8 Ways To Keep Your Home Safe During the Pandemic
This year has been a dumpster fire, we all know that. And the main reason is Covid-19. Here in my state we spent three months in lockdown. And I know many other places have reopened completely. The number of infections here in the US continues to rise and our death toll is at 200k and counting. It feels like everyone just decided they were “over” the pandemic. In a climate like this it can be easy to become lax or have a false sense of security. Are you currently taking all of the precautions you took in March or April? You should be. We are heading into the colder seasons and Doctors and virologists are ringing the alarm bell that we will see another surge in cases as everyone heads indoors.
There is no guarantee that you won’t catch the virus but there ARE things we can all do to minimize our risk. Listed below are 7 easy ways to do so.
1. Wash Your Hands
I know this is a duh especially after right now but it never hurts to remind people to stay vigilant about this. You should be washing your hands multiple times a day (whether you’re home or not) for 20-45 seconds.
2. Disinfect High Contact Areas
This means areas that are touched by multiple people in your home throughout the day. So things like doorknobs, countertops, faucet handles, the refrigerator handles, buttons on microwaves, stove knobs, etc. And this should be done at least twice a day.
3. Wipe down groceries
Wipe down groceries with alcohol before putting them away. Many hands have touched them before you did. And YOU touched them. So regardless of if you do your own shopping or have your groceries delivered you should be wiping them down.
4. Wipe down packages.
I know some people quarantine their packages or spray them down with disinfectant and this of course is effective. I used to do this myself. But I don’t have the space to quarantine packages for 3-4 days. Instead I open the boxes and break them down immediately to be taken out with the trash. I then use an alcohol wipe to wipe down all the items in the box and then wash my hands thoroughly.
5. Leave shoes out of the house.
This is something I would recommend in general but especially right now. Have a designated place where everyone leaves their shoes. I grew up having to take my shoes off and wash my hands as soon as I came into the house, so this is second nature for me and it’s something we have implemented in the home today.
6. Take off clothes as soon as you come home
If you have been out in public and sat down in chairs or on public transportation it’s a good idea to take those items off when you come home and either put them in the laundry basket (I turn all of the items inside out) or in the washing machine. This may seem like overkill but the virus CAN live on fabrics for days. Imagine sitting down on your sofa knowing that?
7. Wash your face
Although we all (should) be wearing masks out faces are still vulnerable to airborne droplets. And then you come home, remove your mask and...touch your face.
8. Open your windows
Recent data in the UK and EU has confirmed that the virus is airborne. (The CDC also briefly confirmed this and then backtracked). But if we are required to wear masks to avoid droplets it stands to reason that the virus is airborne. One of the main recommendations for homes and other buildings is to open windows to bring in fresh air and remove any airborne droplets or settled droplets. The windows don’t have to be wide open. We open a window slightly in each room.
I hope you found these tips helpful. I am against fear-mongering but I also firmly believe in science and paying attention to what the experts have to say.
