How to Disinfect Your Home After a Cold or Flu

In the aftermath of a flu or cold outbreak in your home, it's imperative to ensure the environment is properly disinfected to prevent further spread. If a member of your household has recently recovered from a virus, it's the ideal time to refresh your space with a detailed clean-up. Particularly, pay attention to the spaces frequented by the sick individual and surfaces they might have interacted with. Remember, flu viruses can linger for up to 72 hours on various surfaces, from the seemingly innocuous doorknobs to your workspace desk.

When embarking on this cleaning mission, it's advisable to open windows to maintain ventilation and consider using fans to enhance airflow. How much airflow is enough? The CDC recommends at least 5 air exchanges per hour of fresh air in occupied spaces.  

It's essential to adhere strictly to the instructions of any cleaning solution to ensure effectiveness. And check the EPA labels on the bottles to ensure you are aware of all the details. Donning gloves and a mask will offer an additional layer of protection while cleaning and disinfecting.

Post-Illness Cleaning Checklist:

1. Attend to the Dishes: Start by collecting any dishes left out and proceed with washing them. The ideal way to sanitize dishes and cups is to run them through the dishwasher. Since a dishwasher cycles both hot water and hot heat during the drying phase, it's an effective way to get your eating utensils clean. Afterwards, ensure they're well drained and left to air dry. 

2. Laundry Duty: Bag all the contaminated clothes and linens and wash them as per the recommended guidelines. To kill the germs in your laundry, wash your clothes on the hot cycle, then put everything in the dryer for 45 minutes. Do your laundry in water that's at least 140 F to kill any viruses or bacteria.

3. Tackle the High-Touch Areas: It's easy to overlook how often we touch certain areas in our homes. Objects such as handrails, light switches, doorknobs, phones, keyboards, and TV remotes are hotspots for germs. The safest and easiest way to do this is to use the ByoPlanet Jet H2 Ultra electrostatic sprayer and Clean Republic Multi-purpose disinfectant. By spraying the high touch areas with the electrostatic sprayer, there is no need to wipe them down. The eco-friendly spray will kill 99.999% of all viruses including the flu and cold viruses and even COVID-19, but won't raise the level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air like most traditional disinfectants do. This is critical because studies have showwn that VOCs are linked to many long-term health issues like cancer,  liver and kidney damage, endocrine disruption, and more. To disinfect properly, it is advised to spray these areas several times per day during the sick days and then once per day after to continue reducing any new viruses. Knowledge about disinfecting high-touch areas is invaluable.

4. Bathroom Surfaces: For hard surfaces in the bathroom, start with a powerful but safe cleaner like the Clean Republic All-purpose Cleaner, then follow up with a disinfecting bathroom cleaner like the Clean Republic Multi-purpose disinfectant.

5. Kitchen Clean-up: Again, to disinfect the kitchen, the best method is to use the ByoPlanet Jet H2 Ultra electrostatic sprayer with Clean Republic Multi-purpose disinfectant. Proceed to spray down countertops and appliances drawing an outline around them. With Clean Republic there is no need to soak the items, just a light spray is all that is needed.

6. Bedroom Sanitation: For the bedroom, use the ByoPlanet Jet H2 Ultra electrostatic sprayer with Clean Republic Multi-purpose disinfectant to disinfect any potentially contaminated hard surfaces. This includes drawers, bed frames, and side tables.

7. Soft Furnishings: Typically, upholstered furniture can present a cleaning challenge. However, with the ByoPlanet Jet H2 Ultra electrostatic sprayer with Clean Republic Multi-purpose disinfectant, you can effectively disinfect sofas, rugs, and other similar items. Simply spray and wait for about 30 seconds.

8. Don't Overlook the Car: Your vehicle is also a critical area to disinfect. Focus on the nonporous surfaces like cup holders, steering wheel, door handles, seat buckles, and radio knobs. Again, using the the ByoPlanet Jet H2 Ultra electrostatic sprayer with Clean Republic Multi-purpose disinfectant makes it quick and easy with no hand wiping necessary. Ensure you adhere to the manufacturer's cleaning instructions, especially when dealing with electronics.

In conclusion, ensuring a germ-free environment post-illness is crucial in preventing further infections. Adopting a systematic approach like the one outlined above with the ByoPlanet Jet H2 Ultra electrostatic sprayer and Clean Republic Multi-purpose disinfectant can help make the process efficient and thorough. Remember, health begins at home.