How to Sanitise and Disinfect Your Home

You are not wrong to worry about germs and wonder how you can protect your home from them. If you disinfect your home along with cleaning it, you will be one step closer to keeping germs out of your living space.

Germs can travel up to 3 feet after a sneeze or a cough and may rest on different surfaces around the home for hours or even days. Also, anytime someone from the family steps outside, they increase the chances of bringing the germs on their clothes, hands, bags, etc. back into the home when they return. You may have been cleaning your rooms well, but to ensure hygiene in the home, you need to sanitise and disinfect it too.

Cleaning with soap and water eliminates dirt and dust, but sanitisers and disinfectants help kill germs. Cleaning should be the first step towards a hygienic home, followed by sanitising and disinfecting. 

Why is disinfection so important? Your home is full of high-touch surfaces such as door handles, doorknobs, switchboards, chair arms and so on. These surfaces become a breeding ground for germs if not disinfected on a daily basis. Through this article, we aim to help you discover how to disinfect your home in the best possible way.

The best way to go about this is to take one room at a time. That way, you can ensure all your rooms are sanitised and disinfected properly. You may begin with common areas of the house that are used by all members of the family, and then move to specific areas. Create a cleaning routine wherein you not only clean your rooms but also disinfect the high-touch surfaces in them.

Wash your hands before and after cleaning any room or surface. You can use regular soap and water, or alcohol-based sanitisers such as those available from Lifebuoy.

1) How to Disinfect Living Room

Now that you’re home due to the lockdown, your living room is bound to get messy with the family spending more time here. It is also the first room that someone coming from outside will use. Hence, it is important to learn how to sanitise this room. Your living room also has the most frequently touched surfaces, like the switchboard and doorknobs. 

Create a routine whereby you clean the room and wipe down all high-touch surfaces, like switches, door handles, chairs, centre and dining tables, and shelves. If your children play on the floor, it is important you keep it clean. Disinfect the floor with Domex Floor Cleaner that contains Sodium Hypochlorite as an active ingredient. Use as directed on the pack; test on a small hidden area and rinse to check compatibility first.

To disinfect high-touch surfaces, you can use Domex Multi-Purpose Disinfectant Spray. It contains Sodium Hypochlorite, as recommended by leading health organisations, for disinfecting surfaces at home. It safely kills germs on frequently touched surfaces in rooms and leaves behind a pleasant fragrance. Always test on a small hidden area and rinse to check compatibility first. And follow the instructions on the pack for usage. 

2) How to Disinfect Kitchen

When you and your family are indoors for weeks, you are bound to use your kitchen frequently and cook more meals than usual. You need to keep your kitchen hygienic by washing utensils and the platform daily with a dishwashing liquid. High-touch surfaces in your kitchen include appliances like your oven and fridge, cabinet handles and countertops. These surfaces can be cleaned with Domex Multipurpose Disinfectant Spray. Remember to use as instructed on the product, and always test it on a small area first.

You can disinfect the kitchen floor to maintain hygiene by using products like Domex Floor Cleaner that contains Sodium Hypochlorite as an active ingredient. Use this with caution in the kitchen, as this is a bleach and should not be exposed to food. Use as directed on the pack; first test it on a small hidden area and rinse to check compatibility.

3) How to Disinfect Bathroom

This heavily used wet space needs to be cleaned as often as possible. To clean the toilet, wear rubber gloves before applying bleach or a cleaning liquid like Domex Fresh & Clean on the rim and inside the commode. Follow the instructions on the product pack. 

Clean high-touch surfaces in your bathroom, like the flush handle, toilet, seat, washbasin, taps, door handles, bath fittings, etc., with a good bathroom cleaning product. Thereafter, disinfect them using Domex Multipurpose Disinfectant Spray. Follow the product’s usage instructions and test on a small area first.

Don’t forget to wash hand and face napkins, towels and other bathroom linen thoroughly with a detergent that can kill germs. Read the pack instructions before use.

4) How to Disinfect Kids’ Room

One of the first things to do to keep your children safe is to clean and disinfect their room daily. Your kids’ room houses several surfaces that requires attention. These would include their study table, chairs, board games, wardrobes and their handles. Start by dusting the room using a dry cloth to remove dirt. After that, clean the room with a regular household detergent and water. Finish off by disinfecting them for better hygiene. Use a suitable disinfectant spray such as Domex Multi-Purpose Disinfectant Spray, which kills germs. Always test on a small hidden area and rinse to check compatibility first. Don’t forget to read the instructions on the product, and check if it’s recommended for soft and porous surfaces.

5) How to Disinfect Bedroom

Your bedroom is where you rest and unwind. And during the lockdown, it may also double up as your office space. So how to sanitise this room? Start with the bed and side tables. You also should clean and disinfect the mattress, bedsheets, pillows, pillow covers, blankets, duvets, etc. A good detergent, water, bleach, a vacuum cleaner and a multipurpose disinfectant spray are all you need to make the bed and related items germ-free. You can read detailed tips here. 

Your wardrobe may be one of the most frequently touched items in your bedroom. While you need not clean and disinfect it daily, you can take advantage of the extra time during the lockdown to deep-clean them. First empty the closets, and then clean and disinfect each shelf and drawer using a multipurpose disinfectant spray. Then rearrange and organise your clothes, accessories etc. Check out detailed steps here. 

6) How to Disinfect Other Areas

If you have a table, stool or a designated area near the main door to store your house or car keys, wallets and credit cards, shopping bags and loose change, it is important to disinfect these items and the area daily. Always test on a small hidden area and rinse to check compatibility first. And follow the instructions on the pack for usage. 

Also, surfaces like the main entrance doorknobs and handles, doorbell, switchboards, remote controls, landline phone, etc., which are touched frequently by you and your family members, need to be disinfected regularly.

Key Tips

• Wear a pair of gloves when disinfecting your rooms. If you do not have disposable ones, wash and dry your gloves thoroughly after each use. 

• Disinfect the mopping cloth or head after you wipe the floor of a room and move on to the next room. This will stop the spread of germs from one room to another.

• Keep separate cleaning and dusting rags for different rooms. Wash and dry them after every use.

• Use disposable bags for your garbage bins. Wash and disinfect your bins regularly as well.

• Disinfect your floor daily to avoid germ build-up. Always use the floor cleaner as directed on the pack; test on a small hidden area and rinse to check compatibility first.

Follow these tips to a get a clean, sanitised home and with it, peace of mind! Remember, you need to be most careful when you come into your home from outside. You can read detailed tips here about what to keep in mind.  

Sources:

CDC Reference