Good hygiene practices can help to prevent the spread of unhealthy bacteria and viruses throughout your home. Below are just some of the big ways in which you can make your home a more hygienic environment. These important hygiene tips will help to keep you and your family healthy!
Encourage hand washing
The best way to prevent the spread of germs in your home is to make sure that everyone is washing their hands. Kids need to be taught the importance of washing hands early so that it becomes a routine after going to the toilet or before handling food. You may be able to use gadgets like touchless soap dispensers to make washing hands more fun for kids (these gadgets will also prevent everyone from having to touch a soap dispenser). There are also soaps out there for kids.
Improve air quality
Airborne bacteria and viruses are less likely to stay in your home’s air if you keep your property well ventilated. There are many ways to ventilate a home – the easiest being to open a few windows. When you want to keep windows closed, extractor fans can be a good second option for pumping out dirty air. A good HVAC system may also be able to offer ventilation and air purification. HVAC systems should be serviced annually to check that they are clean.
Keep fabrics clean
Homes are full of fabrics including bedding, sofa cushions, carpets, and curtains. These fabrics can often become a breeding ground for bacteria. Make sure that you’re keeping all the fabrics in your home clean. This includes washing bed sheets and hoovering carpets. If you’ve got old carpets or old sofas, you may even want to consider hiring a professional cleaning service. Mattresses should be replaced every 7 years.
Sanitize gadgets
A lot of the gadgets we use can end up covered in bacteria. This is particularly the case with touchscreen devices such as tablets and smartphones, which many of us use while on the toilet. Try to get into a routine of sanitizing these gadgets. Due to the material of their screens, you should only use specialist sanitizer when cleaning your gadgets.
Use different food prep boards
Do you cut all your ingredients on the same chopping board? When cutting veggies it’s important to not share the same board with raw meats like chicken. This can reduce cross-contamination and could prevent you from getting ill. Try looking online for chopping board sets (some of these are color-coordinated).
Regularly wipe surfaces
Any surface that is likely to get touched throughout the day could become a breeding ground for bacteria. Consider some of the most common touchpoints such as door handles and light switches and give them a wipe down. If you’ve got kids, consider surfaces that may be at their height such as coffee tables or lower cupboard drawers. Deep cleaning of every surface isn’t necessary, but you should try to spare time for the most obvious germ-prone surfaces around the house.
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