Novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) causes COVID-19 not only in Canada but also worldwide. Based on what is currently known about COVID-19, it can spread from person-to-person. This is the main reason why you need to stay sanitized all the time. Aside from that, you should know how to disinfect your home to avoid the virus’ transmission. 

The transmission of the novel coronavirus to persons from surfaces contaminated with the virus has been documented. Recent studies suggest the virus can remain viable for hours or days on surfaces and objects. Thus, you should know how to sanitize your home during the COVID-19 pandemic as the virus can stay on the walls, doorknobs, countertops, keyboards, etc. 

Cleaning of visibly dirty surfaces at home, followed by disinfection, is the best practice of safety measures to prevent COVID-19. However, you should fully understand first how to disinfect your home correctly. By doing it properly, you can also avoid other viral respiratory illnesses in your households and community.

In this blog, we will share some coronavirus home cleaning tips and disinfection hacks. But before that, do you know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting? If not, keep on reading to see the difference between the two processes. 

What’s the Difference Between Cleaning and Disinfecting?

When you clean something, you only remove all visible traces of dirt and dust. It’s like wiping off the dust on your wooden shelf with a cloth and furniture polish. On the other hand, when you disinfect something, your main goal is to kill the germs living in it. 

That’s why the answer to how to disinfect your home during the coronavirus pandemic will always involve germ-killing chemicals. You may use chemicals, heat, light, or some other means to kill germs. One good example of disinfecting is scrubbing a toilet bowl with a bleach solution.

Why is Cleaning Not Enough?

Cleaning will only make your items free of dirt or dust. However, it will not guarantee that it’s germ-free. For example, if your rubber gardening boots are muddy, you can spray them off with water and then let them dry. By doing so, you can be sure there’s no remaining mud, but are you sure there will be no germs left? 

During this pandemic, you must be equipped with proper tips to disinfect your home to prevent COVID-19. You must not only know how to wash or clean your things. But, you must know to keep surfaces free of germs.

Are you wondering what areas or objects you should disinfect in your homes. Technically, it’s best to disinfect anything you touch frequently. As part of disinfecting your home during the Coronavirus pandemic, you should disinfect the following:

• Doorknobs
• Water faucets 
• Tables 
• Chairs
• Countertops 
• Telephones 
• Keyboards
• Remote controls 
• Light switches

You should disinfect them daily, most particularly if members of your family have to go to work. For heavy-use items and surfaces in bathrooms or kitchens such as floors, trash cans, toilets and bathtubs, disinfection once a week is necessary.

Coronavirus Home Cleaning Tips

1. Clean your house every day and always keep cleaning materials around as much as possible. 
2. Make handwashing a habit before and after cleaning the house. Wash your hands for 20 seconds.
3. Use 70% alcohol-based disinfectants and solutions. 
4. In case you are using wipes, opt for the ones that kill 99.9 percent of germs.
5. If you don’t have a cleaning spray or solution. Mix a few drops of dish soap with a spoon of salt in a clean bowl with lukewarm water.
6. Use different water for your dish, floor, and laundry cleaning. Do not reuse the water for other cleaning activities.
7. Always clean your bathroom and kitchen surfaces. 
8. When using a sponge to clean the house, make sure to scrub it with hot water after using it.

How to Disinfect Your Home

After cleaning your home, the next step is to disinfect your home thoroughly. If you are not sure of how to disinfect your home correctly, it may be better to hire residential sanitization services.

To help you keep your home clean, here are some tips to disinfect your home thoroughly:

Use the Recommended Cleaning and Disinfecting Products

Not all cleaning and disinfecting products are created equally. Most natural household cleaning products aren’t recommended. Instead, use products certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

EPA has a list of household cleaning and disinfecting products that are effective in killing COVID-19 pathogens. Some of the commonly known brands are Lysol, Clorox, and Seventh Generation. 

Read and Follow the Instructions

To make the disinfectants effective, you must use them correctly. Most importantly, check how long the particular product must be put on the surface. 

For example, Lysol Disinfectant Spray must remain wet on the surface for at least three minutes before allowing it to dry. 

Viruses and bacteria are not killed immediately upon contact with the chemical. So, you must give the product time to break them down.

Make Your Disinfectant with Bleach

How to disinfect your home during COVID-19 if you don’t have products? Here is a tip to help you. The CDC suggests mixing five tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water or four teaspoons of bleach per water quart. You can use this to disinfect your home if you have no other solutions. 

Rub the Surface with Soap and Water While Disinfecting

When cleaning with soap and water, rubbing helps to eliminate germs. While rubbing, you create friction, which allows pathogens to break down faster. 

It may sound funny, but it’s one of the ways on how to sanitize your home during COVID-19. The same thing also applies to both cleaning surfaces and handwashing. It’s why vigorous hand washing for 20 seconds is recommended.  

Bottomline

Regular handwashing, consistent social distancing, and wearing a mask are safety measures to prevent COVID-19. However, even if you’re at home, you should also know how to disinfect your home. Frequent disinfection of high-touch objects remains the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

If you still don’t know how to disinfect your home correctly, go for a residential cleaning company. Splash & Shine offers both the best residential as well as commercial cleaning and disinfecting services in the GTA. If you wish to contact us, call us today at 647-691-0455.