Cleaning and Disinfecting Your House After Being Sick

How to Properly Clean Your House After Being Sick

November 18, 2024

Congratulations, you're finally over your cold! Unfortunately, just because it's gone, doesn't mean the germs are gone, too. It's vital to thoroughly clean your home after a cold to make sure that you don't infect others or potentially reinfect yourself. In this post, we'll take a look at how to clean and disinfect your house after you or a family member recovers from being sick to prevent the disease from spreading.

Target High-Touch Surfaces

The first thing to do is to target high-touch surfaces in your home. These include doorknobs and handles, remote controls, cell phones, light switches, and anything else that you or your family are likely to touch multiple times per day.

Soap and water probably won't be enough, so you'll want to use disinfectant wipes or sprays specifically designed to kill bacteria and other germs on surfaces. Alcohol-based wipes are the most common but if you'd prefer to use a different sanitizing agent, that's okay, too.

The easiest way to make sure you get everything is to make a checklist of areas and objects you come into contact with regularly. A great way to make sure that the list is complete is to walk into each room in the house, ask yourself which activities you do most commonly in that room, and then figure out which surfaces you touch.

Clean and Disinfect the Bathroom

The next step is to clean the bathroom, which is already a breeding ground for germs. You'll want to clean and disinfect all surfaces, including sinks, faucets, toilet seats and handles, towel racks, and countertops.

In addition to these high-touch areas, the shower or bathtub should be disinfected. Some bathroom cleaners are intended for specific areas like countertops and others are all-purpose. As long as it disinfects and removes all germs, you can use any cleaner you'd like.

Don't forget to wash and replace all towels, shower mats, rugs, and other upholstery, too. Airborne germs can linger on these items even if they haven't been touched. Any surface that a sick person might touch or walk on should be cleaned.

Wash Bedding and Linens

The next step is to wash all pillowcases, blankets, and other bedding items to eliminate bacteria and viruses. They should be washed with hot water and dried using the highest heat setting.

In addition to bedding, you should also clean any throw blankets, couch cushions, and throw pillows that may have come into contact with germs.

Air Out Your Home

To remove any airborne germs, you should air out your home by opening windows and using fans or air purifiers where possible. These should be concentrated in the room or rooms where the sick person spent most of their time, although you can also use them in any high-traffic areas the recently recovered person may have visited, like the bathroom.

If you use an air purifier, you may want to change the filter afterward, although this is usually overkill and not an essential part of the cleaning process. However, if it makes you more comfortable or you really want to be thorough, go right ahead.

Disinfect Kitchen Surfaces and Utensils

High-touch surfaces in the kitchen, including counters, islands, refrigerator door handles, and cabinet knobs, should also be thoroughly disinfected. If they used the microwave or oven, those should be cleaned and disinfected as well.

All dishes and utensils used by the sick person or people should also be cleaned, as well as any shared items like coffee makers, cutting boards, and sinks. Don't forget about the counter around the sink, too.

Sanitize Electronics and Personal Items

Perhaps the most overlooked items when cleaning after being sick are electronics and personal items. We use our cell phones, tablets, computers, television remotes, and more every day without ever thinking that we're potentially carrying around disease or bacteria.

These items should be sanitized frequently using electronics-safe cleaners. Similarly, keys, wallets, and glasses should be cleaned with sanitizing or disinfectant wipes as needed. Try to avoid using soap and water when possible, especially with electronics that can easily be damaged by it.

If you have a shared computer with a mouse or keyboard, headphones, or other personal items, try to avoid using them until the other person has recovered. They might not understand or could get offended, so you should explain that it's out of an abundance of caution and you aren't trying to make them feel bad.

Tips to Prevent Germs from Spreading

If you or someone living with you is currently ill, you'll want to do everything you can to prevent it from spreading. Here are a few helpful tips for everyone in the house to keep in mind:

• The sick person should use separate towels, soaps, and washcloths when bathing to prevent lingering germs from infecting others.
• When possible, use facial tissues and paper towels instead of hand towels or handkerchiefs.
• Remember regular handwashing, especially after visiting the restroom or touching shared surfaces anywhere in the house.
• Hand sanitizer should be available throughout the house in convenient locations, especially in entryways and other areas that receive higher amounts of traffic.
• Avoid close contact when possible and minimize physical interactions.
• Always remember proper etiquette like covering your mouth when you cough, not touching shared plates of food, and other pieces of common courtesy that will also prevent the spread of disease.

You should review this list with everyone in the home to make sure they all understand. With children, in particular, it's important to explain to them the importance of not getting sick themselves.

You may also want to explain that you aren't "mad" at the sick person, they aren't "in trouble," and no one is being "punished" for catching a cold. Instead, they should understand that you still love the sick person, you want to help them get better, and you want to make sure that no one else gets sick.

Final Thoughts

It's important to sanitize your home after you or someone else has been sick to prevent lingering germs, bacteria, or viruses from infecting or reinfecting everyone in the house.

By keeping high-touch items and areas clean, disinfecting bathrooms and common rooms, and keeping our handy list of tips in mind, you can make sure that once the sick person's illness is over, so is the chance of someone getting affected. Good luck and we hope everyone in your home feels better soon!

Professional Cleaning Services for a Healthier, Clean Home

Recovering from an illness can be a challenge, and ensuring your home is thoroughly clean afterward can be equally difficult. That's where Luxoclean comes in! Our professional house cleaning services makes sure every corner of your home is thoroughly cleaned, so you can focus on getting better while we handle the germs. Contact us today to schedule a deep cleaning service.