Expert reveals easy tips to keep home protected during outbreak
Coronavirus has got the whole world in a panic at the moment, especially after it was declared an official pandemic.
And the outbreak has got people the world over brushing up on their hygiene habits to ensure that they’re doing everything they can do to stay clean, stay healthy and avoid the virus.
But while we may all be humming alone to Happy Birthday while we’re washing our hands and keeping a bottle of antibacterial hand gel glued to our sides all day long, there may be more that you could be doing to keep the virus out of your and your family’s environment, especially when it comes to your home.
MORE: What is herd immunity - and can it stop the coronavirus?
And now an expert has revealed what we should all be doing to keep our homes as safe as possible from the outbreak.
While it is impossible to guarantee that we can avoid the virus altogether, resident cleaning expert on ITV talk show This Morning Alice Beer has spoken out about how we can try our best to protect our homes from the outbreak.
How to protect your home from coronavirus
Isolate outdoor clothing
“What I do the minute I get home, is take off my coat and hang it up, get rid of my phone. And put them to one side,” explained Alice, adding that everything that anyone could have sneezed, coughed, breathed over or touched goes by the doorway.
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“My shoes, my handbag that all stay there,” she added. “Preferably by the back door, so we can keep the house clean”.
Wash your hands first
Alice went on to reveal that after removing all of her outerwear, the first thing she does is wash her hands.
She also added that she turns of the tap with a piece of kitchen roll to avoid touching the same surface that her dirty hands did with her now clean hands.
Keep your phone clean
After washing her hands, Alice then wipes down her phone.
“Phones are filthy,” she said. “But Apple has now said that it’s ok to clean your phone with alcohol wipes.
“So, you can use your screen cleaner, your glasses cleaner, your universal wipes on your phone.”
Keep your house clean
While coronavirus “isn’t waiting for you at home,” it can potentially be brought in, explains Alice.
She advises taking extra care when cleaning your household surfaces amid the outbreak.
“There are two ways of getting rid of the virus on any surface,” Alice explained. “You’re either washing it off, that means using any soap, liquid soap to loosen the microbes from the surface and then rinse it, rinse it”.
‘The other thing you can do is kill it off,” she added. “There are two things that kill the virus. One is alcohol. The second is bleach”.
“Bleach will kill it,” she explained. “There are many surfaces around your home that you can wipe down with bleach”.
Make sure to always exercise caution whenever using bleach and follow instructions when it comes to diluting.
For further information on the outbreak, visit NHS website at nhs.uk and follow their guidelines.
Aleesha Badkar is a lifestyle writer who specialises in health, beauty - and the royals. After completing her MA in Magazine Journalism at the City, the University of London in 2017, she interned at Women’s Health, Stylist, and Harper’s Bazaar, creating features and news pieces on health, beauty, and fitness, wellbeing, and food. She loves to practice what she preaches in her everyday life with copious amounts of herbal tea, Pilates, and hyaluronic acid.
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