Disinfection is one of the best ways to fight the novel coronavirus in your daily life. The Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) recommends using 70 percent alcohol solutions, EPA-registered household
disinfectant spray or homemade diluted household bleach solutions to clean and disinfect so-called “high touch surfaces” daily in household common areas. These “high-touch surfaces” include tables, hard-backed
chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, handles, desks, toilets and sinks, among other things.
Though the CDC’s list is a great start, there are a number of high-touch surfaces that may have slipped
your mind. In fact, some of the dirtiest spots in your house are hiding in the most unlikely places. Here are
spots you should start disinfecting now if you haven’t been already.
Say goodbye to the days of light dusting and hello to the days of deep scrubbing—every little bit of elbow grease counts when it comes to COVID-19 with some tips above.
Transcript
PowerPoint PresentationEver Overview Disinfection is one of the best ways to fight the novel coronavirus in your daily life. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends using 70 percent alcohol solutions, EPA-registered household disinfectant spray or homemade diluted household bleach solutions to clean and disinfect so-called “high- touch surfaces” daily in household common areas. These “high-touch surfaces” include tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, handles, desks, toilets and sinks, among other things. Though the CDC’s list is a great start, there are a number of high-touch surfaces that may have slipped your mind. In fact, some of the dirtiest spots in your house are hiding in the most unlikely places. Here are spots you should start disinfecting now if you haven’t been already. Pens writing utensil in the past, businesses everywhere have been scrubbing down the pens used to sign receipts, forms, and other pieces of paper necessary for everyday business. While this occurrence is most common in restaurants and retail shops, it really is necessary in any place in which you may end up touching a communal pen or pencil. Door handles coronavirus! While in the past businesses would get the outside of their storefront cleaned professionally every so often, now it’s likely for employees themselves to wipe down the door handles on both the outside and the inside of their shops as often as with the arrival of every new customer. Cellphones alcohol-based disinfectant directly on a soft lint-free cloth and wipe down the device — front, sides and back — while it is powered down and unplugged. Do not use bleach. Wipe down your device and let it dry before turning it back on. Keyboards now than ever now that many of us are working from home — same goes for a mouse, if you use one. A 2016 study from IT training company CBT Nuggets found that computer or laptop keyboards can be 20,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat. Take disinfectant wipe or a soft, linen-free cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol and wipe on the top and sides of each key. Then clean the surface and bottom of the keyboard thoroughly. Use a new disinfectant wipe or cloth to clean the mouse. Glasses You’re not supposed to be touching your face, but odds are, you’re still touching your glasses. The grime from your fingers, face and exposure to the outside world can build up on the frames and lenses — plus, it’s a good idea to keep your vision clear, anyway. can use a drop of dishwashing liquid and a clean, lint-free towel to clean the lenses if you don’t have lens cleaner and a microfiber cloth, too. Credit cards So while cell phones have more germs than a toilet seat, credit cards have more germs than urinals in a train station, according to azcentral.com. Comforting, no? This is why credit cards are another item that are now getting more of a deep clean than ever before. Think about it: You hand the cashier at your local coffee shop your card, she swipes it, and hands it back to you. Repeat this process for every monetary transaction you have throughout the day. See how many germs pile up? A quick swipe with a Lysol wipe after each purchase will keep you that much cleaner and safer. This is another big one for restaurants. In the pre- coronavirus world, it was very normal to see restaurant staff wiping down the tabletop in between groups of diners. But the seats? Not so much. Nowadays, however, it’s much more common to have both the table and seats wiped down before sliding into your favorite comfy booth. Although the CDC says that coronavirus is more commonly spread through respiratory droplets than through objects and surfaces, they emphasize that it’s still essential to wipe down any potentially dirty surfaces. What else do these three essential items have in common? You guessed it–they’re all covered in germs! While keys aren’t quite as dirty as your cell phone or credit card, you’re still touching them an awful lot in many different places. For peace of mind, disinfect your keys every once in a while to make sure they stay sparkling and safe. Menus usual paper menu, opting instead to place QR codes at each table which can then be scanned by any device to launch an online menu. However, those restaurants that still do provide diners with physical menus are now giving those laminated papers a real hosing down. Whether using disinfectant wipes or the classic soap and water combination, restaurant staff everywhere are making sure that diners still have access to all of the options without any of the illness. Bathrooms cleaning routine. The CDC recommends that restaurants and bars clean their bathrooms at the very least once a day. Certain rest stops and service areas that contain public restrooms with many stalls have implemented new precautions, such as putting caution tape over every other sink to prevent people from being too close to one another while washing their hands. We all know there’s nothing worse than a haircut gone wrong…especially when “going wrong” can now mean putting your health at risk. While hairstylists were always supposed to clean their tools in between each new client even before coronavirus hit, the rules and regulations for cleaning items in salons just got even stricter. While in the past a stylist may have just dipped his or her tools in Barbicide disinfectant and called it a day, many salons are now doing multi-step processes to make sure their tools are as clean as possible. In some cases, this may include scrubbing with soap and water, rinsing, and then applying a disinfectant. Steering wheel steering wheel? If you were answering pre- coronavirus, the answer would probably be no. But when answering that question now, hopefully, the response would be the last time you were in the car after going out in a public place. People are now disinfecting their steering wheel after being at the grocery store, a restaurant, or a retail shop to add an extra level of cleanliness to their everyday lives. Think about it: The germs that got on your hands while inside the store can easily be transferred to your steering wheel. reheat food every day during the quarantine. Give that touchpad — and the microwave door handle, while you’re at it — a quick wipedown with a disinfectant spray when you are doing your daily kitchen cleaning. This also goes for any other touchpad surfaces around the house you may have neglected. holders are the third-most germy household items, behind dish sponges and kitchen sinks. In fact, bacteria from the toilet can flick up onto your toothbrush holder with every flush, depending on where it is in your bathroom. Make sure you thoroughly disinfect it when you are cleaning your bathroom. You should also replace toothbrushes and electric toothbrush heads regularly as well. Society for Microbiology links the bacteria commonly found on shower heads to an increased risk of respiratory illnesses. plastic shopping bag with a bleach solution, tying it around your showerhead and leaving overnight. Rinse away any leftover solution before using it to rinse off for yourself. around you will hitch a ride on your clothes and end up in your laundry basket. Especially if you are cleaning linens and towels from someone who is sick (which the CDC also recommends that you do regularly), you should give your laundry basket a thorough wipe down with a disinfectant wipe or spray. Purses To clean a leather or even “pleather” bag, use a pea- sized amount of hand sanitizing gel applied to the surface of the purse with a tissue or a rag. To clean a fabric bag, dampen a microfiber towel with isopropyl alcohol and blot the bottom of the purse and the handles with the alcohol. Let the bag dry overnight in a cool place before Mailbox handles showed that 68 percent of mailbox handles are germy enough to spread disease. Make sure you disinfect your mailbox handle every time you go outside to pick up that day’s mail. Your mailman — who can’t work from home — will probably thank you, too. dressing rooms to open back up, those that have are putting a big emphasis on cleaning them. Furthermore, many stores have implemented a new policy in which if you try on an item and decide you don’t want to purchase it, the item must be put on a special rack in the back. This gives the item time to air out before returning it to the floor. Although these rules complicate the usual shopping experience, all of this cleaning allows you to continue to shop till you drop (but thankfully, not literally). Sponges If you didn’t know it before, you know it now: sponges are filthy. A 2017 study found that sponges are the dirtiest place in your house — even dirtier than the toilet bowl — with an average of over 54 billion bacterial cells. To sanitize, rinse the sponge in one part bleach to nine parts water, or microwave the sponge in a bowl covered with water on high for about thirty seconds. Even if you sanitize your sponge after every use, researchers say you should swap sponges every week in order to keep your eating surfaces clean and sanitary. Refrigerator door handles standards organization NSF International found refrigerator door handles to be among the dirtiest places in the kitchen, despite the fact that they don’t come into any direct contact with food. This is probably one of the most oft-forgotten “door” handles in the cleaning process, but don’t skip it when you are cleaning the other high-touch surfaces in your kitchen, like the tables and countertops. Our cell phones are ten times dirtier than a toilet seat. But while in the past we may have brushed this caution aside, now it’s time to furiously start scrubbing all of our devices, whether they be personal or communal. This is certainly true for businesses such as restaurants that take orders on iPads or other types of tablets, as well as the keypads for credit card readers at retail shops. Don’t make the possibly dangerous mistake of forgetting to disinfect. Conclusion Say goodbye to the days of light dusting and hello to the days of deep scrubbing—every little bit of elbow grease counts when it comes to COVID-19 with some tips above.