Housekeeping: with Coronavirus, all of us have been a bit more aware of cleaning and sanitising both our hands and homes.
So, we take a look at sensible housekeeping habits to adopt:
Around the Home
- There are many things that we touch or use daily, that benefit from regular cleaning with a mild disinfectant/microfibre cloth etc:
- Light Switches
- Plugs
- Remote Controls & Games Consoles
- Computer keyboards
- Phones & other electronic device screens/buttons
In the Bathroom
- It should go without saying, but shutting the loo seat before flushing, stops bacteria like E. coli from travelling 6 feet into the air.
- For the above reason, it is a good idea for items like toothbrushes to be kept in a cupboard.
- All family members should have their own towels. They should be hung up to dry after use and washed frequently at high temperatures.
- Washing hands is still the single biggest thing we can do to protect our health. Soap and water are best. During the current virus outbreak it is suggested that singing Happy Birthday twice is about the length of time you should spend on washing your hands, or about 20 seconds.
In the Bedroom
- Duvets and Pillows should be cleaned every 6 months.
- Skin cells, sweat, dust mites etc all end up in our bed linen, so washing at 60 degrees or above on a weekly basis is advisable. Using anti-allergen mattress/pillow protectors can also help.
In the Kitchen
- Wash your kitchen bin once a week. Foot-pedal bins are the best for avoiding transferring of germs.
- Using separate chopping boards for raw food, salad, meat etc is a sensible precaution. Generally, bacteria clings more to plastic than wood. All boards should be thoroughly cleaned/disinfected and dried really well.
- Kitchen sponges/dish clothes are often not changed frequently enough. They should be disinfected after use, and left to air dry. You can even put them in some dishwashers.
- In terms of preparing food, the item to most likely be contaminated is the humble tea-towel. It should be changed daily, and not also act as a hand-towel!
Housekeeping – Interesting Facts
- Computer keyboards can harbour more germs than a loo seat!
- TV Remote Controls are some of the dirtiest items in a house.
- 70% of dust particles are comprised of dead skin flakes.