How To Protect Your Home From Germs & Viruses
If you’re reading this, you’re probably tired of hearing about coronavirus. I get it — so am I. That being said, with lockdowns beginning to lift and our hometown of Dallas, TX being declared a new hotspot, it’s more important than ever to keep your home clean, disinfected, and free of germs and viruses. Sounds daunting, but it’s easier than you think.
The method we’re outlining below is based on CDC guidelines, but if you’d like to read them over yourself, head to https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/about/when-and-how-to-clean-and-disinfect-your-home.html.
Step 1: Wash First
Here’s the most important part: You need to actually wash surfaces with soap and hot water before you disinfect them. Washing is what breaks down viruses. Our favorite, environmentally-friendly soap is Seventh Generation Dish Soap, which despite being called dish soap, is great to use on pretty much any surface in your home. Here are the steps:
1. Fill up a sink or bucket with hot, soapy, sudsy water.
2. Grab a sponge, we love Scrub Daddy sponges, and wash the counter, handle, doorknob, appliance or any other frequently touched surface, making sure to use plenty of suds.
3. Let it sit for at least 20 seconds.
4. Rinse with a wet towel and dry with a fresh towel.
Step 2: Follow Up With Disinfectant
After you’ve washed and dried, then use an EPA-Approved disinfectant (you can find the list here). Many of these products need to sit on a surface before being wiped down, so check the chart under “Contact Time” for the appropriate wait time. For example, we love using Clorox Clean-Up, which has a contact time of 5 minutes. That means we put the disinfectant on the desired surface, wait 5 minutes, then wipe it.
Be mindful when using a disinfectant with bleach. Never use bleach on marble or other porous stones! Bleach is very powerful and can eat away at these surfaces.
I like to look for the upside of things, so if I’m going to find an upside to this monster virus, I would say it is encouraging all of us to be cleaner, healthier, and more mindful of our daily habits. Seems like a small upside compared to all the downsides, but hey – it’s something.