Despite your best efforts to prevent it, your kids will end up sick at some point or another. As unfortunate as this is, it happens to everyone. The key to quickly coming out of this is to keep the germs from spreading to the rest of the family. Disinfecting the house is one of the best ways to prevent anyone else from contracting the illness.
How to Sanitize Your Home after Illness
Where do you even start when it comes to cleaning the house after an illness? If you can, open up some windows to get fresh air into your home. This air will not only clear out any strange smells that are lingering, it will also help replenish the stale air with fresh air.
Cleaning you home after an illness
Start by cleaning the items that are the most frequently touched, like door knobs, remotes, cell phones and light switches.
If it’s sunny outside, lay your pillows and bedding outdoors in the sun to disinfect them.
Wash any soft surfaces, like stuffed animals, and dry them in a hot dryer to kill germs.
Since rubbish bins will be filled with germ-filled tissues, empty them all out and sanitize them.
If your baby was the one who was sick, make sure that you clean the changing table thoroughly.
When you’re contending with a stomach virus it’s important to soak or replace the sick person’s toothbrush.
Invest in disinfecting wipes and constantly wipe down any and all surfaces in your home.
Cleaning Those Forgotten Areas
It’s easy to overlook cleaning some areas of your home; however, those surfaces can hold tons of germs. For instance, the drawers in your refrigerator can hold germs that can make your entire family ill. To avoid this, line them with paper towels.
Make sure to microwave your ‘cleaning’ sponges on a regular basis to kill germs.
The kitchen sink, can hold more germs than a toilet. Bleach it.
Toys and play areas like tables and toy kitchens can hold many germs – clean with a solution of water and bleach.
Window and door tracks often contain bugs and dirt that can lead to colds and other illnesses.
It’s important to remember to clean your vacuum because it picks up all sorts of germs.
The dog bowl is one of the dirtiest places in your house, so make it a point to clean it often.
Make sure you are cleaning your reusable water bottles on a regular basis as they will hold bacteria and germs.
Declutter your home to prevent and help after Illness
Stacks of items and other clutter hold dust mites as well as other germs that could be making you sick.
The living room is often where you or the kids lie down when they are sick. There will be less to clean and sanitize if this room is decluttered before you get sick.
Streamlining the kitchen will save you time before and after you are sick, and having a decluttered kitchen makes it easier for someone else to come in and help you if you are sick.
Cleaning the Kitchen to Avoid Foodborne Illness
Foodborne illnesses can make your family really sick. These types of illnesses are typically contracted because of cross contamination in the kitchen or a problem with food preparation. There are ways to prevent foodborne illnesses at home, though. Two easy tricks: keep surfaces clean and be careful to not to use the same knife with raw meat that you do with cooked.
Wash hands and surfaces often
Make sure the utensils are cleaned to 160 degrees and that you don’t use the same utensils with both raw meat and cooked food.
Carefully wash fruits and vegetables to avoid passing on these germs to your family.
The kitchen sink comes into contact with raw chicken and other meats, not to mention other chemicals from fruits, making it imperative to keep it clean.
When someone in the house comes down with a virus wash everything down in the kitchen with a bleach solution and use disposable dishes until the sickness has passed.
Cleaning the kitchen daily will prevent the spread of some germs so that you can avoid leftover germs from reinfecting a family member.
It’s important to continuously kill the germs on your kitchen sponge when cleaning up after a sick person.
Cleaning Up After Your Child Has Thrown Up
Unfortunately, cleaning up after your child has vomited is part of being a loving parent. It’s not fun! One thing to remember is that you need to clean up the carpet immediately because it may stain the carpet if left to dry.
Scrub the carpet with vinegar to get the smell of vomit out and then use baking soda as a secondary deodorizer once it’s dry.
Keep a grocery sack lined bin near the sick child so that they can use it and you can clean up without much hassle.
Vomit on a Couch Using vinegar or baking soda can pull the smell of throw up out of the couch.
Wash sheets and clothes that have been vomited on right away and start cleaning the carpet immediately because if it dries it’s likely to stain.
If you prefer to avoid harsh chemicals when you are cleaning your home there are several alternatives that will work just as well as for killing germs. Vinegar and tea tree are natural solutions that will disinfect surfaces, for example.
Use a vinegar solution on your door handles to make sure you remove any germs that could reinfect your family.
GOOD LUCK !
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