Have you ever wondered how doctors and nurses don’t get sick all the time? I can guarantee you they are not spraying themselves with Lysol or spreading bleach everywhere. They are, however, using these tips to prevent the spread of illness once they have encountered a sick patient. You should try these tips (even before someone in your family gets sick) to prevent the spread of the cold or flu virus throughout your home.
Bleach was used to kill people in World War I by Chlorine Gas Cylinders. If Lysol stopped the spread of the flu virus, then why did everyone in your household get sick right after you did?
The cold and flu viruses cannot be killed by spraying a water based solution into the air. Raise your hand if you agree that the flu virus is a fact of life that not even the flu shot can always stop. There are, however, everyday things we can do to prevent the cold and flu viruses from spreading in our homes.
Our homes are more polluted than the outside air. We spray toxins, we cook, and we live in an enclosed space for many hours. These spaces are rarely aired out so we have to take a personal and active approach to not spreading what we may have brought in from the outside. So, how do we do that? Try these simple techniques!
How Do I Stop The Cold And Flu Viruses?
1. Take your shoes off. It may seem silly that the cold or flu virus can be on the bottom of your shoe…but it can. You walk into your home wearing the same shoes you have walked on the dirty gym floor, elevators, stairwells, 6th Street, etc. (need I say more?). Then, the doggy licks the floor and licks you. Okay…maybe you don’t have a dog, but you may have a small child that spends time on the floor. They too are now licking, touching, and spreading the germs from the outside to the inside. One of those germs most likely is the cold or flu virus. Yuck!2. Disinfect your not so common cleaning items such as:
- Light switches,
- phones,
- toilet handles,
- faucets,
- fridge doors,
- door handles,
- computer keyboards,
- remote controls,
- and car door handles.
Those are just a few of the “not so common” areas that need to be cleaned.
However, you can’t just spray a cleaner on a remote or a keyboard because you may damage the electronic device with a water based cleaner. We recommend using disinfectant wipes for these areas.
Here’s an easy, time-management tip to help you stay healthy: The average commercial break of your favorite TV show is 2.5 minutes. If you took just one wipe, you could easily wipe off many of those uncommon cleaning items within commercial breaks. How is easy and fast is that? And, you may just save your family from catching a really nasty illness…all within a short commercial break!
Make a spray disinfectant and keep it handy (not under the kitchen sink). Just like an air freshener, if you keep a small spray bottle of homemade disinfectant out (along with some wipes) you are more likely to use it more often. No one really thinks to disinfect until the virus has already hit someone in the house. Why wait? Disinfect before someone in your family actually catches the virus!
Tea tree oil, vinegar, and water make a great disinfectant. If the tea tree oil is too potent, then add your favorite essential oil scent. (Mine is eucalyptus).
HAD THE FLU? LET US GET YOUR HOME CLEAN!3. Change your bed sheets and pillows often and wash them in hot water to disinfect. If you were sick yesterday, then wash your sheets today. You may wash your sheets more in a week while you are sick than you regularly wash in a month. But, it helps reduce the downtime once you clean what you are going to again lay your head on.4. Don’t sleep with pets as they lick surfaces that carry germs their bodies can handle but our bodies cannot.
Stay Healthy My Friends
No matter how often your home is cleaned all it takes is one sneeze in a common area to spread the flu virus to others in the house. The biggest tip to keep the flu away from you is to not touch your nose and eyes unless you are washing your face or using a tissue. This is one of the hardest things we can do, but it is the best way to prevent those nasty cold and flu viruses from entering our bodies.So, disinfect before the cold and flu virus hits your home and please stay healthy!(Did I just hear someone sneeze? Bless you!)