Every one of us is affected by the COVID-19 virus in some way. There isn’t anyone worldwide that isn’t either in quarantine of some type, on the frontlines as an essential employee, or has their income effected in some way by this pandemic. Many people are looking for ways to have a healthy home.
Our Family
In our home, we self-quarantined before it was mandated in California. I have a compromised immune system and asthma and our youngest son, William, also has asthma. We need to make sure we have a healthy home.
Our oldest son, Brock, has disabilities and has had 15 surgeries in his 22 years of life. Because of these surgeries our family has learned ways to keep our home as germ free as possible to avoid unnecessary infection. These germ blocking techniques have come in handy this past month and we’ve even ramped up some of them where necessary.
My husband works in food production so he is classified as an essential employee, so he continues to go to work everyday. Even if he didn’t, we are still bringing in groceries, mail, and packages into our home daily; things that could possibly be carrying the virus.
What We Know About Keeping Homes Healthy
US DAY TODAY has a breakdown of the report from the New England Journal of Medicine with guidelines for how long the Coronavirus can live in the air and on various surfaces. Here’s what they know so far:
- Air – The virus can survive in water droplets in the air up to 3 hours
- Copper – 4 hours
- Cardboard – 24 hours
- Steel – 3 days
- Plastic – 3 days
- Glass – 4 days
- Rubber, Leather, & PVC based products – 5 days
Note: The Rubber, Leather & PVC based products are additional information from the New Yorker posted Mar 26, 2020
Cleaning Guidelines
Since the virus can live on surfaces for so long, it is important to wipe things down as they come into your home. The CDC recommends bleach or at least 60% alcohol to be the best products for disinfecting your home against COVID-19. If you’re using bleach for cleaning, you can mix 5 tablespoons (1/3 C) bleach to 1 gallon water (or 4 teaspoons to 1 quart water). Pour it into an empty spray bottle for ease of use and be sure to mark the spray bottle “Bleach” for safety.
NEVER INGEST BLEACH OR ANY PRODUCT CONTAINING BLEACH!
This will NOT protect your body from any virus and can lead to death.
Gloves
Be sure to wear gloves when cleaning with bleach products. This not only protects your skin from the effects of bleach, but it will also prohibit the germs from being carried in on your hands. Make sure you remove the gloves properly so the germs are passed to your clothes or skin.
It’s a great idea to wear disposable gloves any time you are out in the public at this time. Dispose of the gloves outside and keep hand sanitizer with alcohol in your car and near your front door to help eliminate any germs that may accidentally hitch a ride in.
Sharing Our Tips
I’ve had a lot of friends and family members text or call me recently, not only to check on us but also to get some tips for keeping the germs out of their homes. I thought there’s probably a few of you who might like to learn them also.
Since Brock is an aspiring director, I asked him to help me make this little video to show you how we do things here in our home. Thanks to modern technology, his friend Arthur in Scotland was able to edit it for us. Hopefully our tips will help you keep your family safe and help you create your healthy home.
For more helpful tips and information on COVID-19, please visit the CDC’s site Resources for Households.
DISCLOSURE:
I am not a medical professional, scientist, or infectious disease specialist. The tips I give in this video are ones that we have been taught to us by nurses and other professionals over the years. I’m not claiming that following these tips will keep you or anyone you live with from getting COVID-19. This video is strictly informational and just to share with you what we do in our home to keep ourselves protected as much as possible.
I will update this post with new, verified information as it becomes available.