Now that the whole world is fighting the coronavirus, keeping our homes germ-free is more important than ever. Washing our hands and keeping a safe distance are vital, but of course, we want to do everything we can to protect our families.
Since we’re spending most of our time at home, that’s where our efforts will have the most impact. With just a few small changes and easy upgrades, we can help reduce germs all around the house.
Stop Germs at the Door
Make your home as hygienic as possible by stopping germs right at the front door. Set up an entryway sanitation station to help prevent outside contaminants from entering your home. All you need is a small surface and some antibacterial products to prepare your first line of defense.
Clear some space on your entryway table to make room for germ-fighting necessities. If you don’t have a table near the door, any small table, a chair, or even a plant stand will work. Include hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes for both hands and surfaces in your cleaning station. Make it a habit to disinfect hands, keys, and packages before they can spread germs in the house.
Go Hands-Free
Since germs are often spread through touch, switching to hands-free products is a great way to help reduce the transmission. Eliminate common germ hot spots such as faucets and soap dispensers by switching to motion sensor versions. Add an automatic paper towel dispenser to make the whole hand washing process touch-free. You can even get motion sensor garbage cans that open when you move your hand over them.
Switching to motion sensor lights that come on when someone enters the room means you won’t have to wipe down light switches every day. And, as a bonus, you’ll never have to enter a room in the dark.
Prepare for More Laundry
Along with handwashing and wiping down surfaces, we also seem to be doing more laundry. Towels (especially hand towels) should be washed frequently in hot water to help kill germs. And if you’ve been out in public, it’s a good idea to wash your outside clothes rather than wearing them around the house. Things like blankets and pillow covers should also be cleaned more now that they’re being used more.
Adding more hampers around your home will help battle laundry pile-up and prevent germs from spreading. Place a hamper near the entryway for outside clothes to make it easy to leave them at the door. Giving each family member their own hamper will help reduce germ spread if someone in the house gets sick.
Materials that Fights Germs
Studies show that coronavirus can survive on hard surfaces such as plastic, glass, and stainless steel for up to 3 days. This means that countertops, door handles, and faucets require frequent disinfecting to ensure they remain germ-free.
But it turns out that one popular household metal comes with germ-fighting abilities! Copper is not only beautiful and stylish; it also offers impressive antibacterial properties. So much so, that the Environmental Protection Agency has officially registered a variety of copper surfaces as antimicrobial. Even the toughest viruses can only last a few hours on copper surfaces. This means that even without frequent cleaning, copper, brass, and bronze can help stop the spread of germs.
The news coincides beautifully with the fact that copper fixtures are more popular than ever. You can get gorgeous cabinet hardware, door handles, faucets, light switch covers, and even sinks made of copper. Don’t worry, if you prefer vintage over new. Copper fixtures and hardware have been around for ages, so there are plenty of unique vintage options.
Things You Might Not Think to Clean
We’re all being vigilant about keeping touchpoints such as door handles and faucets clean. But there are plenty of other frequently used items that you might be forgetting in your daily wipe-down. To make it easier to keep your whole home germ-free, try leaving stashes of antibacterial wipes or disinfectant spray in each room.Electronic and hand-held devices should be at the top of your daily disinfecting list. Phones, tablets, computer mice, keyboards, TV remotes, and other electronics are some of our germiest belongings. You can’t wash these items with soap and water, but a quick pass with a disinfectant wipe or spray will do the job. And don’t forget to wipe down exterior hot spots such as steering wheels, car door handles, stair railings, and doorbells.
Now you can relax and enjoy your time at home, knowing your house is as germ-free as it can be.
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