How to Effectively Clear Your Home of Germs

By Donna Stark

Well, it was bound to happen. After coming home from your weekend camping trip, you heard the words that nobody wants to hear: "I don't feel very good." And then after that, one by one, from brother to sister to father to mother, the coughs, fever, and muscle aches tore through the house. Thankfully, the misery passed after a few days, but now you are looking at a new kind of misery. The misery that comes from deep cleaning and disinfecting your home.

Clearing Your Home of Germs

An important step to take after somebody in your family becomes ill is to sanitize your home. After all, you want to make sure that every last little germ is eliminated from every room in the house so everyone can rest easy. Here are a few tips on how to thoroughly clean after an illness has swept through your home.

• Common areas - Wipe down all the surface areas that are touched by everyone in the family. Things such as the remote control, doorknobs and handles, faucets, light switches, drawer pulls, countertops, and stair rails should be cleaned as soon as possible.
• Bedrooms - Where do you go when you are sick? If you are like most people, you stay in bed, so be sure to wash all the bed linens and pillowcases in hot water. Don't forget to change pajamas and wash them too! And while you are at it, wipe down the nightstand and light fixtures, and discard all the used tissues that missed the trash can and ended up on the floor.
• Bathrooms - Be sure to disinfect all surface areas, such as the sink countertop, faucets, toilet, and the bathtub or shower. Toss all the towels in the wash and take out the trash. Don't forget to wipe down the doorknob, soap dispenser, and light switch and while it isn't always necessary, sometimes it is nice to start over with a fresh, clean toothbrush.
• Devices - Chances are good that the ones who were sick, were using a cell phone, tablet, or laptop to pass the time and ease the boredom, so tell your loved ones to hand over their electronic devices and give them a good cleaning too.

A Clean Home Is a Healthier Home

Taking the steps above will help prevent the spread of any more germs. It will also help you feel better knowing that you have done everything you can to make your house a healthier home.

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Knightdale, N.C.