Considering the fact that we spend a huge part of our lives in our houses, and certainly more so recently, we need to find a way to mitigate against the risks that lie within them.
There are several hazards and health threats that can be found in the home, and these include rodents, insects, pesticides, clutter, cleaning products, trip hazards and more.
In this article, we’d discuss best practices on how to clean your home and keep you and your family safe and healthy.
MAINTAINING A SAFE AND HEALTHY HOUSE
To keep your family free from health hazards, it’s important to keep your house clean at all times. You can choose to do the chores yourself, or hire a professional cleaning service.
KEEP A DAILY ROUTINE
As laborious as home chores may be, it is important to do them regularly. Depending on the chore, you may consider alternate days or weeks to carry them out. For example, mowing the lawn is done once a week or once every two weeks, depending on the type of lawn. Unlike cleaning the kitchen, which needs to be done daily.
TAKE OUT THE TRASH
Make sure you take the trash out regularly, no matter how small it seems. Being militant about this is important, even if it’s the last thing you do at night.
When trash is left inside your house overnight, it may attract rodents and insects. With trash thrown out, you wake up to a clean house and fresh start each and every day.
Also remember to decongest and declutter getting rid of old things you no longer use. That way you create space and destroy the potential breeding grounds of rodents and pests.
WASH THE DISHES AFTER EVERY MEAL
Letting the dishes pile is untidy and unhealthy and fosters the infestation of germs. Wash the dishes after each use. That way you create a neat kitchen, safe for cooking.
HOW DO I CLEAN MY HOUSE?
It may sound absurd to some people, but not everyone knows how best to clean different parts of their homes. I’ll list some of the best practices of keeping major parts of the house clean.
CLEANING THE LIVING ROOM
Being the one of the most used rooms in the house, and easily accessible to residents and non-residents, the living room is home to potential health hazards. Thorough and regular cleaning would include:
- Pick up the trash.
- Dust everywhere. Especially in areas with high traffic, such as door openings and others, you can clean the room with a feather duster and finish with a damp cloth.
- Carefully return everything to its position. You can easily make your living room appear cleaner by making sure everything is in the right place. The sofas, the picture frames hanging on the wall, the lamp stand in the corner of the living room…it’s all fair game.
- Use a damp rag and a little shampoo or detergent for streak stains on glass and windows.
For the rugs, and tiles, you can vacuum and sweep. But routinely, you need to make sure that the tiles are well polished to maintain their shine and neatness.
CLEANING THE KITCHEN
The kitchen is one of the most used rooms by all members of the house. It is open to every member of the house, and so it becomes a red spot for germs carried by different residents.
Technically, every surface in the kitchen is laden with bacteria, viruses, germs, and activities of pests and rodents. This is why regular cleaning of the kitchen and utensils is of paramount importance.
Here’s how to clean the kitchen:
- Regularly wipe and sanitize all kitchen surfaces including tabletops, countertops, and places that get touched regularly like microwaves, refrigerators.
- Wash all dishes and silverware before and after each use.
- Wash sponges and napkins in hot water and store in places that allow them air dry.
- It is advisable to own separate chopping boards for cutting raw meat and vegetables to avoid cross contamination. However, if you own only one chopping board, wash with hot water and soap after each use.
CLEANING THE BATHROOM
The bathroom and toilet is the first place your mind goes to when you think of germs in the house, and so we naturally take extra measures to clean the bathtubs and toilet bowls regularly. Unfortunately, we ignore very obvious places where germs breed. This includes the walls, the faucets, the toilet flusher and door knobs.
What to do:
- Endeavor to use disinfectants to clean these places
- After a bath, wipe down the tub and walls of the bath
- Dispose used tissues properly, and dispose the waste regularly
CLEANING THE BEDROOM
Cleaning the bedroom is very important, considering the average size and the length of time we spend there. Here are simple ways to keep a clean and safe bedroom.
- Make your bed every morning and change your sheets regularly.
- Dust surfaces like reading tables and shelves.
- Do not leave clothes lying around. Keep washed laundry in wardrobes and dirty laundry in laundry baskets.
- Remove wires and toys (toys) that may act as trip hazards from the floor.
- Keep the room properly ventilated.
Modern conveniences have improved the functionality of life greatly, but some of these can bring germs, harmful chemicals, and safety hazards into the home. Your home should always be a safe haven. Take extra precautions to ensure it stays that way.