If one person in your house has a cough or cold, there’s a high chance that other members of your family will catch it! Why? Well, because germs spread incredibly quickly which is why it’s important to clean regularly in a bid to kill anything nasty lurking around.
While many people call in professional cleaning services to do the hard work for them, it is possible to tackle germs yourself, so here are some tips to help you out:
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces
As a rule of thumb, germs tend to lurk on surfaces that are touched a lot, so make sure you clean and disinfect potential germs banks including the kitchen sink, toilet seat, computer keyboards, light switches, sink taps, fridge doors and such like. Use a sanitising spray and wipe over these key areas at least once a day to get rid of disease-causing viruses and bacteria.
If you have time, it’s also worth going the extra mile by cleaning dirty places you might often forget such as toothbrush holders. These are often located next to the loo and can be a breeding ground for a wealth of bugs – not a nice thought but true nonetheless.
Of course, you can always change where you keep your holders but as they’re touched a lot they still need a good clean. You might also want to be more thorough by taking apart things like oven knobs and giving them a proper soak.
Clean and wash cloths and towels daily
Do you often just grab the first cloth you see and use it to wipe surfaces and mop spills? If so, you could be spreading germs unwittingly. This is because unwashed dishcloths are often riddled with germs that multiply easily when they come into contact with damp surfaces.
So, to avoid this problem, be sure to wash cloths and tea towels as often as you can (preferably daily) in very hot water – you could even throw them into the washing machine with other clothes on a hot cycle. This will kill the majority of bugs and stop you from carrying germs from one surface to another or from one room to another.
Empty bins daily
It’s no surprise that bins are riddled with germs. They’re notoriously dirty, so make sure you empty them regularly before spritzing them with disinfectant sprays. This is particularly important if someone has a cold or flu as you don’t want infected tissues hanging around for longer than they need to.
On a similar note, don’t leave tissues just lingering round the house if they are dirty because this could help germs spread quickly. Throwing them in an outside bin is preferable and should help keep the illness under control.
Wash bed linen in hot water
To kill germs make sure you wash your bed linen frequently. When you strip the bed, however, gather the sheets carefully and put them straight in the wash as shaking or ruffling them could spread germs around the house. For the same reasons don’t let them fester in your washing basket as this won’t help your house become germ-free.
Love it or hate it, cleaning is a great way to keep germs to a minimum so make sure you do it frequently to avoid getting sick.
