Extra steps for cleaning your home when someone is sick

Posted 10/23/20

As cold and flu season arrives during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, health officials recommend taking everyday precautions as well as extra steps for cleaning your home when someone is sick.

The …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Extra steps for cleaning your home when someone is sick

Posted

As cold and flu season arrives during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, health officials recommend taking everyday precautions as well as extra steps for cleaning your home when someone is sick.

The person who is sick should stay separated from others in the home as much as possible, with a separate bedroom and bathroom for the family member who is ill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The CDC recommends the following precautions and steps:

If you have a separate bedroom and bathroom: Wear disposable gloves and only clean the area around the person who is sick when needed, such as when the area is soiled. This will help limit your contact with the person who is sick.

Caregivers can provide personal cleaning supplies to the person who is sick (if appropriate). Supplies include tissues, paper towels, cleaners and EPA-registered disinfectants.

If they feel up to it, the person who is sick can clean their own space.

If there’s a shared bathroom: The person who is sick should clean and disinfect after each use. If this is not possible, the caregiver should wait as long as possible before cleaning and disinfecting.

Wear disposable gloves when handling dirty laundry from a person who is sick.

Dirty laundry from a person who is sick can be washed with other people’s items.

Do not shake dirty laundry, and clean and disinfect hampers.

Households are encouraged to practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces, such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, toilets, phones, faucets and sinks.

When doing routine cleaning and disinfection around your house, the CDC recommends wearing reusable or disposable gloves. Clean surfaces using soap and water — which reduces the number of germs and dirt — and then use a disinfectant to kill germs on surfaces.

To disinfect, use a product that is known to be effective against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. A list of products can be found online at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

When using a disinfectant, follow the instructions on the label to ensure safety effectiveness. The disinfectant will need to remain on the surface for a period of time (see the product label). Wear gloves and make sure you have good ventilation when using a disinfectant.

When removing gloves after cleaning, be sure to wash your hands immediately.

The CDC says diluted household bleach solutions can be used if appropriate for the surface, and unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted. Use bleach containing 5.25–8.25% sodium hypochlorite.

Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser. This can cause fumes that may be very dangerous to breathe in.

For more information on COVID-19, visit tinyurl.com/qv6p3bo.

Comments