Cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning! Quarantine is a great time to get a handle on all those cleaning tasks that you can always justify putting on the back burner. And with coronavirus (COVID-19) still a concern, sanitizing your home from top to bottom has never been more important. Read on as we dive into how to sanitize your home and all of your belongings for protection against COVID-19.
Cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces frequently can help lower the chances of you or a loved one of contracting COVID-19 and lower your chances of spreading it to someone else if you have it but are asymptomatic. Therefore, cleaning helps everyone! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is still recommending that we all take steps to clean and sanitize high-touch surfaces in our homes (read more here).
It is important to note that cleaning and disinfecting are slightly different things. Cleaning is about removing contaminants from a surface, while disinfecting is about killing pathogens. It is recommended to do both daily (especially if anyone new has entered or you have left your home and came back for any reason). Transmission of the virus is still much more likely to occur from in-person contact, but the CDC still recommends cleaning and disinfecting all high-touch surfaces at least once a day.
First, clean these surfaces by removing any dust or dirt by wiping them with soapy water/cleaning spray and a towel (RITZ® Microfiber Cloths work well here). Next, apply a disinfectant spray that is appropriate for the surface you are cleaning. If you’re having trouble finding disinfectant sprays or wipes, just do a thorough cleaning job with soap, hot water and the cleaning products you do have. For your convenience, RITZ® towels are safe to use with non-chlorine bleach as well. Researchers have found that the coronavirus is capable of living on surfaces such as cardboard for 24 hours, but up to two or three days on stainless steel and plastic surfaces, which is why sanitizing daily is so important.
Possible disinfectant options:
- Disinfecting wipes (Clorox®, Lysol® or any store brand will do)
- Disinfectant spray (Purell®, Clorox®, Lysol®, etc.)
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Non-chlorine bleach
Some basic cleaning tips:
- Clean one room at a time from top to bottom
- Always have lots of extra towels, cleaning rags and gloves on hand (see the RITZ® products we recommend later on in this article)
- Target high-touch surfaces like the refrigerator door handles, kitchen countertops, door knobs and light switches
Things to consider sanitizing daily:
- Refrigerator door handles
- Oven door and temperature knobs
- Door knobs
- Kitchen counters
- Cupboard doors and knobs
- Table surfaces
- Hard dining chairs (seat, back, and arms)
- Bathroom counters
- Faucets and faucet knobs
- Toilets (seat and handle)
- TV remote controls
- Game controllers
- Light switches
- Garage door handles and openers
- Car wheel, gearshift and door handle (if you’re driving daily)
- Keyboards
- Desks
- Cell phones
Deep cleaning can be done less often, but is still important for sanitizing all of the surfaces of your home that may not be touched quite as much. You’ll want to think about larger areas of your home like flooring and items you may not think to clean as often such as ceiling fans, small kitchen appliances and your washing machine.
Deep cleaning (weekly):
- All floors including carpets, hardwood and tile – RITZ® microfiber cloths work well around the baseboards and trap dirt in the cloth
- Dust things you normally forget like ceiling fans, knickknacks, electronics – RITZ® Dusting Cloth
- Windows – the RITZ® Window Cloth can be used for cleaning with just water!
- Curtains – check to see if they can be machine washed
- Clean out the fridge and wipe down all shelves, drawers, handles, etc.
- Deep clean dishwasher – special cleaning tablets can be purchased
- Washing machine / dryer – look for washing machine cleaner packets
- Laundry hampers – consider using a cloth hamper liner that’s washable or a trash bag that can be thrown out after each use
- All kitchen appliances and then cover with RITZ® Appliance Covers (which are machine washable)
We hope that you have enjoyed learning about the best practices for sanitizing your home in 2020 and that you and your family remain safe. Listed below are the RITZ® products that we recommend for sanitizing your home. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us here.
RITZ® Products that will be helpful for sanitizing your home:
- RITZ® Rubber Cleaning Gloves
- RITZ® Terry Kitchen Towels (3-Pack)
- All-Clad Dual Kitchen Towel (3-Pack)
- T-Fal Dual Printed Kitchen Towel (2-Pack)
- Value Basics Herringbone Kitchen Towel – 14 Pack
- RITZ® Royale Kitchen Towels
- T-Fal Textiles Parquet Kitchen Towel Set (2-Pack)
- Value Basics Kitchen Towel Set (14-Pack)
- All-Clad Combed Cotton Terry Towel
- RITZ® Royale Wonder Towel (2-Pack)
- RITZ® Stripe Microfiber Kitchen Towel Set (3-Pack)
- Value Basics Flour Sack Kitchen Towel Set (14-Pack)
- All-Clad Professional Woven Towel Set – 4 Pack
- RITZ® Swedish Sponge Cloth
- RITZ® Dusting Cloth
- RITZ® Window Cloth
