All of us have been impacted by the coronavirus in one way or another so how can we protect ourselves and our family from this novel virus? Now is the time to be more cautious than ever about the surfaces we touch such as countertops, doorknobs, refrigerator handles, cabinet pulls, light switches, and bathroom surfaces. One of the best ways to minimize your exposure to COVID-19 and prevent the spread of the virus is to keep your home disinfected and sanitized. Here are a few cleaning hacks that can help keep your home sanitized during this pandemic.

1- Keep Your Hands Clean

Washing your hands frequently is the best thing you can do to protect yourself from COVID-19. Wash your hands immediately after touching mail and packages. You should also wash your hands right away when you return from a public place such as a grocery store, pharmacy, or take-out line. This can help prevent the spread of the virus onto other surfaces in your home. Furthermore, when you are cleaning, be sure and wear gloves for added protection.

2- Use Disinfectant Wipes to Quickly Clean Surfaces

Think about all of the things you touch multiple times a day like doorknobs, kitchen counters, sinks, cabinet handles, refrigerator doors, remotes, tablets, computer keyboards, cell phones, and toilets. To keep the germs at bay, quickly sanitize these surfaces once or twice a day with a disinfectant wipe.

3- Spray Surfaces with Disinfectant

For surfaces that cannot be wiped down, use a disinfectant spray to kill germs. You can use a spray for surfaces such as beds, couches, and chairs as well as tables and countertops. Make sure all wipes and sprays have been approved by the EPA to sanitize against COVID-19.

4- Sanitize Your Floors

We pay close attention to countertops and surfaces that we touch but we can’t forget about surfaces where we walk. Your shoes can track in germs and viruses so it’s important to disinfect your floors. To clean tile floors, the CDC recommends mixing 1 cup of bleach with 5 gallons of water to mop your floors. Since harsh cleaners and hardwood floors don’t mix, you will need a different cleaner for hardwood floors. You can use a commercial antibacterial hardwood floor cleaner or you could mix 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide with 1 gallon of water and spray this solvent onto your floors and wipe with a microfiber cloth.

5- Let Your Dishwasher Help

Many dishwashers feature a sanitize cycle that can help eliminate 99.99% of bacteria. If you have a sanitizing dishwasher, you can use it to effectively clean pet bowls, plastic toys, scrub pads, toothbrush holders, and other common household items.

6- Steam Your Laundry

Some washing machines have a sanitize or steam setting. These cycles along with bleach, detergent, and peroxide, can kill germs and bacteria. If you don’t have a sanitize cycle, you can also use the dryer’s hot cycle for 45 minutes to disinfect towels, sheets, blankets, and some soft toys.

7-Create a Drop-Zone

Assign a designated place to put shoes, purses, bags, and other accessories the minute people walk through the door. This can help you prevent the spread of germs throughout the house. Wash these items frequently and steam when possible.

8- Clean with Hydrogen Peroxide

Cleaning supplies are hard to come by these days so it’s important to get creative. If you just used your last spray of Clorox or Lysol, no need to fret. You can still get a good clean with hydrogen peroxide. The CDC recommends spraying it directly onto a surface such as a sink, countertop, or toilet and letting it sit for around 10-15 minutes. Then, simply scrub the area and rinse with water.

9- Disinfect or Replace Cleaning Supplies Frequently

It’s important to replace or clean things like mop heads, scrub brushes, rubber gloves, and rags frequently. Reusable materials can be sanitized in the laundry or dishwasher after each use or replace them more often when needed.