Research shows that the coronavirus can live on a surface for days, with medical sources citing that on certain surfaces up to 28 days. With the high possibility of transferring the virus through surfaces that a Covid-19 positive person has touched, it is essential for us to know how to disinfect our home as this is where our family will spend most of their time in.
When do you need to disinfect your home?
Disinfection, by definition, eliminates viruses,microbes and bacterias on surfaces. Disinfecting differs from sanitizing as sanitization only decreases the microbial population to a safe level, usually under 100-200 ATP level is considered safe.
Generally, You have to disinfect your premise when:
- someone in your home tests positive for Covid
- a household member is a suspect case
- a person enters your home from somewhere with a high risk of infection
- you’ve welcomed visitors or family with unknown health conditions into your home
If everyone in your household has been staying at home with no known diseases or have approached anyone with a high risk of covid infection, you don’t need to disinfect your premise, but it is recommended that you continue to sanitize them to be safe.
What to do when a household member has Covid-19?
After receiving the diagnosis, you should get a professional disinfection service from reputable disinfection companies. Additionally, you should also notify the KKM that your family member has contracted the CoVID-19 virus and see if they will have to be sent to the hospital or can remain quarantining at home. If you’re disinfecting your home yourself, you must first
- isolate the infected family member,
- eliminate the family member’s access to common rooms, and
- begin disinfecting within 24 hours.
Disinfecting within 24 hours is highly recommended as it will minimize the cleaner’s risk to the virus as the virus would have much lesser time to reproduce and spread to a wider area. No one can enter the home within this time until proper disinfection is complete
How to disinfect surfaces and objects in your home?
The following is a step-by-step guide to disinfecting your home:
- Follow the directions on the manufacturer’s label
- Clean any visible dirt from the surface with soap or detergent before disinfecting
- Use a disinfectant product that is effective against Covid-19:
- diluted household bleach solutions (1/3 cup or 80ml of unscented household bleach per one gallon or 4L of water),
- alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol,
- any household disinfectant approved by EPA
- Allow the disinfectant to remain on the surface for the recommended time, usually around 15-30 minutes.
- Wear disposable gloves, mask, and glasses to protect yourself from accidental splashes and inhaling or even airborne transmission.
- Wash your hand with soap and water thoroughly when done
- Throw away used disposable PPEs and wipes, and seal the trash
- Open up the windows, fan, etc. to allow for adequate ventilation
How to disinfect different surfaces?
Upholstery
- Clean carpet, sofa, curtain, etc. with soap and water or a cleaner specific for these surfaces
- Wash the fabric in the washing machine if possible at the highest temperature according to the label, for silk fabrics, not recommended to go above 55 Degree Celcius)
- Use a disinfectant for soft surfaces if needed
- Vacuum as usual
Laundry
- Wear disposable gloves when handling dirty clothes, or wash your hand with soap after touching them.
- Avoid shaking dirty laundry. Shaking the clothes will allow virus and bacteria to disperse into the air.
- Avoid touching your face, nose, ear, mouth, or eyes when handling laundry.
- Wash the clothes according to the manufacturer’s direction at the highest possible temperature. You can mix clothes worn by a sick person with other fabrics.
- Clean and disinfect the laundry hamper.
- Electronics
- Wipe with disinfectant wipes
- Dispose of used wipes
We understand that this may be quite a hassle for certain households, especially where you have younger siblings or children in the household and you have a job that requires a lot of your time, on top of having to do the chores yourself at home.
In which case, it is recommended to protect your household with an auto-sanitizing coating treatment on all your surfaces, there are multiple options in the market that offers such protection against the CoVID-19 virus.
This will eliminate the need to constantly disinfect your household’s surfaces and a peace of mind knowing that all surfaces are virus free. Not to mention, it frees up a lot of your time to focus on what’s truly important.
CoVID-19 pandemic has truly affected all of us and we wish that you stay safe during these times, remember to wear your face mask, social distance, and avoid going out if you can.