by Kristen Green
As colder weather arrives, we’re all spending more time indoors. Since we’ve already spent so much extra time at home this year, we’ve already cleaned out our closets, dusted off our bookshelves, and maybe even tackled that scary storage area in your basement. As winter approaches and we turn our focus to our holiday traditions, we shouldn’t forget some steps to keep germs – tiny bacteria that can make you sick – out of your home and off your holiday dining table.
At home, keeping your hands and surfaces clean is vital any time of year. When the winter temperatures drop, humidity also drops. Germs thrive in this dry, cool environment. We encourage you to take particular care to clean and sanitize before your holiday celebrations, whatever those look like this year. Follow these simple tips to prepare your home for winter and the approaching holidays.
Revisit your spring-cleaning checklist. If you haven’t deep-cleaned your house since spring, now is a good time to prepare your home for all the extra time you’ll be spending in it over the winter. Revisit your spring-cleaning checklist and ensure you are keeping your home a safe, comforting retreat.
Clean commonly touched surfaces daily. High-touch surfaces can harbor germs that may you sick, which is why it’s important to clean and disinfect these surfaces daily. EPA recommends incorporating these shared surfaces into your home cleaning regimen:
- Tables
- Countertops
- Desks
- Phones
- Keypads
- Toilets
- Faucets
- Doorknobs
- Light switches
- Handles
- Soft surfaces1
The first step in cleaning is to scrub, wash, or rinse the surface to remove dirt, crumbs, or other debris. This will make the products you use more effective. The second step is to disinfect with an EPA-registered disinfectant. Always read and follow the directions on the label to ensure safe and effective use, including allowing the surface to remain visibly wet as long as the directions indicate.
Stop bacteria at the door. Be proactive and prudent by stopping bacteria from entering your home. As soon as you arrive home, remove your shoes and coats, and go straight to a sink to wash your hands. If you have children, encourage them to follow this routine and make their first stop arriving home from school the sink. Ensure a thorough wash, over all areas of their hands, for at least 20 seconds.
Keep space from anyone that may be sick in your home. If someone in your house becomes ill, make extra efforts to manage their germs and sickness. Here are some tips:
- Try to give the sick person their own room. If there is more than one sick person, they can share the sick room if needed.
- If you have more than one bathroom, have those that are ill use one bathroom and well people use the other one.
- Give each sick person their own drinking glass, washcloth, and towel.
Sanitize on the go. Whatever your holiday travels include, whether that is a local trip to stock up on holiday groceries or do some holiday shopping, or maybe hitting the road or heading to the airport, be sure to carry and use hand sanitizer. Many businesses offer hand sanitizer by the entrance – use it when you enter and leave the building. Consider using hand sanitizer after touching public door handles, electronic screens, after exchanging cash or credit cards, pumping gas, or touching other surfaces that others frequently touch. Remember to use enough product to cover all surfaces of your hands and rub together until your hands are dry. If your holiday travels include a flight, the TSA currently allows one hand sanitizer bottle up to 12 ounces per passenger in carry-on bags until further notice. Keep in mind that this bottle will need to be screened separately.2
Encourage clean hands at your table. This year our holidays may look very different than holidays past, but one thing that never changes is the importance of keeping your hands clean – particularly before you eat. Before sitting down to a holiday meal with your family, celebrating a birthday, or this week’s Taco Tuesday, use your PURELL® hand sanitizer to kill 99.99% of most illness-causing germs on your hands. Using it as part of your mealtime routine is easy and allows you to stay in the moment, enjoying your family during this special time of year.