The Best Cleaning & Disinfecting Tips For COVID-19 Prevention

young woman wearing a mask disinfecting a surface

The Best Cleaning & Disinfecting Tips For COVID-19 Prevention

By : Georgia
The COVID-19 pandemic persisting in Western Australia and other states is a serious cause of concern. Since the disease is in the community transmission stage in Perth, the WA Government has declared a state of emergency. Thus, now it is more important than ever to follow the regulations imposed by the government, maintain optimum personal hygiene and stringently follow social distancing. Additionally, you must keep your home clean and sanitary at all times to break COVID-19’s transmission chain. Due to lockdowns and safety concerns, remaining indoors is the need of the hours, which is why you should focus on keeping your surroundings neat and tidy. Hire professionals who perform house cleaning and vacate cleaning in Perth if you lack the time or energy to deep clean and disinfect your house. However, if you can do it yourself, here is a complete guide outlining the best cleaning and disinfecting tips for COVID-19 preventions that you should follow. Have a look.

Understand The Difference Between Cleaning & Disinfecting

To keep COVID-19 causing virus out of your home, it is crucial you understand the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Usually, people use these terms interchangeably, but they are dissimilar activities that serve different purposes. Cleaning is the process of washing or wiping a surface to remove physical contaminants from it like dust, dirt, grime, grease, stains, deposits etc. Disinfecting is necessary to kill bacteria, viruses, mould, or other microbes on a surface or items.

Clean Surfaces/Objects Before Disinfecting

Professionals who perform house cleaning and vacate cleaning in Perth always remove contaminants from areas/items before disinfecting because it is the correct sanitation method. If a surface or object is disinfected first, physical pollutants, grime and grease can shield the germs from the solutions and remain alive for hours or days. Thus, you neither clean nor disinfect effectively. For the best results, make sure to wipe or wash a surface or item with a suitable cleaning solution and water. Next, apply the disinfectant on the clean surface to kill the illness-causing bacteria, viruses, fungi and other pathogens on it.

Avoid Vinegar, Baking Soda Or Other Natural Cleaners For Disinfection

Using organic and green cleaners like white vinegar, baking soda, lemon, etc., is ideal for general sanitation, but don’t make the mistake of using these products for disinfecting household surfaces. These ingredients cannot kill the SARS-COV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, as they are only effective against some bacteria, dust, dirt and grime. You can use these natural products for cleaning as they can degrease surfaces and remove physical contaminants. After cleaning with them, you need to disinfect the area or object to remove any illness-causing bacteria, virus or other pathogens present on it.

Get The Right Products & Tools

For cleaning and disinfecting your house effectively and efficiently, you need to keep the right products and tools on hand. Here is a list of products and tools even professional vacate cleaners in Perth use to clean and disinfect homes.
  • A multipurpose cleaner
  • A multi-surface disinfectant approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
  • Microfiber products like cloths, towel, duster, mop, sweeper etc.
  • Sponges, scouring pads, and bushes of different sizes
  • Cleaning and disinfecting wipes
  • A vacuum cleaner with HEPA filters
  • Steam cleaner

Give Products Proper Dwell Time

Most cleaning and disinfecting products need a stipulated time to work effectively and sanitise a surface or object adequately. But people often make the mistake of not giving products proper dwell time. Therefore, you should always read the instructions on the back label of products to know how long you need to let the solution sit on the surface. Usually, cleaners require about 5 minutes unless you use bathroom/kitchen cleaners that require 10-15 minutes. Disinfectants require at least 5-10 minutes of dwell time to kill bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Thus, if the product dries before the stipulated time is over, reapply the disinfectant.

Wash & Disinfect Cleaning Tools

Brushes, sponges, cloths, mops and other tools for household sanitation are not self-cleaning, which is why you should wash and disinfect them after every use. Using dirty cleaning tools is harmful because instead of removing illness-causing bacteria and viruses in your home, you aid in their spread. Plus, dirty tools don’t clean or sanitise surfaces adequately. Even professional vacate cleaners in Perth wash and disinfect their reusable cleaning tools to sanitise homes effectively and maintain the longevity of the equipment. To wash the tools, you can use soap and warm water, and for disinfecting, make a solution of one part bleach and ten parts water. Douse the tools in the disinfecting solution or spray it directly on the equipment before letting the tools air dry in an open space.

The Bottom Line

During this trying time when the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting people’s lives across Perth and other regions of Western Australia, it is crucial to keep your house neat and sanitary. You can hire professionals who perform house and vacate cleaning in Perth to deep clean and disinfect your home. Alternatively, follow the tips mentioned in the guide above to keep COVID-19 out of your home.