No matter our background, COVID-19 has us on lockdown all across the globe. One thing we have in common is that our kitchens (and homes in general) are getting quite the workout these days. I had no idea some of the spices I had hiding in my cabinets! With more use comes an increased need for cleaning and sanitization, especially now. Germs are on the prowl. With that in mind, we wanted to provide a list of best practices for disinfecting your home and keeping it clean through long days and nights spent indoors. Before you start cleaning, be sure to give your hands a good wash! Need a quick hand-washing refresher? Click here.
Around the home
01 Don’t forget your electronics.
Think about all the times you touch your cell phone, computer, and TV remote. It’s important to remember to sanitize these items periodically using an alcohol-based cleaner.
02 Take precautions with the laundry.
It might seem obvious, but if someone in your household is sick, plan to wash their clothes separately from everyone else’s. Also, plan to wash your hands vigorously with soap and warm water after handling dirty clothes.
03 What about rugs, carpets, and linens?
For things in the home that are soft, plan to remove visible debris like dirt, food, etc. before you launder the item according to its label, or disinfect with a carpet cleaner.
04 Sanitize common areas.
Use Clorox products or warm water and soap to clean commonly touched areas like doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, toilets, and faucets.
05 If someone in your household is sick, take these precautions.
If someone in your house gets sick, there are a few things you can do to keep the person away from the rest of the family. Firstly, if possible, plan to keep the person in their own room or portion of the house. They should eat their meals inside that space and anything they touch outside of the room, if they have to leave, should be immediately disinfected. When handling anything for that person, plan to use gloves and wash your hands after each interaction. Want more tips from the CDC? Click here.
Around the kitchen
01 Clean and sanitize counters and other surfaces.
If your counters are dirty, it’s best practice to clean off the dirt, food, grease, etc. with soap and water and then sanitize. Need a quick solution? Combine 4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of water for an on-hand sanitizer for counters, handles, and other surfaces.
02 Scrub cutting boards with soap and water.
Keeping your surfaces clean is very important to avoid food poisoning and cross-contamination, especially when handling raw meat of any kind. Avoid submerging your cutting boards fully underwater, but using warm running water, a clean sponge, and dish soap.
03 Clean out the refrigerator.
Be sure to regularly clean out the fridge from expired foods. Also, plan to wipe down the insides of the refrigerator with a food-safe all-purpose cleaner to keep things from getting sticky. Check out our guide to cleaning out the refrigerator here.
04 Clean your dishwasher.
Dishwashers need a deep-cleaning, too! Think about all the old food and grime that falls to the bottom. Try this three-step process:
- Step 1: make sure the bottom of your dishwasher is cleared from old food, utensils, and other debris.
- Step 2: put a dishwasher-safe bowl in the top rack of the dishwasher and fill it with white vinegar. Run a full cycle on the hottest setting.
- Step 3: Once the wash is finished, sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of the dishwasher and run it through another hot, quick wash.
05 Clean the sink.
Think about all the yuckiness that lives in the sink! Take a bit of white vinegar and water and use a new sponge or toothbrush to deep clean all the nooks and crannies.
