Due to the virus outbreak, maintaining good health is on the top of everyone’s mind currently. While we have already included sanitising our homes in our daily cleaning routine, there’s still a lot that can be done to minimise the exposure to germs.
And to help you do just that, we’ve put together a simple checklist of household items to keep the virus out of your home.
Welcome mat at the door
If you don’t have one already, it’s time to put down a doormat at the entry to your home. Buy a natural fibre mat that traps all the dust and mud. Keep an eye out to ensure that everyone wipes their feet before they enter. Look for a mat that’s anti-skid and easy to clean.
Shoe rack in the foyer
Leave your footwear in the foyer, on a shoe rack that allows the shoes to ‘breathe’. Very often wet or damp shoes that are stored behind closed shutters get mouldy and harbour germs. If you must wear footwear in the home, use a pair of lightweight flip flops that can be easily washed and dried.
Keep the sanitiser easily accessible
If you want everyone to clean their hands when they enter your home, you’ve got to keep the sanitiser right next to the door. Keep a bottle handy on the console in your foyer. Also, make sure there are plenty of disposable masks in an easy-to-access drawer right next to the door so that you can quickly grab them on your way out.
Also Read: How to Disinfect Your Homes to Stay Free of Coronavirus
Vinyl or faux leather sofas
Fabric upholstery cannot be sanitised easily, and if you’re worried about tracking germs into your home, you might want to look at some alternative materials that are easy to clean. High-grade faux leather is a plausible option that is virtually indistinguishable from real leather, comes at a fraction of the cost and is easier to maintain. Besides this, animal lovers who are anti-leather will not get iffy about the use of this material in homes.
Vinyl material, once considered cheap and low on comfort, is now making a comeback in the times of COVID. It’s easy to clean and is, in fact, the preferred choice for many medical waiting rooms. It comes in a range of colours and finishes, is a hundred per cent waterproof and can be disinfected every day. If you’re looking for a softer look, all you have to do is to pile on some cushions that can be easily washed.
Area rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpets
If you have wall-to-wall carpets in any room in your home, it’s time to get rid of them. Your floors have to put up with a lot —food spills, pet hair, dead skin cells, and dust mites. Vacuuming daily is hard; and how sure can you be that you’re cleaning every inch?
Replace carpets with area rugs that are easier to clean and a lot more hygienic. You can put your rugs out in the sun once in a while. When the floors are exposed, you can swab them every day with phenyl or any other disinfectant.
Soap dispenser trays
We’re all washing our hands a million times a day, so why not make your soap dispensers part of the décor in your home. Pick some pretty ceramic bottles that can be refilled easily, and make sure there’s one at every sink in your home. While you’re at it, pop in some sweet-smelling sprigs of scented flowers in a bowl as well. And don’t forget the soft, fluffy towels.
Install seamless countertops
Kitchen or bathroom countertops are a breeding ground for germs. If the countertop in your home is old, it might have cracks or grouting along all the edges that have accumulated dirt and mould over the years.
Swap them out with Corian counters that can be perfectly smoothed over the sides and are installed with invisible joints. Corian or similar solid acrylic surfaces can be used for the backsplash too. Being completely non-porous, they do not permit the growth of mould, mildew and bacteria. Stainless steel or quartz are other hygienic options for countertops.
Garbage cans with lids
Your kitchen trash cans should be fitted with lids, so if you aren’t using closed cans at the moment, you must buy new ones. Any trash must be kept closed at all times. Make sure you dispose of used masks and gloves in a trash can with a lid.
Storage on castors
It’s essential to keep your home dust-free, as dust is one of the main allergens in the house. Rollout side tables and storage units are a great idea as they make vacuuming, wiping and dusting easier.
You can move the furniture around quickly to reach inconvenient corners while cleaning. Make sure you get castors that can be locked so that your tables don’t start moving around on their own.
Air purifying plants
Having a lot of indoor plants is the easiest way to improve the air quality in your home. Germs and toxins that you can’t see are the most harmful to your health. You can add a touch of green and filter the air in your home just by filling it with plants.
Peace lilies, philodendrons, money plants, and spider plants remove toxins like formaldehyde, benzene and toluene from the air and also increase the humidity levels, keeping air-borne diseases at bay.
This article is contributed by Dipti Das, AVP-Design, HomeLane.com.
(The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of RoofandFloor)
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