How to Deep Clean Your House During the Coronavirus Outbreak

The novel coronavirus has Americans quarantined in their homes and under strict orders to stay home as much as possible in order to prevent the spread of this virus. Nonetheless, we all have to venture out at some point to pick up groceries, take-out, or other essential items. This leaves many homeowners wondering, “What can I do to ensure my home is clean during the coronavirus outbreak?” As details emerge about how long the virus can live on surfaces, people want to be sure they are taking the right steps to keep their homes clean and their families safe. Here are a few tips for how to properly clean and disinfect your home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Ditch Germs at the Door

In order to prevent germs from spreading throughout your home, try to prevent them from getting inside in the first place. Have a designated “drop off” spot right by your door where you remove gloves, masks, and shoes as soon as you enter your home. You can also use this spot to wipe down bags, boxes, mails, or packaging that may have been exposed.

Clean High-Touch Surfaces Often

You don’t need to spend hours cleaning your home every day, but it is important to focus on those high-touch surfaces. Take a moment to wipe down those surfaces that you touch the most such as doorknobs, light switches, cabinet pulls, railings, facets, remote controls, keyboards and countertops. You can use a disinfectant wipe such as Clorox or Lysol wipes to quickly clean these areas and make sure you keep the surface wet for a period of time to completely disinfect the surface.

Clean Soft Surfaces Too

We often tend to focus on cleaning hard surfaces but we forget about things like furniture, rugs, and drapes. You can clean these surfaces using mild soap and water or you can launder them if possible. (Be sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions) You can also disinfect these items with an EPA registered disinfectant spray.

Clean Your Floors

Move lightweight furniture and small rugs out of the way to thoroughly clean your floors. For tile, use a damp cloth mop or traditional mop with a disinfectant cleaner. Most hardwood floors cannot handle disinfectant cleaners, however, so stick to a mild all-purpose cleaner that is specifically designed for hardwood floors.

Make Your Own Cleaners

Many well-known disinfectant cleaners are tough to come by these days, but if the store is sold out, not to worry. You can make your own household cleaners. For surfaces that can handle a bleach cleaner, you can make your own bleach solution by combining 5 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water. You can also use mild soap and water to wipe down surfaces.

Sanitize

Many washing machines and dishwashers have a sanitize option. You can use this setting on your washer to sanitize sheets, blankets, clothing, small rugs, and other soft items. In addition to dishes, you can sanitize items in your dishwasher such as a toothbrush holder, soap dispenser, toothbrush, kitchen tools, plastic toys, sponges, and rubber gloves used for cleaning.