Cold and flu season can seem to drag on for months on end. No escape, heating cooling no respite. That’s not quite the reality, of course, but you know what they say about perception.
How about your family? Are you caught in a vicious cycle, sort of like a relay race, where one member hands off the “virus baton” to another, then another, and eventually right back to the person who started it?
Once the race has ended, you certainly don’t want to stage a repeat. And one of the best ways to ensure that is by thoroughly cleaning and heating up yourself and around the house to kill those germs on contact.
Bathroom – The bathroom can turn into a war zone when a cold or flu related illness hits. During and after the illness has passed, give your bathroom a deep clean, disinfecting faucet handles, the toilet, and all other hard surfaces.
Kitchen – Wash dishes, cups, and utensils on the hottest setting on your dishwasher. Wipe down the dishwasher, refrigerator and freezer handles, plus keypads on appliances along with sanitizing sinks and counters. Don’t forget to wipe drawer pulls and cabinet knobs with a disinfecting wipe.
Door Handles – Run a disinfecting wipe – or 10 – over all door handles in your house, inside and out.
Towels – Sanitize bath and hand towels that have been used during a bout of illness by washing them in hot water. You can even add a disinfecting booster like bleach or borax for your added protection.
Bedding – After laying on those sheets, blankets, and comforters while sweating your fever away, they too need a thorough disinfecting. While you’re washing and drying and heating them, vacuum your mattress and spot-clean, if necessary, with a disinfecting spray. Let it air out before replacing the bedding.
Clothing – Sanitize any clothing you’ve worn during your illness. Use the hottest water possible or your washing machine’s sanitize cycle. For certain articles of clothing, dry cleaning might be the better approach.
Phones, Remote Controls, and Other Electronics – Wipe down phones, tablets, keyboards, remotes, and any other often-touched devises with disinfectant wipes.
Toys – Thoroughly sanitize larger plastic toys with disinfecting wipes and drop smaller items like Lego pieces in a mesh bag, place them on the top rack of your dishwasher and run them through a cycle. Toss machine-washable stuffed animals in the wash, and tumble more delicate ones in the dryer on a high heat setting to kill any germs.
Toothbrushes – If you’re using a regular toothbrush, toss it and start fresh. For more expensive or electric toothbrushes, soak them in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water for about an hour, then rinse with clean water.
Flu and cold viruses can be spread through the air, too, along with numerous other indoor pollutants. That’s where we can help. At Anthony’s Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, we have the right indoor air quality solution for every family and every budget. Contact us today for more information or a free in-home air quality analysis and proposal.
