The Ultimate Guide to Disinfecting Your Home

Maintaining a clean home should always be a priority for homeowners.

Cleaning and disinfecting your home has become even more important to keep your family and any visitors safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While many people think they have good cleaning habits, most do not know how to thoroughly clean the various surfaces and rooms in their home. Here is the ultimate guide to disinfecting your home and keeping your living spaces clean and sanitized.

How to disinfect your home

Whenever you’re about to clean and disinfect your home, start by wearing reusable or disposable gloves. If you’re using reusable gloves, make sure they have just been washed and are clean. Before you put the gloves on and after you remove them, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.

Start your disinfecting process by cleaning every surface with soap and water first. Once you’ve washed their surfaces, apply disinfectant, and dry if applicable. If a surface is made of any specialty material, consult the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning. You may need to use a specific type of cleaner on those types of surfaces.

When using chemical disinfectants, be sure to read and follow the directions on the label carefully. Wearing gloves helps prevent any splash hazards, and you may want to additionally consider wearing goggles to protect your eyes. Open windows when cleaning to ensure adequate ventilation and dilute the solutions with water as the label recommends.

Some disinfectants can be substituted with bleach solutions; however, they need to be properly diluted per the CDC’s recommendations. If you want to be safe (and environmentally friendly!), it’s best to use EPA-registered, low- or no-VOC cleaners like our SmartTouch product. SmartTouch is odorless, non-irritating to skin (so no gloves required), NSF rated (D-2) so no rinsing required on food contact surfaces at full strength, hypo allergenic, non-corrosive, and safe around children and pets!

How to clean different surfaces

Different surfaces in your home require different cleaning solutions and products to properly disinfect. Here are the proper ways to disinfect the most common surfaces.

Soft surfaces

For soft surfaces, such as carpets, rugs, drapes, couches, or any cushioned piece of furniture in the home, first use soap and water to clean the surface. If using a special fabric cleaner, be sure to read their instructions to make sure they won’t stain any soft surfaces. If possible, try to launder any of these surfaces yourself or through a dry cleaning service. In addition to cleaning with soap and water, soft surfaces should be regularly vacuumed.

Electronics

When possible, put a wipeable cover on any electronics, such as cell phones, tablets, keyboards, laptops, and remotes. Because of the technological sensitivities inside, electronics should be cleaned based on the manufacturer’s instructions.

Laundry

For any items that go in the laundry such as towels, clothing, and linens, wear disposable gloves when handling, especially if a member of the household has recently been sick. Clean and disinfect any hampers and laundry bins that dirty clothes are placed in once they’ve been put into the laundry machine. Items should be cleaned based on their instructions and washed with warm water when applicable.

HVAC, ventilation, and filtration

Ventilation and filtration systems, such as heating and HVAC systems, should be cleaned regularly to reduce the risk of transmitting airborne diseases and ensure everyone is breathing clean air. These systems should have air purifiers and filters that help reduce airborne contaminants, which need to be changed regularly.

Disinfecting your home when someone is sick

If someone in your household is sick from COVID-19 or another illness, you should take some extra steps to keep your house sanitized.

Bedroom

If a member of your household is sick, they should stay in a separate room and away from other members of the household as much as possible. Other people in the house should wear disposable gloves and a mask when in close proximity to the person who is sick. They should also regularly clean and disinfect surfaces in the room daily and/or after every use.

Food

Any sick person should eat separately from the rest of the household, in their own room when possible. If the sick person is not responsible for their dishware, then whoever is handling any dishes, glasses, or silverware should be wearing gloves and washing them with soap in hot water.

Bathroom

The same rules for the bedroom apply to the sick person’s bathroom as well. They should disinfect the bathroom after every use and dispose of any tissues, paper towels, or other items that they’ve used themselves in a separate garbage can.

Trash

Provide a separate, lined trash can where the sick person is staying for them to use. Use gloves and a mask when emptying this trash can.

Get help disinfecting your home

When overwhelmed with the responsibilities of the world, it can be difficult to find time to clean and disinfect your home completely and thoroughly. If this is the case, leave the cleaning to the professionals at Scalzo Maintenance.

We offer a wide range of residential services including electrostatic disinfection & sanitizing, carpet, upholstery, and tile & grout cleaning. We also offer a wide range of eco-friendly cleaning products that are safe to use in homes with children and pets.