Winter is the worst time to get sick. Unfortunately, it can also be the height of cold and flu season. There are always family members to see around the holidays, and it’s harder to spend time outdoors in the fresh air, meaning you’re stuck in the stale air where germs can live and grow more easily.
The past two years have been particularly bad in my household because my daughter goes to daycare and is constantly sick. We’ve had every childhood virus you can think of running through our home at one time or another in the past few years. I had never known hand, foot, and mouth disease was as prominent as it was until my kid was in daycare. So, to prevent the spread of germs during the winter, we make sure to spend a lot of time washing our hands. But on top of that, there are a few areas of my home that get extra attention when it comes to cleaning.
Doorknobs are a no-brainer
Each of them needs to be cleaned frequently
Credit: Chris Hachey / MakeUseOf
Think about it: doorknobs are touched arguably more than anything else in your home. If you aren’t great about washing your hands, or if you’re like me and have a toddler who is constantly picking their nose or touching anything they see, germs can easily spread to anything else that’s touched.
With doorknobs being handled to get in and out of doors, people don’t always focus on them when they think about germs. Think about the outer doorknob of the bathroom. This knob is touched before you wash your hands after you go to the bathroom. It then has any germ on it that you had before you went in. It’s not anybody’s fault, but it’s just the way life is.
Doorknobs must be wiped down and often disinfected during cold and flu season. They are communal points of contact, meaning many people will touch them throughout the day. The reason we wash our hands so much during this time of year is that potentially contagious germs are on our hands. But you probably don’t think much when opening a door about how many people have touched that same doorknob that day.
I like to use Clorox antibacterial wipes on all kinds of surfaces during cold and flu season. I learned that hand sanitizer doesn’t do anything against some viruses, such as norovirus, so washing hands is the best way to prevent the spread of germs. You want to be in a relaxed environment at home, so keeping viruses out is a smart idea.
Fans should be dusted properly
Get fresh air spinning around you
If you’re like me, you like to have your ceiling fans running all year long. Even in winter, when my heat and thermostat are cranking, I sometimes get hot while sleeping, and I like to have some air flowing more freely in the bedroom. You want to make sure that you switch the direction of your fan if you’re able to when the heat is turned on in your home. By switching the fan’s direction, the fan will circulate hot air better rather than blowing immense amounts of cold air straight down.
If you have a remote-controlled fan, you can usually find the button behind the battery cover that will let you reverse the spin of your fan.
Before you make the switch from summer to winter mode, you should stop your fan completely and fully dust the blades. This may not be something you do as frequently as you like (I’m looking at myself), and dust can build up on the fans. By dusting your fans in the winter, you’re ridding the blades of dirt and debris, potentially some that carry dangerous germs.
Not only will frequently dusting your fan blades help your fan, but it will also improve the airflow of the room. When warm air is being pulled upward by the fan and dispersed more throughout the room, it won’t potentially be spreading the accumulated dust from the top of the blades to other parts of the room.
The toilet has to be scrubbed
This is especially important if someone has been sick
Credit: HOROW
Get out those Clorox wipes and wipe down your toilet bowls and seats. It’s obvious that germs can appear in the bowl, which is why it makes sense to use toilet bowl cleaner frequently, especially on those hard water stains.
But during cold and flu season, when vomiting is a common symptom of the viruses that make their way around, wiping the toilet seat and bowl is a must. When you think about the position that many people use when they’re experiencing this symptom, their hands are on the toilet bowl or seat. This could be adding more germs to the toilet as well.
As doorknobs are frequently touched this time of year, the toilet flush lever is just as commonly touched. It’s also usually touched with potential germs on the hands that touch it. Wiping down the toilet flush lever, as well as the bowl and seat, with antibacterial wipes helps prevent the spread of germs.
While you’re at it, wipe down the handles on your sink as well. These are touched by all kinds of hands all year long.
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Clean the inside of your humidifier
You don’t want mold to build up
Credit: Chris Hachey / MakeUseOf
Using a humidifier during the cold months can add moisture to your air. Adding moisture to the air makes it easier to breathe. With so many respiratory illnesses going around at this time of year, moisture in the air can help calm the symptoms brought on by them.
But you must be aware of what’s going on inside your humidifier. Your water tank takes water and creates humid air that the humidifier pumps outward. Not only do you need to refill the water tank when it runs out, but you also need to be aware that hazardous mold can grow.
Hotter air and wet particles are a hotbed for germ growth. Wiping the humidifier and replacing the filter are two important steps in maintaining a functional humidifier that is actually helping you. For example, the Canopy humidifier can get dusty inside the fan portion, and you can wipe away the dust by taking the housing off of it. You can also put the water tank and bottom portion in the dishwasher for a deeper clean. You should not put the fan in the dishwasher.
Your cellphone is disgusting
There are so many germs here, it’s wild
Credit: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf
People are constantly looking at their phones. This means their phones are in their hands for much of that time. Whether it’s scrolling on the toilet (we all do that), watching a video on the subway, or just picking up and putting down your phone 100 times a day, your hands are touching your phone when they aren’t always clean.
It’s important to wipe your phone down at any chance you get. You don’t want to use water to clean your phone. If you have a phone case or screen protector, you should still wipe these down to get rid of germs on the outside of them.
You can opt for a UV sanitizer for your phone, which will zap germs away in a few seconds. If you don’t want to use those, carefully wiping with an antibacterial wipe can be safe. Companies also sell cleaning sprays for phones that can be used with microfiber cloths. You need to clean your phone more than you do.
You should be wiping your surfaces constantly
Germs are everywhere in the winter, and avoiding them is difficult. You need to take cleaning into your own hands and ensure that you wash your hands frequently. Additionally, wiping down areas like doorknobs, toilet seats, and phones is important because of the frequency with which they are touched. Cleaning fan blades and humidifiers can eliminate the spread of dust and mold into the air, respectively. Doing these tasks can help keep you healthier into springtime.
