With a potential 6th wave of COVID-19 coming this spring, you should know that disinfecting your home doesn't have to be this big operation in which you need to enlist your entire family to help. With the right equipment and effective disinfectants, it can easily be a one-person job, if you know what you're doing.
So, to help you out as much as we can, we've put together this home disinfection guideline that tells you what to do to disinfect your home, which are the best disinfection devices for residential spaces, and what disinfectants are recommended to treat the spaces where your family and your pets spend most of their time.
How to Disinfect Your Home - The Ultimate Guideline
Disinfecting your home properly and efficiently can be achieved in 4 simple steps. Let's get started!
Read More: Fun Facts (And Not So Fun Facts Too) About Germs
Step 1. Clean-up
Contrary to popular belief, cleaning is not disinfecting, as it doesn’t kill contaminants on surfaces. However, it is a great first step in the right direction because it does remove a considerable amount of contaminants, making the following disinfection much easier and more effective.
To clean a surface, simply wipe it down using soapy water or detergent, and a clean cloth. This will get rid of dust or debris and prep surfaces for disinfectants. You could also apply a dry cleaning method like dusting and sweeping, but these are not as effective as one would hope because they involve motions that could spread contaminants even further.
When you're done, don't forget to throw away any disposable cleaning items you might have used, and to wash reusable cleaning items, preferably with soap and hot water.
Step 2. Choose an effective disinfectant
If you’re serious about disinfecting your home and protecting everyone that lived in it from infectious disease, you can’t just choose a disinfectant based on a pretty label or an ad you saw. Your decision should be based on facts, such as knowing for sure that a disinfectant will work against COVID-19.
To help you simplify the selection process, we recommend checking out the list of hard surface disinfectants that the local Health authorities have developed. It includes several of the disinfectants featured on our product portfolio, as they are supported by evidence to be effective against the virus.
Once you make your choice, then ensure to read the directions for safe and effective use. The label will tell if you, for instance, if you need to wear any personal protective equipment (gloves, goggles, etc.) while applying the product. Labels also indicate the recommended amounts to use, dilution ratios, proper storage, products you shouldn’t be mixing together, and if you need to ventilate spaces afterwards or not.
Step 3. Disinfect properly
After completing steps one and two, it’s finally time to disinfect your home. This is when you’re actually going to be killing pathogens, such as the COVID-19 virus, from surfaces. At this point, it is important to note that no one knows exactly how long viruses live on different surfaces (it can be anywhere from a few hours to days) so disinfecting properly is the only way to make sure that contaminated surfaces we frequently touch with our hands are not contributing to the spread of harmful pathogens that can make us sick.
The surfaces that you need to be focusing on are those at risk of contamination from airborne particles or from dirty hands, such as tables and countertops, toilets, sinks, frequently used kitchen electronics and their handles (refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves, etc.), phones and televisions, light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles.
Step 4. Repeat.
Remember, consistency is key when you want to disinfect your home properly. No amount of cleaning and disinfecting will be effective if there's no consistency and good frequency, especially when it comes to high-touch surfaces, as these need to be disinfected daily, and even more so if there’s someone with confirmed COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms in your house.
The good news is that coronaviruses are one of the easiest types of viruses to kill if you know which disinfectant products to use, so don’t feel discouraged if it feels like too much work to complete daily. Instead, you should consider investing in a disinfecting device, like a sprayer or fogger, which will simplify things for you and even make disinfecting your home a quick and fun activity to do.
Discover our selection of Disinfect & Fog Sprayers and Foggers.
And that's it! 4 simple steps to disinfect your home that you and anyone in your family can take. By following this guideline, we can guarantee you will have a cleaner and healthier home in no time. Now, for more information on this topic or to get answers to questions about any of the steps or products recommended in this article, you can leave us a message in the comment box below or contact us directly by phone or email.
Read More:
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Do I Need to Hire House Cleaning and Sanitizing Services?
Effective Office Disinfection for a Germ-Free Workplace
Remember that our company offers disinfection services in London, Ontario, and across Southwestern Ontario as well, so feel free to reach out to us if you need help with your home, office or business disinfection. At Disinfect & Fog, we're always happy to help!
