How to Keep a Clean Home and a Healthy Family

Clean vs. Disinfected

There is a difference between being clean and being disinfected.  A home that is clean is one that is tidy and neat.  These types of homes are the talk of the neighborhood.  Their yards are neat and tidy, the paint is fresh and the insides are spotless.  Keeping your home clean involves more than just straightening up a room or two.

Cleaning the Air -- Tiny dust particles travel throughout the air by way of your home's duct system.  Your air conditioner's filtering system filters out a majority of allergens and microscopic particles that may come into your home.  But some tiny particles, allergens and irritants still make it past the filtering system.  Here are some helpful hints to remember. 

Cigarette and cigar smoke is one of the leading air pollutants that threaten a home.  So by all means don't smoke inside your home.  If you must smoke, go outside into a well ventilated area.  This will help cut down on the carbon monoxide particles that float area your breathing space.

When cooking, open a few windows within the general cooking area.  It is also a good practice to use grease and splatter screens when frying foods.  Cook at medium levels to cut down on the amount of smoke that the fry grease gives off.

Dust regularly and change your vacuum cleaner bags on a regular basis.  This will cut down on the dust particles that are recycled into your air space.  Another tip to remember is dust from the top down and be safe to wear a dust mask while dusting.  Invest in a humidifier and run it regularly.  This will increase the humidity in your home.

Disinfecting Your Living Space

Most homes have millions of tiny, microscopic germs floating around.  And being tiny, these germs lurk around unnoticed.  The common cold is an airborne germ that makes it way around the house, passing from person to person until finally running its course or finding a new host.  A faucet, toilet seats, sinks, chairs, computer keyboards, monitors are among the many instruments that germs are passed by.  On any given day, each member of the family may touch a single item at least ten times.  Just think if one of those members had the cold or flu virus.  That virus would be passed along to the other unsuspecting family member.

Disinfecting your living space can be one of the most beneficial methods used to ensure that your family stays healthy.

Let's start in the kitchen.  Throw out all of those nasty overused sponges.  Sponges that have been used and reused carry thousands, if not millions of germs.  Using a sponge in freshly ran dishwater will infect the entire water with germs.  In turn these germs will run off onto your dishes and you will find yourself eating on a plate of germs.  Buy a bottle of concentrated Lysol and a bottle of Clorox and wipe down your entire kitchen space, starting with your cabinets all the way down to the baseboards.  Don't forget to clean the refrigerator from the inside out.  Make it a practice to search and destroy all possible hiding places fro germs.  Germs love to multiply in warm, dark places.

In the bathroom is where most of the germs reside.  The toilet bowl and the sink are two leading instruments for transferring germs.  Take your strong disinfectants and use them in the bathroom as well.  Be sure to use a different cloth or sponge.  If your preferred cleaning device is a sponge, always throw it in the garbage after using it in the bathroom.  Clean the shower stall with cleaners made especially for the shower.  Wipe down mirrors, walls, baseboards and tiling.  The end result will be a clean smelling and disinfected bathroom.

Repeat this throughout the house, being careful not to damage any precious materials with the bleach's corrosive solution.  Always dilute highly concentrated solution before using.  Pay special attention to the laundry room, hampers and other areas where heaping dirty clothes may temporarily reside.  Damp clothing mixed with heat produces mold and mildew.  Disinfect these areas and spray them down with disinfectant aerosol.  Following these simple steps will have many benefits.  Among them are a clean home, a disinfected home and a healthy living space for your family.

Information is for educational and informational purposes only and is not be interpreted as financial or legal advice. This does not represent a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. Please consult your financial advisor.