The summer is knocking on our doors. This means only one thing, the flu season has arrived. Bacterial or viral, any type of flu could be spread within the home if proper hygiene routine is not followed at home. If you have sick kids at home, you have to take additional precautions as it may take more time for them to recover than adults.
In this blog, we will talk about how to keep your house clean if your child has got a fever, virus, influenza, etc and not just a little cold or a running nose. Apart from cleaning, it is very crucial to feed your child healthy food and keep them hydrated at all times to ensure a strong immune system is maintained.
Here are some tips and tricks to keep your home clean & hygienic:
Open window:
It is important to get some fresh air in the home when your child is sick. Keep your window open for at least 15-20 minutes in a day so there is no suffocation in the room. Fresh air helps your kid’s mind to relax and help them breathe easily.
Change towels:
Viruses and influenza can spread easily at home by contacting any stained or unwashed hand towels which have been used by the person who is sick. Ensure to clean the towels on a daily basis to keep your home hygienic until your kid has recovered.
Wash hands for 20 seconds:
This is very important for all the members of the house to do if someone is sick. According to the World Health Organisation, you should wash your hands for a bare minimum of 20 seconds with soap and water or using a sanitizer. Ensure that the front & back of the hand along with palm and fingers are washed thoroughly.
Bonus tip: Sing the song “Happy Birthday” twice while washing your hands.
Dispose tissues properly:
Once tissues are used, make sure they are disposed of in closed bins and not spread throughout the home. You can give kids (age 4+) plastic bags wherein they can throw out used tissues and keep those plastic bags near them at all times.
Keep bathrooms clean:
Cleaning your bathrooms frequently is another way to keep your home clean and hygienic when someone gets sick. Clean the sink handles and toilets thoroughly. Then move on to cleaning the bathtub and the floor. Ensure to get rid of any toxic smells by pouring water properly on the floor to avoid any other health-related issues.
Towel pathway & puke bags:
If your kid has got the stomach flu, it is recommended to keep some old towels on the way to your washroom to reduce the cleaning work at home. Also, keep some puke bags in the medicine cabinet and some in the glove box of the car if you are on the road.
Wipe most-touched items:
Light switches, remote control, phones, refrigerator and door handles are some of the most commonly touched items at homes that can spread virus or flu to others at home, easily. Use a cleaning cloth or a cotton pad to wipe them and do not reuse the same cleaning material again.
Wash pillow covers and bedsheets:
It’s a good idea to keep changing pillow covers on a frequent basis and clean them once they are not in use. As for bedsheets, keep them until the kids have recovered from the flu.
Also, keep the blankets, quilts, and comforters clean too. Cleaning of all these items helps your kids and home members gain peace of mind before they go to sleep.
Clean your washing machine:
Yes, you read that right. Pour hot water and bleach to the dispenser and run an empty cycle in the washing machine. Run one more cycle to ensure bleach is removed and you can add an old towel or piece of cloth to check for lingering spots.
Wash toothbrushes:
Cleaning toothbrush is also important as it helps to ensure that dental hygiene is not compromised when your kid is sick. Soak the toothbrushes in hydrogen peroxide for around 15-30 minutes and rinse it thoroughly with water. Replace the toothbrush once your kid has recovered completely from the flu.
Use disposable products:
One another way to stop spreading the flu is by using disposable cutlery while eating. This helps as you don’t come in contact with regular cutlery while washing it. Ensure healthy food is served in disposable paper bowls & plates. Keep a separate water bottle only for your kid so that they stay hydrated at all times.
Hire professional maids:
Hiring a professional maid helps in keeping the home environment healthy & hygienic. Additionally they know the right technique of cleaning, thus optimising the whole cleaning process & helping in saving lot of time.
