinfect between 24 hours and three days. Clean the bedroom and bathroom thoroughly that the sick person used.
- You would only need routine cleaning when you are not showing symptoms after three days.
How to Clean Your Home After Covid
1. Gather Supplies
- Disposable gloves These are affordable latex-free gloves.
- Glasses or Goggles Not beautiful ? but they can fit over glasses and don’t fog up.
- Household cleaner containing soap or detergent. I love this stuff!
- Disinfectant product from EPA List N or a bleach solution, I haven’t tried this product, but it looks economical and is rated well. Or you could mix a bleach solution.
- Hand sanitizer should have at least 60 percent alcohol; these have aloe in them and 70% alcohol.
2. How to Disinfect
- Make sure disinfectant is out of the reach of children and pets.
- Follow the directions on the label carefully.
- Don’t mix chemicals or other products.
- Wear a mask, gloves, and eye protection of some sort.
- If your disinfectant doesn’t have a soaping agent, clean visible surfaces with your household cleaner that contains soap or detergent. Then use your disinfectant on them.
- Use your disinfectant from the supply list above, the EPA List N, or a bleach solution.
- Keep doors and windows open slightly to allow proper airflow.
- Wash your hand with soap and water for 20 seconds after disinfecting.
3. How to Clean Your House After Disinfecting is no Longer Needed
- You can begin cleaning instead of disinfecting after 24 hours and three days after symptoms have stopped.
- Use a household cleaner with soap or detergent. This cleaner will lower the number of germs and decrease infection risk from surfaces.
- I didn’t realize this, but cleaning alone removes most virus particles on surfaces.
- Sanitize your high-touch surfaces daily, especially when you’ve had guests in your house.
- Focus on handles, light switches, doorknobs, countertops, tables, bathroom sink, and toilets.
- Clean other surfaces as needed or when they are dirty.
4. Keep Safe From Contamination
- Isolate people sick with COVID-19 or anyone that has been exposed to COVID-19
- Practice frequent hand washing when entering the house and before eating.
5. Final Cleaning Tips
- Clean carpets and rugs with soap and water or special carpet cleaners.
- Use the warmest water allowable when you wash your laundry. Be sure and dry your laundry thoroughly.
- Vacuum as you usually do unless someone has had COVID in the last 24 hours, in which case you should wear a mask.
- If someone is currently sick with COVID-19, clean the laundry basket and hamper with a household cleaner or disinfectant if the items were in their room.
- Sanitize your mobile devices often with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipes or Clorox disinfecting wipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Covid-19 may remain in the air for up to three hours. The CDC reports that the virus will be gone within minutes to hours if the surface is porous, like cotton. Covid-19 can be detected days or weeks later if the surface isn’t absorbent, like glass, stainless steel, or plastic.
Bleach nonporous items like plastic toys by dipping in bleach for 30 seconds and then rinsing them off.
There’s currently no evidence that consumer antiseptic wash products like antibacterial soaps are more effective in preventing illness than washing with just soap and water.
Some data suggests these ingredients could do more harm in the long term!
Hydrogen peroxide solution will kill rhinovirus, which is more difficult to remove than coronavirus.
Conclusion
Thanks for following along with our five easy steps to clean your home after Covid-19. We hope you found this information helpful and that it will help keep your family safe and healthy.
Read here for 2022 Covid-19 recommendations.
Check out our website for more great tips for your family. Check out our About Me Page to learn more about my crew and me!
