Hospital officials and cleaning experts explain how houses can be kept clean and hygienic

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METRO DETROIT - COVID-19 has forced many people to go home to prevent the spread of viral diseases.

With much more time in the house, homeowners can take stock of the best ways to keep their homes clean and hygienic.

Donna Bucciarelli, coordinator for injury prevention at Beaumont Hospital, said the first thing a person should do when they get home is to take off their shoes and preferably their clothes. .

Bucciarelli, who previously worked in a pediatric infectious diseases department for almost 12 years, also said that outerwear should be separated from underwear.

"Basically, you should have outerwear ... and underwear so you try to keep them separate," he said. "As soon as you enter the house after taking off your clothes and shoes, wash your hands. The goal is to minimize intrusion into the house and then keep it as clean and disinfected as possible."

Jay McMillan, owner of the Royal Services of Michigan commercial cleaning company, said the best way to keep your home clean and hygienic is to contact a cleaning company to do it for you, but for those who do it themselves to do. Likewise, users should be careful about what they use. For example, his company uses a hospital-grade quaternary disinfectant cleaner. It is therefore important to pay attention to the labeling for proper dilution.

"They may also want to do some research on how long disinfectant solutions should remain on the surface," he said. "Typically, we cover a surface with the diluted cleaner, let it sit for four to five minutes, then clean it and, of course, clean it in a commercial environment. We want to make sure we do one final cleaning."

Once you are in your house, Bucciarelli said, it is important to think about the places and things you touch most often, as they need more cleaning. This can include door handles, light switches, remote controls, desks, hard chairs, pre-meal tables, sinks, taps, toilets, counters and toys.

In addition to cleaning all of these necessary areas, McMillan said he should keep an eye on everything that touches your hands and also clean those areas.

"Wash your hands frequently after disinfecting your home," he said. "Follow the instructions: 20 seconds, soap and water, shake and rinse. Hand sanitizers can also be used at the same time. At home, I'll wash my hands and then put a little disinfectant on my hands, just for a little extra protection."

An important clue, Bucciarelli added, is that there is a difference between cleaning and disinfecting. She recommended cleaning an area with warm soapy water and then using Clorox or Lysol wipes for disinfection.

When detergents run out, a diluted household bleach works just as well as a disinfectant. Bucciarelli said, however, that a new bottle of bleach is important as it will lose strength and effectiveness after 30 days. She recommended going out with bleach after opening.

"The CDC recommends only 1/3 cup (chlorine) per gallon of water," he said. "It's a much lower concentration than other things (like mold), and it will also help the bleach bottle you can find last longer." For a smaller amount, people can use four teaspoons of bleach per liter, he said.

During this time, it is important to use common sense, Bucciarelli explained.

"A clear surface is easier to clean," he said. "So get rid of the mess." Probably your soap, a box of Kleenex, and that's probably all you need on this counter, because now we recommend that you clean and disinfect daily. It is much easier. The same goes for the kitchen. If you don't use your toaster all the time, a toaster can fit in a closet. ""

McMillan said people should consider the number of moves to and from their homes when deciding how often to clean and disinfect them. A family with children should do this much more often because children touch everything around them. The same advice for a higher cleaning and disinfection rate applies to older people as they are more prone to infections.

"It depends on whether you stay at home most of the time or whether you come and go. If they go in and out, I would say wear adequate protection, whether it's gloves that go in and out through the door, "he said. "You should also think that if you disinfect the door handle, you should probably disinfect the steering wheel in your vehicles."

According to Bucciarelli, housewives should focus most on their kitchens and bathrooms. The advice Bucciarelli gave regarding the kitchen and bathrooms in the house is not to share food, forks and cups. Wash your hands for 20 seconds before handling food or drinking a drink. and change towels.

"These are the places where the counters should try not to be crowded," he said. "You clean them with Clorox cloths, Lysol cloths. They are recommended, so it is believed that they are effective against this virus.

"This virus is so new that you should follow what the CDC said because it is almost too new to know, but it contains the information you know about similar viruses."

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