Cleaning With Sickness In Mind

I clipped this a while ago (can't remember where it was). GREAT ideas with cold and flu season in full swing.

I am adding this for Tammy's Kitchen Tip Tuesday (with a few more rooms added in. . .)

Cleaning With Sickness In Mind

Living Areas
In your living room, great room, and all other areas where you “hang out,” keep in mind areas your hands touch- doorknobs, light switches, remote controls, computer keypads. For items that are less likely to be harmed by getting a little wet, spray Lysol and leave it without wiping. For more sensitive electronic items, I usually spray Lysol on a cloth and wipe from there.

Kitchen
Here, you’ll also think about areas hands touch. Again, clean the light switches, doorknobs, the refrigerator door handle, and all other areas your hands touch. Lysol, again, is the best for this. Don’t forget things like your coffee maker and the buttons on your microwave. I rarely use bleach for cleaning since I cannot handle the smell, but I do use a bit of bleach in my dishwater when washing dishes if anyone has been sick. I also make sure all dishes are absolutely and thoroughly dry before putting them away. I normally make sure they’re dry, but in the case of sickness, bone dry, baby.

Bedrooms
I change the sheets as soon as someone’s finished being sick and wash them with hot water. If you’re going through a particularly ugly round of sickness and you feel too weak still to change sheets, changing the pillowcases will be a good temporary solution until you feel well enough to go all out and change everything. Don’t forget your can of Lysol and spraying all the areas your hands touch. I also like to make sure I thoroughly dust and vacuum (this goes for every room of the house) if it’s a respiratory illness- sometimes a bad cold is actually allergies. Give your pillows a nice sunning, if it’s dry enough outside.

Bathrooms
Clean your toilets like the Queen of England is coming to use the loo. And, of course, don’t forget the good ol’ Lysol. Clean the sink and tub really well, too. And, of course, don’t forget the light switches, etc.

Laundry
All clothes and bed linens from the sick person should be washed with the hottest water possible. If there have been diarrhea or vomiting issues, be sure to wash those items separately with bleach, if the items can be bleached. Dry on the hottest possible setting as well. And, naturally, Lysol all the areas that hands touch. You should be used to that routine by now.