14 things to sanitize at home during COVID-19

It has been a few weeks since the Coronavirus hit India. The virus has brought the world to its knees. While people have been taking severe precautions by wearing masks and using sanitizers, there are still some things people may not be paying attention to keep themselves out of harm's way.

When a person who has been infected coughs, the viral droplets emanating from his mouth can land on anybody's face and reach the respiratory tract via month or noise; a mask could combat the infection from getting inhaled.

A person can get infected if he touches any surface that has viral droplets on it, and he subsequently, touches his eyes, nose, or mouth without washing his hands.

If you are staying at home or stepping out of your home, you need to be cautious and clean things that you use regularly.

For cleaning purposes, you could use a sanitizer or antiseptic disinfectant liquid along with a microfibre cloth or cotton or tissue paper.

Best practice dictates that you keep your hands clean throughout the day so that traces (viral droplets) of the infection do not come in contact with anything that you touch.

Let us take a look at what you need to clean so that you keep the virus at bay.

#1) Door's Latch and Handle and Gatehouse's Handle

When you open and latch the door and gate of your house, you never know when the virus is on the door's latch and handle.

Therefore, it is essential to clean the door's latch and handle to keep the virus away. The frequency of cleaning again depends on how often you or your family members open and close the door and gate.

#2) Electrical Switches

After getting up every day in the morning, you switch on the lights of your house and brush your teeth.

Imagine having the infection on one of the electrical switches. This infection could pass from our hands to the toothbrush.

Again, before sleeping, you switch off the lights. Your hands continually come in contact with electrical switches. Therefore, electrical switches should be cleaned to keep the virus away.

Pour little antiseptic disinfectant liquid on a piece of cotton or cloth and rub it lightly on the switch. Please do this carefully as you run the risk of getting a shock if your load the switch's surface with liquid.

#3) Refrigerator door handle

When you open the refrigerator, you quickly grab something to eat and satiate your hunger.

Imagine opening the refrigerator door handle that has the infected droplets on it, and you use the same hand, with which you opened the refrigerator, to grab something you want to eat.

Hence, the refrigerator handle must be kept clean to avert untoward mishaps.

#4) Mobile Phones and Landline telephone

Cleaning mobile phones and landline telephone is a no-brainer. Nearly everyone owns a mobile phone. Mobile phones are with you through the day; it is in constant touch with your hands.

There is an excellent possibility of your mobile phone having viral droplets. Your phone not only comes in contact with your hands but also your cheeks and, to some extent, your mouth.

Keeping in mind the closeness of your mobile phone with your body, especially your hands and face, you must clean your mobile phones continually throughout the day.

#5) Nail Cutter

Again, you never know when the virus may be meandering inside the nails. Hence, it critical to clean and sanitize your nail cutter after every use.

The underside of your fingernails is an infection-laden area. It is a place where infection settles and starts to clog.

The virus could notoriously settle in the underside of your nails. Hence, keep your nails short and trimmed and clean your nail cutter after every use.

#6) Stationary

The stationary includes pens, pencils, a pencil box, etc. The younger ones at your generally use this stationery for their academic purposes.

Hence, you need to keep the stationary clean so that young ones can use it safely.

7) Zip Closure-Handle

Cleaning the zip closure-handle is overlooked by most of us. When you step out of your house with your bag, your bag is also exposed to the virus, and you use your hands to open and close the zip.

On some occasions, security personnel checks your bag for security reasons; in the process, he ends up touching your bag and the zip closure-handle.

Hence, keep a sanitizer with yourself and sanitize the zip closure-handle regularly or as and when the situation warrants.

#8) Keyboard and Mouse

Working professionals use a laptop along with a mouse the whole day. Someone could touch your laptop and mouse and start a virus transmission in the process.

Hence, it is absolutely non-negotiable to clean your keyboard and mouse to keep the virus away.

#9) Bike's Accelerator and Brake Grip

If your bike is parked out in the open or you use your bike regularly, then you must clean your bike's accelerator and brake grip to disinfect it from any virus that may have landed from somebody's cough or sneeze.

It is best to avoid venturing outside until normalcy is restored.

#10) Water Tap Handles

When you wash your hands, you open the tap with your hand, which might have the viral droplets. This viral droplets then infest itself on the tap's handle.

As a result, if the tap's handle is left uncleaned, and if somebody opens the tap, not for washing his hands, but for different purposes, he might get his hands infected with the viral droplets on the tap.

Hence, the tap's handle must also be cleaned to keep the virus away.

11) Joy Sticks, Musical Instruments and Remote Control

When you are in isolation, you resort to your hobbies to keep yourselves occupied. You could be playing video games on PlayStation, watching television and playing musical instruments.

It is crucial to clean joysticks, remote control, and musical instruments at regular intervals to keep the virus away.

12) Toilet flush handle

No prizes for guessing this one, the flush handle attracts infections because it is in a contaminated surrounding.

As you use your hands to lever the flush, you must wash your hands before and after touching the flush. More importantly, you should also sanitize the flush handle to remove any bacteria or viruses on it.

#13) Gas stove's control knob

While cooking your favorite meal, you might be thoroughly engrossed in getting everything ready.

However, before you start preparing your meal, you must clean the control knob. The control knob is another area where the virus could pass from person to another if it is not sanitized properly.

Hence, cleaning the knob is crucial to keep the virus away.

14) Alarm Clock and Watch

Again, an alarm clock comes in contact with your hand before you sleep at night, and after you get up in the morning. A watch is wrapped around your wrist, and it is always close to your palm.

Given the constant proximity of your hands with an alarm clock and a watch, you must sanitize them to keep the virus away.

Concluding Remarks

The list mentioned above might look overwhelming, and it is indeed vast. But, we should realize that safety comes first. Given that there is no vaccine to kill the virus, you must be vigilant to maintain a germ-free environment in your surroundings.

Ensure that you wash your hands before and after cleaning anything with soap and water.

You should prioritize cleaning those things that you use at regular intervals. Mobile phones, laptop's keyboard and mouse, and electrical switches top the chart.

Edited by SK_Mod_PJ