If you want to avoid spreading illness to other members of your household or prevent recurring illness, you need to sanitize your home after someone is sick. This means breaking out the Lysol and doing some deep cleaning. Let’s take a closer look at how to clean your home after illness.
You can also print out this FREE printable checklist for which surfaces to disinfect during an illness in your home.
Sanitize High Traffic Areas
First things first. You need to wipe down those doorknobs, light switches, countertops, etc. Anywhere the sick person has had a lot of contact, you want to disinfect. It doesn’t hurt to hit these areas while the person is sick to help avoid spreading the illness throughout the family.
You can initially clean with soap and water and then follow it up with a bleach/water solution that's 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water. You can also use alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol.
Clean and Sanitize Bedding
Bedding should always, always, always be washed and sanitized after illness. Hot water will go a long way in killing germs. Your washer may even have a Sanitize setting that will heat the bedding to higher temperatures. You can also use color-safe bleach, white vinegar, or special sanitizing products to remove as many germs as possible.
Spray Lysol on Soft Surfaces
Lysol is wonderful for soft surfaces. You want to spray down your couches, rugs, curtains, and – most important – the pillows and mattress where the sick person rested. This literally takes a few minutes to do. Just spray the product as directed and wait for it to dry. Most disinfectant sprays are safe on all surfaces.
Disinfect Electronics
Electronics are wonderful while you’re stuck in bed sick, but they should definitely be disinfected once the illness has passed. This includes cellphones, remotes, tablets, gaming systems, etc. If it was handled during the illness, it needs to be cleaned.
Tackle Heavily Used Items
Last, but not least, tackle those heavily used items. Toss out toothbrushes of the infected, deep clean and sanitize the bathroom, clean and sanitize the trash cans where used tissues were tossed, sanitize stuffed animals with disinfectant spray, etc. If it was used or handled by the person that was sick, clean and sanitize it.
It’s important to clean your home after illness to prevent the spread or germs. While you may not be able to prevent the rest of your family from getting sick, you can try your best. If you have a home full of kids, you may find yourself cleaning and sanitizing throughout cold and flu season as the illness passes from one to the other, but at least your home will be as germ-free as possible.
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