How To Clean Your House After the Flu and Other Sicknesses
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The flu is out in full force right now, and if your family has fallen victim to this highly contagious illness, you’re probably wondering how to clean your house after the flu passes through. These practical tips will help you disinfect your home whether it’s after the flu, or another crummy sickness.
With six kids in our family, we are no strangers to illness. Whether it’s a nasty stomach bug, a tough cold, or any other number of viruses, we have battled them. With so many people in our home, touching different surfaces, breathing, coughing, and sneezing in one area, it’s almost impossible to prevent the entire family from catching the bug. After the funky virus sweeps through, I like to give our house a thorough cleaning.
How To Clean Your House After the Flu (or other sickness)
Choose the right disinfectant
When it comes to illnesses, I don’t play around. I choose to use store bought cleaners that specifically target the virus our family has had.
I’m a big fan of disinfectant wipes, such as Lysol or Clorox wipes. I like to use wipes because I can just wipe down a surface and toss the wipe. The surface only needs to air dry to kill the germs.
If I’m using a spray cleaner, I usually use paper towels to wipe down the surfaces. I would not use a sponge when cleaning after sickness because obviously, that sponge is going to hold onto germs.
How To Clean Your House After the Norovirus
When it comes to the best disinfectant for the norovirus (aka stomach bug), I bring out the big guns. Bleach water. I know, not necessarily the safest product, but it will kill the germs. Flu germs survive for a relatively small amount of time outside the body, but the norovirus can thrive on hard surfaces for days. A bleach based cleaner can also work effectively.
Clean the most touched surfaces
Think about which items in your home are touched the most often. Here’s my list:
The remote control
Door knobs
Light switches
Phones
Tables
Computers
Kids’ stuffed animals
Wipe all of these items down with disinfectant.
Clean the toilets and bathroom counters and floors also.
Tackle the laundry
Wash any items that have gotten bodily fluids on them as soon as possible. I prefer to wash these items on the hottest setting possible. For bleach safe clothing, or whites, I throw some bleach in with the load.
Tackle dirty dishes
If you’re like us, you may have the glorified “puke” bowl to deal with. I throw contents in the toilet, rinse the bowl, and wash it in the dishwasher on the hottest setting. I then sanitize the sink.
Clean toothbrushes
You can either replace your toothbrush, or soak it in a little hydrogen peroxide to clean it.
Let in some sunshine
The sun is great at helping to sanitize items or remove stains, but I like to open the blinds and let the light in. It just makes the house feel better. If the weather allows, open the windows some and let some fresh air in, to.
Purify the air
I like to use essential oils in our home. I don’t believe they are some magic cure all, or that they completely prevent sickness, but I do believe they help with mood and can make your home smell clean. Here are my favorite essential oils for sickness, Germ Fighter, Germ Destroyer, Immune Aid and Immune Boom. I diffuse the essential oils in rooms that we spend the most time.
Don’t forget to wash your hands!
Wash your hands. It’s a simple step that is all too easily forgotten.
And there you have it. You’ll want to clean and disinfectant your house when the flu or any other sickness strikes to eradicate those germs and prevent the illness from reoccurring.
I love that Lysol Laundry Sanitizer stuff. I use it weekly on my sheets and towels. It smells pretty good , pour it in the softener slot on the washing machine and let it do it’s thing.