Sanitizing your home is an activity that can help reduce the spread of germs and bacteria in your home environment . In particular, as a preventative measure, or if someone in your home is sick, the spread of bacteria, viruses and more can be effectively contained with appropriate cleaning strategies and specific disinfectant products.
Of course, when it comes to coronavirus , the question arises whether the use of these products is actually useful in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Well, some of these products on the market should actually be effective against the new coronavirus, but not all of them are: it is therefore good to make sure you read the labels carefully and check the list of effective products on the Ministry of Health website.
Sanitize your home
Our homes should be a safe haven where we can relax and recharge. Unfortunately, the reality is that we end up bringing home all the germs we have encountered on our excursions outside the apartment door, through dirty hands, shoes, clothes and phones (and not only!).
So, even if your home seems clean, it could still contain contaminants that could affect your health and that of your loved ones. This is why you should never forget that the best way to protect your family is simply to clean your home frequently.
So, after washing your hands, the best thing to do is to clean worktops, door handles, light switches and common surfaces with a microfibre cloth dampened in a solution of hot water and a special multipurpose cleaner, at least twice a day.
The gentle abrasion of the microfiber cloth and cleaning solution will lift and dilute any microbes that have settled on the surfaces. Of course, since electronics do not handle soap and water well, a cloth with at least 70% isopropyl alcohol is sufficient to clean cell phones, remote controls, and keyboards.
Cleaning or sanitizing?
However, cleaning should not be confused or used interchangeably with sanitizing !
The first means that you remove germs but… you don’t kill them, while the second means that you kill them! This distinction is important because you might clean surfaces effectively but not disinfect, leaving germs and bacteria to fester and grow.
Disinfecting , if done correctly, will kill microscopic organisms so they can no longer cause harm. However, it is not always easy to know when you are clean and when you are sanitized. Disinfectant cleaners can give a false sense of security if not used correctly and are only necessary if someone in the home is sick .
Therefore, it is important to read labels and follow product directions. Products labeled as disinfectants, if used correctly, will adequately kill viruses and bacteria. If the label promises to disinfect only one surface, the fine print might… say it will kill 99.9% of bacteria, but not mention whether it is effective against viruses or fungi!
How to Disinfect Your Kitchen and Household Items
Before you disinfect anything in your home, you should decide whether you’ll wear gloves and what type. Rubber gloves are more durable and reusable, but disposable latex gloves will do just fine. Just remember to always wash your hands with soap and warm water after using any cleaning products.
Kitchen surfaces can harbor not only bacteria we transfer from our hands and things, but also food-borne bacteria , so it’s especially important to properly disinfect kitchen items.
If you want to make it easier for yourself, you can also use wipes, which are convenient and easy to use, but do not use a single wipe in an attempt to disinfect an entire kitchen! There must be enough disinfectant solution released by the wipe to sanitize the surfaces. Generally speaking, the wipe is effective if it leaves a surface visibly wet for at least four minutes.
Also remember that many disinfectant products, including those with chlorine bleach, are not safe to use in food preparation areas without an additional rinsing step after disinfecting.
Again, if you use an automatic dishwasher with the right water temperature and a dishwasher detergent that contains chlorine bleach as one of the ingredients, you can rest assured that your cooking utensils, dishes and glassware are disinfected and free from bacterial growth.
When hand washing dishes, wash as usual and add a final soak in a solution of one tablespoon of unscented chlorine bleach for two minutes before draining the solution and allowing the dishes to air dry. Do not use on silver, aluminum, or chipped enamel.
