With the current outbreak of COVID-19, frequently cleaning and disinfecting your home is essential for keeping yourself and your family safe and healthy. 

While person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 poses a much greater risk than transmission via surfaces, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces at least once a day, even if you’re not leaving the house. That’s because anytime items or people come in and out of your home, there’s some possibility of exposure.

The Difference Between Cleaning and Disinfecting

It’s important to note that cleaning a surface – simply removing dirt and particles – is not the same thing as disinfecting it to kill viruses and bacteria.

There are many products you can use to clean hard surfaces, like soapy water and vinegar. And while cleaning high-traffic surfaces to remove contaminants, dust and debris is a necessary step of cleaning your home, you still need to disinfect those surfaces from the novel coronavirus.

Which Cleaning Products Kill COVID-19?

Not all cleaning products are effective on all types of germs, so you should know exactly which products kill COVID-19.

The EPA provides a full list of disinfectants that kill the novel coronavirus. You might already have some of these effective products in your home, like:

• Disinfecting wipes, including Clorox, Lysol or store brand wipes
• Disinfectant sprays, such as Purell, Clorox or Lysol
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Hydrogen peroxide

And while using effective virus-killing products is key, it’s also important to follow the proper techniques to thoroughly disinfect surfaces. The EPA advises letting the product sit and remain wet on surfaces or objects for 10 minutes, and that will kill 99.9 percent of germs.

If you don’t have any disinfecting products on hand and are unable to find any in stores, the CDC offers instructions how to create a homemade bleach disinfectant spray. If you use this product, be sure to wear gloves, open your windows and be careful since bleach can damage or discolor sensitive surfaces.

Disinfecting Against COVID-19

You don’t need to clean your house from top to bottom each day, but you should focus on disinfecting the areas that are hot-spots for germs. These are the most important items to disinfect every day:

• Drawer knobs/pulls
• Faucets
• Kitchen and bathroom counters
• Toilets, especially the seat and handle
• Refrigerator, dishwasher, oven and microwave handles
• Remote controls and game controllers
• Cell phones, tablets and other mobile devices
• Computer keyboards and mice
• Door knobs/handles
• Table surfaces
• Staircase railings
• Light switches/switch plates

If possible, wear disposable gloves and discard them after disinfecting. If you have reusable gloves, be sure to disinfect them after you’re done. And always remember to wash your hands before and after you clean and disinfect your home.

If the concept of spring cleaning is new to you, you might be wondering “what is spring cleaning?” and “where do I start?” The good news is that with this spring cleaning checklist, you can clean out the dirt of winter and get ready for a fresh start in summer, without getting overwhelmed. Whether you are tackling your bedroom, cleaning your kitchen, organizing your closet, cleaning the floors, treating your deck or even spring cleaning a kid’s bedroom, this spring cleaning checklist is generic enough to give you a good start.

Getting Started

• Start small. Choose one area that you want to tackle and do not move on until you are done. It’s ok if your spring cleaning takes multiple weekends to complete – you only have to do it once or twice per year, so make sure it’s a thorough job.
• Enlist help. If you have roommates, a spouse, or kids that are old enough to help, don’t take the entire project on yourself. Ask for help, get advice, assign jobs, and let others follow through and assist you in the spring cleaning projects around the house.
• Gather your spring cleaning supplies:
• Exciting & go-get’em type of music
• Easy to prepare meals for you and your helpers so you don’t have to break in the middle of cleaning to prepare anything
• Old cleaning clothes (with pockets)
• Plenty of trash bags for sorting and throwing away
• Label maker & markers
• Clear packing/shipping tape
• Storage boxes, totes & bins
• Cleaning supplies
• If the kids aren’t old enough to help, a good babysitter
• Camera & photo paper (or regular ink jet paper)

Cleaning The Area

• After you have chosen an area, clean it out completely. This means that you will remove items from the floors, take items off of shelves, and create yourself a clean workspace.
• Separate all of the items into garbage bags, donation boxes, storage boxes, and keep boxes.
• Put the garbage bags in the trash cans. Put the donation boxes in the car (if you have enlisted some helpers, have one of them drive to a donation center right away to drop them off – and don’t forget to get a receipt, you can probably write off the donations at tax time).
• Pull out the camera and take a photo of the items that are going into the storage box. Group like items together either by room or by function. Print the photo out on your printer.
• Place a piece of clear packing tape on the top and side of the storage boxes. Mark on the tape what is inside the storage boxes and tape the photo onto the box so you can see it when it is sitting on the shelf. Place the storage boxes in the basement, closet, or attic. Set the “Keep” boxes out of the way until you are ready to put them back in the room.
• Remove linens. This includes bedding, curtains, tablecloths, etc. Start them washing so you can replace them when the rest of the room is finished.
• Dust everything from the ceiling to the baseboards. Use a high reach cleaning kit to get the ceiling, ceiling fans, etc.
• Wash the windows with a glass cleaner and, if possible remove the window screens and hose them off.
• Wash walls, shelves, furniture, light fixtures, remotes, etc.
• Use a furniture polish to shine up wooden furniture.
• Replace the vent filters & the smoke detector batteries throughout the home.
• Clean out your fireplace with a fireplace vacuum.

Organizing Items

• Purchase bins, totes, baskets, hangers, and anything else you need to store items in your newly cleaned rooms or closets.
• Take the Keep boxes and go through them. Clean anything that needs to be cleaned and discard anything that you don’t want.
• Put the bins, totes, baskets, hangers, and even loose items away. You can put things in drawers, on shelves, in closets, etc. Anything that will be stored on the floor should be set aside until the floors are cleaned.

Finishing Up

• Vacuum carpets, sweep hard floors and give proper floor treatments to the various floors you are dealing with.
• Replace linens.
• Put away any last items that are still sitting out.
• Plug in or spray an air freshener in the room.

Ceramic tile floors are a popular flooring option. They’re durable, but like all floors, they need care and cleaning. Here are some smart tips on how to clean tile floors.

Sweep or vacuum your tile floors a couple of times a week. Sand and grit can dull and scratch the surface. Once you’ve removed the dirt, you’re ready to mop. Mix a mild detergent with hot water and apply with a rag or chamois mop instead of a sponge mop. A sponge mop pushes dirty water into the grout and soils it. Change your bucket of cleaning solution often so you won’t have a dirty mop that leaves a cloudy film of dirt on the floor. If you do end up with a hazy film on your tile floor, remove with an all-purpose cleaner. Make sure it’s non-abrasive so it won’t scratch the floor. You can also make your own cleaner by mixing lemon juice or vinegar with hot water. Apply it to the floor and then buff dry with a clean cloth. You can use a towel that you push over the floor with your foot.

One of the most important things in knowing how to clean tile floors is keeping the grout clean. Dirty grout equals dingy-looking floors. Grout is porous and easily absorbs dirt, grease and other materials. Spray the grout with a commercially prepared grout cleaner. You can also use a mild bleach solution. It’s a good idea to wear gloves when using these types of products. For deep stains, allow the cleaner to sit for 10 minutes. Use a toothbrush or other small scrub brush to scrub the grout.

For stubborn grout stains, mix a paste of baking soda and water. Apply it to the stain, let it sit overnight and then scrub with a nylon brush. Don’t use a metal brush as it will scratch the tile. Let the grout air dry, then put on a silicone-based grout sealer to resist future stains and dirt.

Here’s how to clean ceramic tile that has been stained. For coffee, tea or juice stains, wash the tile surface with hot water and detergent, then blot with hydrogen peroxide. For grease stains, wash with club soda and water, or a commercial floor cleaner. For ink stains, soak a cloth in diluted bleach and lay it on top of the stain. Leave the cloth until the stain is gone. Rinse thoroughly when done.

Knowing how to clean ceramic tile floors properly will keep them looking lovely and help them last for years.

Stainless steel is often a huge challenge for homeowners to keep clean. It easily shows fingerprints and can sometimes look streaky. If you’re a new homeowner or you’ve never had stainless steel appliances, your experience with them may be quite limited. But if you already have stainless steel appliances then you may know that there are tons of products on the market for cleaning them and most of them don’t work.

So how do you clean your stainless steel appliances?

It’s important to know that there are several types of stainless steel in order to know how to clean your appliances. You might have to do some experimenting before you actually find the trick of the trade. Each appliance might require a slightly different method for cleaning. But nonetheless, there are a few things that remain the same when it comes to cleaning stainless steel.

Do…

• Use a microfiber rag.
• Wipe the surface with the grain versus against.
• Shine the surface when you’re done.

Don’t…

• Use anything abrasive on your stainless steel. Wool pads are not an option.
• Wipe with chlorine-based cleaners.
• Apply oven cleaner.
• Use tap water.

DIY Solutions
Remember how we talked about experimenting with your stainless steel? Well, we have found the top three DIY solutions to make for cleaning your stainless steel. One, if not all, of these methods, are bound to work for your appliances.

Tea Tree Oil
Taking an empty spray bottle filled with water and about 8 to 10 drop of tea tree oil makes the perfect stainless steel appliance cleaner. Not only does this DIY cleaner make your appliances shine, the tea tree oil helps disinfect the surface with its antibacterial properties. Spray the solution on your appliance and wipe (with the grain) using your microfiber cleaning cloth.

Vinegar & Olive Oil
Similar to the tea tree oil solution, another option is to use vinegar. Fill your spray bottle with 1 part water and 1 part apple cider vinegar. Spray the solution on your appliance and wipe (with the grain) using your microfiber rag. Once you’re done apply a small amount of baby oil to your rag and slowly wipe (again with the grain) your appliance. The olive oil will help it shine and remove any streaks from the vinegar.

Dish Soap & Baby oil
Using Dawn dish soap and a microfiber cloth wipe down your appliance (against the grain). No need to water down your soap. But you can get your rag slightly damp if you’d like. When you’re done take some baby oil and wipe over your surface to remove any streaks from the soap and to make it shine.

In-Store Solutions
As we no know, most products on the market don’t work like they claim for cleaning your stainless steel. There are, however, a couple products that work on certain stainless steel surfaces.

Simple Green Stainless Steel Cleaner
For best results use this cleaner with a microfiber cleaning cloth. Microfiber cleaning cloths were made for cleaning. Unlike paper towel, they don’t absorb solutions or leave a paper trail. This makes them more viable cleaning tool.

Copper has a tendency to become tarnished over time. There are a few natural products you can use to help remove that unsightly stain. Mix the juice from several lemons with a tablespoon of baking soda to form a paste. Rub the mixture over the affected areas until the tarnish begins to come off. Once the tarnish is gone, polish with a clean cloth. Vinegar and salt also make an excellent tarnish remover. Pour vinegar and salt over the copper and rub vigorously until the tarnish is gone. Rinse and polish. You can also use lemon instead of vinegar. Use the juice from one lemon along with enough salt to form a paste. Follow the same procedure used for the vinegar and salt solution.

Soap scum can be easily removed from walls and grout with natural cleaning products like borax, baking soda, vinegar and pumice stones. Allow any of these products to sit for at least 15 minutes to get the most out of the cleaning process. Borax and baking soda can be combined in a solution of one cup powder and one to two tablespoons dishwashing liquid or detergent. Add enough water to form a paste. Vinegar should be mixed with equal parts water and one tablespoon dish detergent for best results.

Hiring just the right housekeeper can be life-altering for the busy family. Now this may seem to be a little over-the-top, but I am serious. Think about your life-whether single, a couple or a family-you have no time. No time to keep your home as organized or clean as you would like. No time to do the smaller tidying jobs that would make a huge difference.

“I am still learning about my home. If you can’t do it yourself, find good service people and treat them well.” — Terry (mom to our Human Resources Coordinator, Louisa)

Hiring just the right housekeeper can be life-altering for the busy family. Now this may seem to be a little over-the-top, but I am serious. Think about your life-whether single, a couple or a family-you have no time. No time to keep your home as organized or clean as you would like. No time to do the smaller tidying jobs that would make a huge difference.

Do you ever casually go about your day, popping into the kitchen for a little peanut butter toast and then the next thing you know you’re turning over the toaster oven because it’s been so long and you just can’t take the crumbs anymore?