The coronavirus has probably thrown a monkey wrench into your moving plans. You might have to virtually tour the homes for sale in Bucks County rather than physically visiting them, or take special precautions while packing or traveling to make sure your family remains safe.
Safety should always be the priority when it comes to your family. While in quarantine, one of the easiest ways to make sure that your home remains safe is to properly clean and disinfect the surfaces in your home that are frequently touched. Here are some tips for making sure that your family remains safe and healthy:
Know the Difference Between “Clean” and “Disinfected”
Most people use “cleaning” and “disinfected” interchangeably, which can make it hard to distinguish between the two.
“Cleaning” refers to wiping away dirt and other visible signs of grime from a surface. Typically, this involves little more than soap and water and often strips away some of the germs that are on the surface along with the dirt.
“Disinfecting” serves a similar purpose as cleaning in that it removes germs from the surface. However, instead of transferring them from one surface to another, the way cleaning does, disinfecting a surface involves using chemicals to kill germs that may be living there.
Just because something is clean doesn’t always mean that it’s disinfected, and vice versa, germs can persist even after you’ve finished your most thorough household cleaning. That’s why it’s typically best to clean first to wipe away some of the germs, followed by disinfection to kill any that remain.
Use the Right Disinfectant
There are a variety of different solutions you can use to disinfect. You should use one of three different categories of disinfectants on most surfaces:
- EPA-certified disinfectants
- Bleach-based solutions
- Alcohol-based solutions
EPA-certified disinfectants and bleach-based solutions are suitable to use on hard surfaces like tile, doorknobs, and toilets. Softer surfaces like carpet and curtains can be laundered, but you should use the hottest setting that’s safe to make sure any virus or other germ that’s taken up residence on them is killed.
Alcohol-based solutions are useful in disinfecting electronics like phones, as well as light switches. It’s important to use alcohol wipes and solutions containing at least 70 percent alcohol to disinfect their surfaces properly.
Use Gloves and Wash Your Hands
With viruses like COVID 19, it’s essential to take as many precautions as possible; this means using disposable gloves when touching the surfaces you’re cleaning, promptly throwing them away, and washing your hands after. If you have to use the same pair of gloves twice, you should make sure that the gloves are used only for cleaning surfaces that could carry COVID-19.
While now isn’t the ideal time to look for your future home, it’s the perfect moment to talk with our Bucks County real estate agents. They can work with you to create a plan for when things get back to normal. To set up an appointment, give the Joseph Bograd team a call today!
