Especially if you have kids in the home, illness is inevitable. But how can you keep whatever one of the little ones brings home from school from spreading to the entire household? Here are a few specific areas to watch out for when cleaning to try and stop the spread of disease.
Keeping Illness at Bay
Bed Linens – While a child is sick, it is usually sufficient to just change out the pillow case. However, as soon as the child is well again, washing the bed linens is an important part of getting those germs out of the house — although during a prolonged illness, you should still change the linens at least once per week.
Bath Towels – Especially if you share hand towels, these should be changed out daily until everyone in the household is healthy again.
Handles and Doorknobs – Anything that everyone touches regularly should be cleaned daily. For example, doorknobs, light switches, the refrigerator handle, and other such things that are in common areas of the house can be wiped down with an antibacterial wipe.
Toothbrushes – Especially if the illness has spread around to everyone in the house, it is time to change out all of the toothbrushes when the sickness is over.
Electronics – Everyone touches electronics. For example, the remote for the TV should be wiped down with cotton and rubbing alcohol.
Bathrooms – If you don’t have time to clean the bathroom every day while there is an illness in the house, at least wipe down the door, toilet, sink, and tub handles and knobs. If you have more than one bathroom, you may want the sick person to use the same bathroom, and transfer anyone who shares it to another bathroom until the illness is over.
Of course, hand washing is most important when an illness is involved. Be sure you have a good antibacterial soap at each sink, and train children to wash their hands for at least 30 seconds. That goes for parents, too. You need to set the example, and you don’t want to be the one who comes down with the illness next.
