While staying at home is an important part of keeping our communities safe, many people are still wondering how they can stay safe throughout their time at home. How does one properly disinfect their house to ensure the health of those that live there? As an experienced and trusted disinfection company, ServiceMaster TBS Division is here to share some valuable tips.
Know the difference.
Now more than ever, it’s important to understand the difference between cleaning and disinfecting so you can keep your home safe for your family. Cleaning lowers the number of germs but does not necessarily kill germs. Usually conducted with soap and water, cleaning removes germs from surfaces and in turn, lowers the risk of spreading them. Disinfecting takes things to another level – in a good way! With the use of chemicals, disinfecting kills germs on surfaces after they are first cleaned with soap and water. Clearly, cleaning and disinfecting should not stand alone. They should be done in tandem to keep you and your family safe.
Frequently disinfect high-touch areas.
The most important areas to clean are surfaces commonly touched by members of your household. The CDC defines these “high-touch” areas as things such as doorknobs, light switches, phones, keyboards, and faucets. Remember, you should clean these surfaces before disinfecting.
Use the proper cleaning solutions.
The CDC recommends a list of EPA-registered disinfectants as the preferred solutions to be used when cleaning. They also suggest the use of household bleach cleaners as long as they are diluted properly, as well as solutions containing 70% alcohol. These are all permitted with the appropriate inspection of the project’s label, checking for intended usages, and expiration date.
Practice personal hygiene.
Of course, it’s important that you monitor your personal cleaning habits in order to keep your living space as clean as possible. For example, increase the frequency of handwashing even while at home, especially if you are handling food. Be mindful of what you might be bringing inside when you return home from the grocery store, work, or a walk in the park. This may mandate you take your shoes off when you come inside, or place your personal belongings such as your wallet and keys, on the floor or in a “quarantined area” instead of on the kitchen table.
Other tips include laundering your clothes more frequently, wearing gloves while you clean and even avoiding touching surfaces or items for a few days if it has come in contact with an outside source. Taking these measures to clean your home will not only work toward keeping you and your loved ones safe and healthy, but will help other members of your community you may come in contact with during this pandemic. For more cleaning tips and information, check out more of our blog posts. And, if you have any questions about the disinfection services or sanitizing services, ServiceMaster by TBS provides, give us a call at (856) 502-1632.
