How to Disinfect Your Whole House After the Flu, According to Germ Experts
Photo:
Lumina Images/Getty Images
Photo:
svetikd/Getty Images
Photo:
Nopparat Jaikla/EyeEm/Getty Images"[For] these common illnesses, like the cold, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 80% of these common infections are transmitted by your hands. So it's really all about hand hygiene," says Charles Gerba, Ph.D., a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona, known to some as Dr. Germ. "Wash your hands, use hand sanitizers, and disinfect the high-touch areas—those seem to be the key."
Another watch-out for this is also being careful not to touch your face, eyes, nose, or mouth, which can spread germs.
Gerba says putting a hand sanitizer by the front door can help prevent outside germs from coming inside. Sanitize your hands the moment you get through the door, or you can wash your hands first thing after coming home. "Because once you bring it into the house—we've done tracer studies with viruses—it's on about 90% of the surfaces we touch within about four hours because you're constantly touching things," he says. "The best thing is trying to get it right away as soon as you enter the house."
Photo:
Leandro Crespi/StocksyMichael Richardson, MD, of One Medical says you should pay attention to the things you regularly come into contact with (like doorknobs and keyboards) and disinfect them with a cleaner. "Depending on the bug, viruses can stay on surfaces and stay infected for a few hours to a week," he says.
Photo:
Lauren Edmonds/StocksyRichardson also recommends paying close attention to things like your dinner table, silverware, kitchen countertops, and other dining items. "Most of the common illnesses we pick up are from touching our mouth or eyes, or eating food that is contaminated, so try to keep your hands and food clean to avoid picking up any unwanted bugs," he says.
If you're sick, don't even think about sharing your bath towel with someone else, Gerba says. The same goes for kitchen and hand towels, which are more commonly shared. Gerba recommends that the sick person use the same towel throughout their illness and then wash it immediately after they get better.
Photo:
Prostock-Studio/Getty ImagesIf you share your bed with someone, it's pretty much a given that you're probably going to get sick if they are and vice versa. Gerba uses his own experience for this one. When his wife had a bad cold recently, he slept on the couch to avoid catching whatever she had.
Photo:
Caiaimages/Getty ImagesIf you live with others, it's important to keep the common spaces like the living room, kitchen, and bathroom clean. It's especially crucial before germs creep in. "The best time to clean your home is before you are even sick!" Richardson says. "By ensuring that common areas are clean, you can stop the spread of a virus before it even starts."
"Washing with soap and water should be fine for most cloths you use to clean your home," Richardson says. "You can also kill the germs on your sponge by nuking it in the microwave for about a minute. Just be sure it is soaked with water first to avoid it catching on fire."
Photo:
Danil Nevsky/StocksyIf possible, Gerba recommends that the sick person stays in the bedroom or one area of the home to avoid the spread of germs to other parts of the house. The bedroom is an ideal spot rather than the couch, which might be harder to disinfect because it doesn't have a layer that can be easily cleaned like bedding.
"We've been studying couches. Influenza will survive for two or three days in a couch," he explains. "A couch, when you sit down, is like a microbial whoopee cushion. It just throws up all the organisms in the air. You get them all over your face and into the air."
Like bath towels, Gerba recommends you keep the same sheets throughout the illness and then change them when you're in the clear.
Photo:
Luis Alvarez/Getty ImagesThis might not be as common, since most people keep their phones to themselves, but if you're in the practice of handing your phone to others or vice versa, you should stop doing that when there's illness around.
And this is just another reminder to disinfect your phone on the regular. It's quite possibly the germiest thing you own.
Gerba recommends you clean your home right when you or the person you live with isn't contagious anymore. Wash your sheets and towels, wipe down surfaces, throw away any tissues or other disposables used during the sickness.
When you're disinfecting everything, it might be helpful to wear gloves. But Gerba says a general guideline is to wash your hands immediately after cleaning, and keep our hands away from your face.
