Bug-Busters: How to Keep Your Home Virus-Free This Year

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It’s almost impossible to ignore the global impact of the coronavirus in 2020.

As the world tracks the progress of this new virus, it’s easy to forget that we deal with plenty of existing viruses in the UK each year – especially in winter.  Of course, good personal hygiene is one of the best ways to avoid infection, with hand-washing right up there on the list of recommendations. But there are also many other ways you can make your home more bug-resistant, including in your bathroom.

With that in mind, we’ve put together our best quick tips for keeping your home virus-free this year.

Tip #1: Wash your bath towels (and keep them dry!)

Let’s begin with something close to our hearts: the bathroom. According to a study carried out by the University of Arizona, 90% of the damp towels it tested carried the coliform bacteria — and, even worse, 14% had e-coli. This should be warning enough that damp towels can be a breeding ground for bugs and viruses which can make you unwell.

The solution is simple: keep your towels nice and dry, either using a radiator or by installing a set of heated towel rails. Not only will you stave off microbial nasties, you’ll also enjoy a warm, fluffy towel every time you get out of the bath. That’s a win-win!

Tip #2: Sterilise your washing-up sponges regularly

Talking of breeding grounds for germs, let’s turn our attention to the kitchen. Under normal circumstances, most of us would consider doing the washing up to be a hygienic act – and, most of the time, it is. But have you considered what’s happening between washing up sessions? The sponges you use to do the washing up can quickly become the ideal place for germs to thrive.

Luckily, most of the bugs which live in kitchen sponges can be killed off with a blast of hot or boiling water. So, before you set your sponge down the next time you’re doing the dishes, be sure to heat up that sponge and keep the bugs at bay!

Tip #3: Use anti-bacterial alcohol wipes on your smartphone

Ask yourself a question: which of your everyday items do you come into contact with most often? For the majority of us in the modern day, it’s our mobile phone. The smooth glass of your smartphone might seem like it’s not suited for nasty bacteria, but according to the Seattle Times, there are 25,127 bacteria per square inch on the average smartphone screen.

While most of these won’t harm you, it goes to show how easy it can be to inadvertently transmit a horrible bug. The solution is simple, though: just carry some alcohol-based screen wipes with you and give the screen a quick wipe-down every couple of hours. It might take a few minutes out of the day, but it’ll be well worth it in the long run!

Tip #5: Regularly wash your hands (the right way)

We’re sure that you’re wise enough to be able to wash your hands correctly, but – for the sake of being absolutely meticulous – we thought we’d run down the “official” method. That’s right – there’s now a government approved system to wash your hands. And it’s as simple as this: use hot water and soap, then wash your hands for as long as it takes to sing a verse of “Happy Birthday” twice.

It definitely sounds a bit odd, but that’ll be a total of around 30 seconds will be enough to either kill or wash away any hidden bugs or viruses hiding on your hands.

We hope these handy tips help you keep those nasty bugs out of your home this year. It should be easy to see that just a few small changes here and there can have a big positive impact on your health. 

If you’d like more expert advice about keeping your bathroom totally clean and ship-shape, call our friendly team anytime.