One of the worst things you can have in your home is someone infected with flu. Because once a single member of your family gets any flu, the rest of the people come under the same threat.
Here I will tell you how to flu proof your home in 5 easy ways. These will help you to prevent flu from spreading in your home. Let’s get through the ways to do it.
5 easy ways to flu proof your home
Use a disinfectant for the joint surfaces.
Coming in contact with the germs or bacteria of flu is the most common way people get infected. To prevent any germ build-up, you have to use a disinfectant. It’s essential, especially for the surfaces you and your family members will touch throughout the day.
You must disinfect surfaces like switches, handles, knobs, remote control, keyboards, phones, etc. You can use disinfectant wipes or create a mixture of bleach and water.
Wash hands constantly
Throughout the day, you will touch a lot of stuff around your home. It doesn’t matter if you are infected with flu or someone else. After touching anything that potentially has the flu virus, make sure to use a handwash.
This way, you can prevent the flu virus from inserting into your body. Even if you accidentally touch your face as it’s the most delicate and accessible part of the flu. Try using a good quality hand wash and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Maintain this rule, especially in the flu season, to avoid it.
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Don’t let any germ or bacteria build up.
One of the critical sources of flu virus spread is germs and bacteria around your household items. They can quickly start flowing in the air to spread throughout your home. You have to make sure that you keep all the germs and bacteria in check. It’s important to understand that keeping your home clean is the best way to keep it healthy.
So, make sure you are tossing up the trash every day. Don’t leave out trash or dirt in the open. Try going through a good cleaning session with help from professionals like Clean Zen every day to eliminate all the germs. Also, after disposing of all the trash, remember to sanitize accordingly. It’s crucial for keeping the flu virus at bay.
Washing your clothes and fabrics
The flu virus has a chance of surviving in clothes and fabrics for about 8 hours or even more at times. Since these are porous surfaces, they can sustain longer than other surfaces.
You will always need to ensure that the clothes and fabrics are clean. Whenever you clean and wash these items, try using hot water, as flu tends to die out in temperatures more than 75 degrees Celsius.
Use more disposable wipes.
Instead of using a general towel or cloth for everyone, try using paper towels. When you use cloth towels for people to use, you give yourself germs and bacteria.
Using paper towels eliminates the chance of germs spreading from person to person as you will be disposing of them after use.
Another thing you should really do in order to minimize the risk of infection is to replace your standard air conditioner filters with HEPA ones. The higher the filter rate, the cleaner the air in the house. So, MERV 16 indicates that it can easily remove particles at a size of 0.3 to 1 micron. In simple terms, MERV 16 filters capture 98% of airborne viruses in the home.
Thank you for mentioning this! I would also like to add that it’s essential to change filters regularly to prevent the circulation of viruses in the air. After all, when the filter is dirty, all the polluting particles and viruses get into the house. Experts recommend replacing air filters once 2 to three months.
Good point! However, MERV 16 filter can restrict airflow, which could make your HVAC system work harder and consume more energy. The best MERV rating for a home is somewhere between 8-10. These filters will capture a large portion of the airborne particles and improve indoor air quality without increasing energy consumption.
I see that many people suggest replacing regular filters with HEPA filters and cleaning them from time to time. I agree, it’s a good suggestion. I also want to remind you how important it is to clean the air ducts in the house. Many people ignore this work. But this is important, because over time, air ducts accumulate a lot of dust, bacteria and even mold, which negatively affect our health.
Experts recommend do air duct cleaning every 5-7 years. In homes with allergy sufferers – once every 3-5 years.
Thank you for mentioning this. Checking and cleaning ductwork is also important for pest and rodent prevention. Dirty and poorly-sealed ducts are an attractive place to live for them. And if posts or rodents carry in dander or leave behind droppings, they will get into your airstream, spreading diseases like the hantavirus.
Good suggestions! Thank you. Another thing you may want to do is to install an ultraviolet air treatment system in your home. This system emits powerful, germicidal ultraviolet (UV-C) light which sterilizes and reduces airborne microorganisms as they pass through the system.