Every morning we wake up and there is new information on the news about the Coronavirus outbreak - more positive tests, more deaths, more business closures. You may find it hard to make a plan for your day to day life during this admittedly scary time because of all of the unknowns that come along with this virus.  However, there are many things that you can do around your home to keep you and your family safe and healthy and to prevent the spread of the virus. 

Wash your hands - One of the best ways to lower your risk of getting COVID-19 (& avoid passing it to others) is to wash your hands… A LOT! Wash your hands after you cough, sneeze, touch your face, use the restroom, or are about to leave one place to go to another. Keep hand sanitizer in your purse, your car, back pocket, just wash/sanitize your hand very frequently. 

Clean & Disinfect Your Home - EVEN IF NO ONE IN YOUR HOME IS SICK!!! One thing to keep in mind - cleaning and disinfecting are two different things. Cleaning is about removing contaminants from a surface and disinfecting focuses on killing pathogens. We should do both, cleaning and disinfecting, daily!

Clean & Disinfect Your Home’s High-Touch Surfaces - Scientists who have been researching COVID-19 have found that the novel coronavirus can live on surfaces such as cardboard for at least 24 hours and as long as two or three days on plastic and stainless steel. High-touch surfaces to clean and disinfect daily should include:

• Doorknobs

• Tables and chairs

• Kitchen & bathroom counters

• Desks

• Faucets/faucet knobs

• Toilet (seat and handles)

• Light switches/lamps

• TV remote controls

• Game controllers

• Phones/computer keyboard & mouse

Clean all of the above surfaces or any other areas in your home that you and your family frequently use with warm soapy water or cleaning spray to remove any contaminants, dust and debris. Then apply a disinfectant that is appropriate for that surface, disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray is typically the easiest for this step. Adding these simple cleaning steps to your everyday routine will help lower the risk for you or your family members of coming in contact with the COVID-19 germs. 

Clean & Disinfect Your Electronics - This is extremely important. Think about it… how many times a day do you touch your cell phone, computer or any other electronic device? Most likely quite a bit, especially if you are quarantined and stuck inside for multiple days.  These devices are magnets for gross, yucky germs. Cell phones are high-touch surfaces that you carry with you just about everywhere you go and they most likely touch many other surfaces throughout the days too. When you are checking out at the gas station or the grocery store do you set your phone on the counter while you pay? Think about how many people before you have done the same thing or kids that are touching their hands all over the counters. All of those germs are now on your cell phone. GROSS! Clean and disinfect your cell phone and other electronic devices with disinfecting wipes or an alcohol solution. Don’t forget to disinfect your computers and tablets too. Make sure to clean the front, back and buttons of your tablets. Make sure that you clean the keyboard, trackpad, exteriors and where your wrists lay or where you hold your laptop or computer. 

Stay Home - There is so much craziness going on in the world right now that is causing so many people stress and anxiety. Avoid going out as much as you can. If you can work from home, work from home. Do not go out into the community where you are picking up more and more germs and bringing them back into your home. Go to the grocery store, load up on your snacks and toilet paper and enjoy a few days at home, even if you do still have to work! 

Don't forget to check up on your loved ones during this time and remind them to clean and disinfect the areas around them!