How many times a day do you touch a light switch? How about your refrigerator door handle? Now think about the other people living in your home.
How many times a day do they touch a light switch or refrigerator door? So, what’s the big deal about touching light switches and door handles? Contact with germ-filled and contaminated surfaces can cause illness transmission.
Since we can’t be expected to keep our hands off of common surfaces, we can do our best to decrease germ and bacteria transmission. First, try to keep your hands away from your face. You can also decrease the risk of getting sick by disinfecting surfaces in your home.
Keep reading for cleaning tips for the high-touch surfaces in your home.
Faucets, Handles, and Knobs…Oh, My!
Doorknobs, refrigerator handles, and sink faucets. People touch these surfaces often throughout the day. And, they should.
It’s hard to wash your hands without touching the sink. It’s pretty difficult to get your food if you can’t open the fridge. And the door…well…you get it.
Homeowners should disinfect faucets, handles, and doorknobs once a day. This may seem excessive but it could help keep you healthy.
Digital Dangers
Over the last ten years, people have been studying the germs on high-touch surfaces like phones and computer keyboards. These studies found that communal keyboards and touch screen phones sometimes carry as much (or more) bacteria as toilet seats.
Don’t ditch your digital dependence just yet. A simple habit of cleaning and disinfecting your phone, tablet, and/or computer can decrease the yuck factor.
How to Clean Screens
Always follow your phone manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations. If you can’t find instructions for your gadget, grab a microfiber cloth. Fill a small spray bottle halfway with water and half with 70% or higher isopropyl alcohol.
Spritz the solution onto the microfiber cloth. Next, lightly wipe your phone’s surfaces. Include the front, back, sides, and between the phone and its case. Use light, thorough stroke as too much pressure could damage your phone’s protective surface.
Think about how many hours a day you spend with your electronics. Keeping them all clean can play a part in your overall health.
How to Clean Keyboards
Before you start cleaning your desktop or laptop keyboard, unplug it from its power source. This could be the USB port or batteries.
Next, turn it upside down and lightly shake it to free loose crumbs hiding between the keys. Set it down right side up and spray compressed air through the key spaces.
If you’re really ambitious, you can use a small dirt vacuum for each key to remove loose dirt and grime. Finally, use a microfiber cloth sprayed with 70% or stronger isopropyl alcohol to disinfect your keyboard.
Don’t Catch a Cold From Your Kitchen
If you think about it, it’s no wonder your kitchen gets so gross. Your kitchen sees raw meat, spills that may go undetected, and, of course, high-touch surfaces.
How many people are opening and closing your cabinets? What about those kitchen chairs and countertops? Before you start shooing your family out of the kitchen, add cleaning and disinfecting these high-touch surfaces to your daily routine.
- Kitchen Countertops
- Table surfaces
- Kitchen Chairs (including arms)
- Light Switches
- Refrigerator Door Handles
- Oven Door Handles
- Microwave buttons and door handle
- Sink Faucet handle(s)
When you’re disinfecting these high-touch surfaces, make sure to use the right kind of cleaner. Using the wrong product on a surface can cause permanent damage.
Game Over, Germs
Do you have a gaming system in your home? How many times a day do kids and adults handle those controllers? Maybe you don’t want to think about it…but you should.
What about your remote? How many fingers do those buttons see on a daily basis? Unless everyone is washing their hands right before they touch it, it’s probably germ-city.
Germs and bacteria can transfer from hands to surfaces. But then there’s food. Many people enjoy snacking while watching TV or playing video games.
Before you burn your remote and controllers, just add them to the list of daily disinfected surfaces. A few swipes with CDC-approved disinfectant wipes each day should keep them clean.
When Bathrooms are Bad
You don’t have to think too hard to figure out why bathrooms get a bit gnarly. Think about how many people use your bathroom each day. Now consider how many surfaces exist in your bathroom.
Here’s a high-tough surfaces checklist for your bathroom.
- Faucet Handles
- Countertops
- Toilet surfaces (handles, seats, seat covers)
- Doorknobs
- Sink basins
- Light switches
Disinfecting surfaces on this list each day will help keep bacteria and germs at bay.
Cleaning High-Touch Surfaces
Few people have the time to give their house a deep clean several times a week. If your cleaning time is limited, concentrate on high-touch surfaces in your home.
Any surface multiple people touch multiple times each day is considered a high-touch surface. With each touch, germs and bacteria can transfer from a hand to the surface. When another person touches these surfaces, those germs can transfer to their hands.
Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces can reduce the amount of invisible invader transfer. Ok, great, but who has the time? Your friends at Maid For You.
Maid For You will take care of the cleaning so you can spend your time doing the things you love. Give us a call at (603) 574-4878 to schedule your cleaning today.
