3 Tips For Back-To-School In A Pandemic

It’s that time of year again – back to school.

As more states allow in-person learning, there are essential steps to help prevent your family from getting sick, especially as the Delta variant continues to spread.

We understand you might be feeling stressed, so we want to share three tips to help clean and disinfect your home during this school year.

1. Disinfect Surfaces Frequently

Before we get into what you should be disinfecting, we need to make the difference between cleaning and disinfecting clear.

Cleaning is when you remove the visible dirt and dust from a surface.

Disinfecting is when you are killing any germs that might be on the surface. For example, spraying Lysol on a doorknob and letting it sit for the allotted time is says on the instructions is an example of disinfecting an area.

Throughout your home, there are ten areas that need disinfecting at least once a week.

Those include your cell phones, light switches, keyboards, mouses, doorknobs, steering wheels, remote controls, fridges, faucets, and toilets.

Make sure that the product you’re using says it disinfects and that it’s safe to use on the items you’re planning on using it on.

2. Say Goodbye To Shoes

Of course, you should still wear shoes when out and about, but before you come inside, stop!

We recommend not coming into your home with your shoes on.

According to Eco-Friendly website Blue and Green Tomorrow, there is a ton of microorganisms on the bottom of our shoes. “A study found that the outside of shoes carries more than 140 times as much bacteria as the inside. To ensure that your home is free of bacteria and viruses, you should establish a routine to keep your living space clean.

This includes taking your (and your guest’s) shoes off at your front door.”

To help prevent illnesses, make it a routine to have everyone remove their shoes before coming inside.

3. Keep Your Hands Clean

Keeping your hands clean even before the COVID-19 pandemic was essential.

Your best bet is to wash your hands with soap and warm water because it rinses of all the germs you might come in contact with throughout the day.

If you’re not able to wash your hands with soap and water, make sure to carry some hand sanitizer because it’s better than nothing.

Even though alcohol-based sanitizers are good for on the go, they don’t kill all the germs because some have an outer shell that the alcohol can’t penetrate.

And if you don’t have either of these options, try not to touch your face or eat until you can clean your hands.