Simple Tips for Keeping Your Home More Hygienic During the COVID-19 Pandemic
South Africa detected its first case of COVID-19 on March 5th, and like many other countries, there was great fear that the number of cases would grow exponentially and hence the implementation of a lockdown. Even though the daily increase of cases slowed down after the lockdown, many are still taking any precaution they can in order to prevent getting sick and spreading the illness.
Along with the common advice — like covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing and washing your hands — many may wonder if their houses need any special cleaning treatment during this time. With that said, here are three simple ways you can keep your household clean and hygienic during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taking special care with deliveries
Deliveries are becoming more mainstream than ever before, with online purchases ranging from groceries and even food delivery. Convenient delivery means staying home, without having the risk of going outside, right? However, it’s important to remember that whatever you have delivered to your home has been in contact with the outside world and is at risk of becoming contaminated from delivery workers, etc, and needs to be taken care of accordingly. In fact, one study found that COVID-19 can live on surfaces such as cardboard for 24 hours, and some other surfaces like plastic for three days.
Because of this, handling your deliveries with increased caution and care is necessary. One way to do so is to opt for a “contactless” delivery, which involves paying online and the package or food being left at your door, and you wait until the delivery person is gone to retrieve the package. Taking extra care to wipe down your packages can help to minimise your risk of catching the coronavirus via delivery workers. When it comes to food deliveries, only use your own cutlery when possible, and transferring the food from wrappers and boxes directly to your own plates is a good preventative measure, too. No matter what you get delivered to your home, washing your hands after you handle the delivery is always a good idea.
General cleaning
Perhaps one of the best ways to keep your house hygienic during the current pandemic is to encourage healthy habits among the members of your household. By simply implementing basic human hygiene, such as hand washing, sneezing/coughing into your arm, and even keeping hand sanitiser around the house, you’re sure to keep your house clean and everyone within it healthy, too.
While you probably already have a cleaning routine established within your household, having a stronger cleaning protocol during the coronavirus pandemic is a necessity — especially if you have members of the family who are routinely going out to buy groceries regularly or are still going to work. This means that you should pay special attention to routinely cleaning any frequently-touched surfaces, such as door handles, taps, and even the TV remote. By cleaning regularly, you can prevent and limit the spread of the coronavirus. However, before you even think about cleaning your house, you might wonder what cleaning products you should use that can effectively kill the novel coronavirus.
What cleaning products should you use?
Thankfully, the virus is easily destroyed with soap and water, which is why the simple routine of hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent and limit the spread of the virus. Other common household products are likely to kill the virus as well when it comes to traditional house cleaning (such as a diluted bleach solution), though it’s important to keep in mind that some commonly used products might not work - for example, distilled white vinegar, while a popular disinfectant, shows no evidence of being effective against the virus.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to self-isolate in order to prevent and limit the spread of the virus. However, many people still need to go out in order to purchase necessities and even go to work. With that in mind, there are many ways you can implement a cleaning protocol for your household, such as cleaning frequently touched surfaces and taking care when receiving deliveries.
In the meantime, from our family to yours, please stay safe!
