In recent times, employees and employers alike have stepped out of offices and began working remotely in the comfort of their homes. Understandably so, a large population of society has decided to shun from the sunny outdoors completely, since access to their beds, couches, TV and other necessities are now available 24/7.
Moreover, the Phase 2 Heightened Alert announced by the Singapore Government in mid-May has resulted in many of us locking in our choices to stay home until the number of cases starts stabilising. As everyone begins to keep themselves in their personal spaces during this quiet period, we’ve curated a mini guide on cleaning and disinfecting, for the highly cautious individual who wishes to keep the possibility of viruses living around their households close to nothing.
Cleaning and disinfecting your home
In essence, cleaning your home not only helps rid dirt and dust, which are the usual culprits of our allergies, but it also helps remove most virus particles. By giving your home a regular clean at least once a week, you’re effectively reducing the amount of germs on surfaces and decreasing the risk of infection of the COVID-19 virus.
In fact, basic cleaning is more than enough to curb the spread of germs and viruses in your households — that means cleaning with disinfectants is not a must, but just an add-on. While it’s not a rule you have to abide by, the health experts do only recommend disinfectants for when someone at home is either sick, or has fallen ill with the novel coronavirus. In the event that happens, you should most definitely clean, and disinfect your homes, and double-up on the high touch surfaces, especially the rooms where the sick person spends most time in.
Some common high-touch surface are:
- Door knobs
- Handles
- Light switches
- Countertops
- Toilet seats
- Dining table and chairs
Setting ground rules
If you decide to go the extra mile to keep you and your loved ones free from viruses and germs, why not establish some rules for everyone, including visitors? It need not be stringent as though you’re operating a military base, but it may be as simple as ensuring visitors are not down with any COVID-19 symptoms (e.g. coughing, difficulty breathing, fever or sore throat) and that they sanitize their hands before stepping into the house. If need be, you can even request for visitors to keep their masks up.
Staying safe with vigilance
Despite the number of cases staying on the low, we should always remain vigilant in our fight against COVID-19, especially when people are already expecting the virus to stay for good. As we never really know when we are exposed to the nightmare that is COVID-19, there is no shame in taking precautions earlier to keep you and your loved ones safe because after all, it is always better safe than sorry.
