You probably didn’t think twice about whether you were washing your hands and home correctly prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever, it’s important to ensure that your home, surfaces, and frequently touched objects have been thoroughly disinfected to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as the pandemic is shining light on steps that many people may not be doing correctly. Today, we at American Hometown Services would like to discuss sanitizing for COVID for your Macomb, IL home or business.
Clean VS Disinfect
According to experts, there is a difference between disinfecting and cleaning and that is cleaning uses soap and water to visibly remove dirt and germs from surfaces, and disinfecting uses chemicals to kill pathogens, such as COVID-19. Though cleaning can kill some germs, disinfecting is far more efficient. Make certain refrigerator handles, doorknobs, countertops, phones, keyboards, and other high-touch surfaces need to be sanitized. Below are a few notes to help you better sanitize your home and business.
1) Cleaning products are not equal. Experts recommend using natural household cleaning products since they have not been tested for effectiveness against COVID-19. Household cleaning products that are effective in killing COVID-19 pathogens are listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and they include products such as Clorox, Lysol, and other products.
2) Read cleaner instructions carefully. They must be used correctly in order for disinfectants to be effective. Be sure to pay attention on how long the particular product must sit on the surface most importantly. For instance, for three minutes and then allowed to air dry after spraying the surface and leaving it wet is the directions for Lysol Disinfectant Spray. This is due to needing to break down the walls of the viruses and bacteria. This indicates that the bacteria and viruses cannot be destroyed immediately upon contact with this chemical.
3) Homemade disinfectant. It is recommended by the CDC that you mix 5 TBSP of bleach or for every quart of water, add 4 tsp of bleach. Make certain the bleach hasn’t expired.
4) Use gloves to protect skin. With frequent exposure to chemicals, contact dermatitis, or skin rashes, can become common. As you may have already noticed these past few months, you can even get it from washing your hands often.
5) With care, treat electronics. You can use products containing at least 70% alcohol when disinfecting electronics, like phones or keyboards.
6) Rubbing helps to eliminate germs as you clean with soap and water. To help break down pathogens, this action creates friction. This why vigorous hand washing for at least 20 seconds is recommended and this goes for both cleaning surfaces and your hands.
7) Keep out of reach of children and make sure to properly store cleaning products. Obviously, these products should never be ingested and if used improperly, these cleaning products can be dangerous. For daily needs, get into routine of practicing these cleaning and disinfecting behaviors. An example includes sanitizing yourself and anything you come into contact with. The more careful you are, the more you minimize the spread of COVI-19.
Janitorial Cleaning & More in Quincy, Macomb, Hamilton, Warsaw & East Alton Illinois / Hannibal, Missouri and Norman, Oklahoma
To ensure your home or business in Greater Macomb, IL is properly sanitized and disinfected, call in the professionals of American Hometown Services and let our certified experts assist you.
