Blog

There’s no doubt that the pandemic has turned our lives upside down in the most unexpected ways. Household and workplaces have turned into spaces of anxiety as families and workers do their best to keep everyone safe and healthy. 

As misinformation about COVID-19 continues to spread, it’s important to be aware of how it’s really transmitted. According to UNICEF, the virus is spread mainly through respiratory droplets from an infected person that get into the nose, eyes, and mouth of a nearby person.

Respiratory droplets are generated through sneezing, coughing, and talking. These droplets are carried by the wind and may land on surfaces that we usually touch such as doorknobs, tables, smartphones, and more. 

In line with that, we must always keep ourselves, our homes, and our offices safe by regularly cleaning them. Here are ways you can protect yourself and your loved ones from the virus. 

 

1. Make personal hygiene a priority

 

 

You’ve probably heard this a million times, but personal hygiene is one of the best ways to protect yourself and other people from the virus. Since respiratory droplets that carry the virus may land on surfaces, we may be infected when we touch them and then touch our mouth, nose, and eyes. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) advises everyone to frequently wash their hands with water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Rubbing our hands with alcohol and sanitisers can be an effective substitute, but it’s best to always wash with actual soap and water. 

On top of that, we must avoid touching our faces with unwashed hands. According to the American Journal of Infection Control, a person touches their face approximately 25 times an hour. It sounds a lot harder than expected because it requires us to be conscious of where our hands are at all times

Finally, if we’re going to cough or sneeze, we must cover our mouth or nose with our elbow or upper arm. Using our hands as cover isn’t advisable as we might be carrying the virus and spread it unwittingly to other people. 

 

 

2. Practice social distancing

 

Social distancing refers to keeping yourself at a safe distance from other people. Keep a distance of at least 6 feet or about 2 arms’ length from other people, especially if you’re going to run errands or stock up on groceries. 

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), respiratory droplets travel in the air for a length of 6 feet before falling on surfaces, so protect yourself by keeping a safe distance. 

Another way to keep a safe distance is by making meetings virtual. If you’re planning on catching up with friends, it’s best to do so by going online instead of risking your life... all for a short personal chat.

Everyone’s also advised to avoid hugs and shake hands to limit their contact with other people. On the other hand, while fist bumps and high fives have been proven to transfer less bacteria than a hand shake, no-contact options are always better and safer for everyone. 

 

 

3. Keep surfaces clean

 

 

While we already know that the virus can be transmitted from person to person, it’s possible to contract COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching any part of our face.

Fortunately, most viruses, including COVID-19, are susceptible to disinfectants, so we must always make an active effort to clean our homes and offices.  

When cleaning a surface, wipe it with a disinfectant for at least 20 seconds and then leave it wet for as many minutes as prescribed by the disinfectant’s manufacturers. This is one of the most important steps in cleaning surfaces in your homes and offices. 

It’s also equally important to know which surfaces to clean. Some of the high-contact surfaces in our homes and offices are doorknobs, elevator buttons, light switches, tables, desktops, countertops, and even remote controls.

Offices and businesses are required to take extra safety measures to protect both their employees and customers, and to make sure that their operations don’t get halted. 

 

 

4. Wear a mask at all times

 

 

Aside from keeping ourselves and our houses clean at all times, it’s strongly recommended to wear a mask when going to places like grocery stores. The CDC suggests wearing a non-medical grade mask when visiting places where it’s difficult to maintain social distance.

Masks serve as a barrier that prevents respiratory droplets from traveling through the air and getting into other people’s noses and mouths. If an infected person sneezes nearby and you’re wearing a mask, you have extra protection against the virus. 

Masks may also help prevent people infected with the virus from spreading the virus to other people, so whether or not we’re feeling any symptoms, a mask will help us protect ourselves and other people. 

 

Conclusion

 

And with that, we conclude our tips on cleaning and hygiene in the time of pandemic. Since we are all travelling through uncharted territory, it’s best to always keep our guard in order to protect ourselves and our loved ones. 

If you know other cleaning and hygiene tips that can be helpful to other people, don’t hesitate to share them with us! We’d love to hear what other people have been doing on their own to keep themselves safe. On a side note, we would like to thank Localleadsco (http://localleadsco.com/) who helped us in writing this article.