How to keep every single spot in your home germ-free (and clean!) during the Christmas season
Whether you’re decorating the tree or baking up a storm, Christmas is a perfect time to kick back and relax with those closest to you. From fun activities to how to keep your home germ-free, Canadian Tire and Yahoo are bringing you everything you need to make this holiday season special.
Christmas is fast approaching, and although our holiday plans may be a little different this year, one thing’s for certain: the holidays are most enjoyable if you’re healthy.
One of the best ways to stay healthy during the Christmas season is by giving your home a deep, disinfecting clean. Maintaining a clean home goes beyond aesthetics and the positive mental health benefits of living in a tidy, organized space. Diligently cleaning your home, especially high traffic, areas can help remove germs, mold and dust that can be detrimental to our physical health and weaken our immune system.
We’ve gathered some helpful tips to tackle your home to help you and your family stay healthy this Christmas.
Kitchen
Maintaining a clean kitchen is vital to keeping your family healthy. Between meal prep and the constant flow of family, our kitchens have the potential to become a hot-bed for dangerous germs and bacteria. Sanitizing countertops, cabinet handles, cupboard doors and all workspaces can help minimize the risk of spreading potentially harmful bacteria and help prevent cross-contamination to you and your family.
For a deep kitchen clean, a bucket with approximately one gallon of hot water and a half-cup of all purpose bleach to wipe down surfaces, including back splashes, cabinets and cupboard handles. A pack of microfibre cloths, like the 10 pack of FRANK All-Purpose Microfibre Cloths are perfect for disinfectant cleaning, and won’t waste paper towels.
The same diluted bleach solution or an anti-bacterial cleaner like Mr.Clean Antibacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner diluted with hot water can be used with any mop for tiled floors or vinyl.
If you’re unsure whether or not diluted bleach is safe for your countertops, you can try using hot water and a gentle dish detergent or an all-natural, all purpose antibacterial kitchen cleaner, like method’s Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner.
Bathroom
Giving your bathroom a weekly disinfecting clean is an important part of keeping a clean and healthy home. However, it’s especially important to disinfect your bathroom during cold and flu season so that you can help prevent the spread of germs and viruses to other members of your family.
Disinfecting high touch surfaces like light switches, toilet handles, faucets and door handles can be done easily throughout the week using disinfectant wipes.
For a deeper clean you can use products like CLR Bathroom & Kitchen Cleaner on everything from toilet bowls, tiles, shower heads, sinks, shower doors and tubs to remove bacteria as well as lie, calcium and hard water deposits.
A mixture of a gallon of hot water, ⅓ cup of diluted bleach and a teaspoon of powdered Tide is a multipurpose cleaning hack that can tackle everything from tiled floors, countertops, bathroom cabinets, doors and door frames and baseboards – helping to remove stains and bacteria easily. For bathroom walls, including walls throughout your home, use only a gallon of hot water and a teaspoon powdered tide to remove dust, dirt and any stains without harming your paint.
For an extra deep clean- use good old fashioned elbow grease and brush, like the FRANK Tile & Grout Brush can help you reach and clean grout and hard to reach areas easily, and watch hard water stains (including discoloured soap scum) and embedded dirt disappear.
Living Room
Keeping your living room clean involves more than just vacuuming, disinfecting and wiping down walls and baseboards, coffee and end tables and areas that are frequently touched including remotes and light switches.
Germs and bacteria live on our throw pillows, sofas, chairs and rugs – and shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to a deep, disinfecting clean.
Depending on the material of your throw pillows, remove the pillow covers and wash them using warm water and a gentle cycle as well as any throw blankets and curtains.
A great way to clean and remove bacteria from your furniture is by using a spot cleaner, like the Bissell Little Green ProHeat® Pet Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner. Remove stains, dirt and other allergens from your furniture and carpets – prolonging the look of your furniture while keeping your home in tip-top shape.
Bedrooms
Sleep is integral to your overall health, which is why it’s important to create and maintain a clean and tidy space conducive to helping us rest and recharge. Aside from dusting and disinfecting surfaces, light fixtures, vacuuming one of the biggest concerns is bedding and getting rid of dust and allergens.
Our sheets and pillow cases accumulate a lot of sweat, dead skin cells, hair oil and more while you sleep. Changing your pillowcases and bedding once a week and washing in warm water can help keep your bed, pillows and mattress clean and help avoid accumulating bacteria and allergens which are invisible to the naked eye.
As the seasons change and temperatures cool, now’s the perfect time to wash your pillows or replace any old pillows if they’re over a year or two years old. Consider dry cleaning any duvets or heavy winter bedding that can’t be machine washed to remove any dust that may have accumulated throughout the year.
An air purifier, like the AeraMax DX5Air Purifier, can help remove up to 99.7 % of dust, allergens, viruses, germs and dust mites, while increasing air flow – which helps keep you healthy, even while you sleep.
Devices
Disinfecting wands are an easy way to keep remotes and phones germ-free. Cell phones collect tons of germs and bacteria throughout the day. To help keep your phone germ-free, there are wireless phone sanitizers like the Phonespa Mobile Phone Sanitizer, which help remove bacteria using UV light in as little as 10 minutes. Easily sterilize keys, jewelry, bank cards, earbuds, eyeglasses and television remotes without the use of chemical irritants.