Disinfecting your home after the flu involves killing germs on various surfaces. This can help prevent other members of your household or those visiting your home from getting sick.
Avoiding others who are sick is one way to prevent the spread of the influenza (flu) virus.
But if you or someone in your household has recently recovered from the flu, it’s also important to clean your home to prevent other people from getting sick. The process involves disinfecting commonly used surfaces, which helps kill the viruses and bacteria that cause illnesses.
The exact life span of germs depends on the type of germ, as well as the surface it’s affected. Generally, the flu can survive on surfaces for up to 48 hoursTrusted Source. Germs can also survive on unwashed hands for an hour.
This article provides recommendations for how to clean and disinfect your home following the flu.
Commonly used surfaces in your home are the most likely to have lingering germs on them. Even if everyone does their best to wash their hands frequently, viruses and other germs are likely to spread if you touch a surface someone else has touched or sneezed on when sick.
To help prevent the spread of the flu, you might tackle some of these common areas first. These include:
- doorknobs
- light switches
- drawer handles
- stair rails
If you or a family member were sick while in a vehicle, be sure to clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces in your car, too. These include the steering wheel, door handles, navigation screens, seats, and seat belts.
Disinfecting wipes are perhaps the easiest tools to help disinfect common surfaces. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, such as allowing the product to stay wet for enough time to kill germs. Wash your hands after every use.
When you’re sick, a range of drinking glasses, utensils, and dishes might build up in the sink or around the house. Collect these and wash them in hot, soapy water, or place them in a dishwasher for cleaning.
Once you’ve washed dishes, you can then move on to cleaning and disinfecting the rest of your kitchen. Focus on the following areas:
- refrigerator door handles
- cabinets and drawers
- light switches
- countertops
- sink, including faucets and handles
- coffee makers or tea kettles
- other appliances, such as microwaves and ovens
- garbage cans
Whether you share a bathroom with someone who is sick or not, it’s important to thoroughly clean and disinfect this space once the person with the flu has recovered.
Clean the following hard surfaces with warm, soapy water, and then follow with a disinfectant for best results:
- doorknobs
- sinks and faucets
- countertops
- light switches
- tubs and showers
- soap dispensers
- toilets
- toilet paper holders
- floors
- looked-over areas, such as toothbrush holders or tissue box holders (you might also consider replacing your toothbrushes to avoid any germs that might linger on them)
Flu viruses can also live on soft surfaces, such as laundry items. After you or another member of your household has recovered from being sick, it’s important to wash all clothing, linens, and towels. Use detergent and follow labels for guidance on proper water temperature and drying.
You can also clean and disinfect laundry baskets and dirty clothes hampers. Use warm, soapy water to clean and then dry with a paper towel. Alternatively, you can use disinfecting sprays or wipes on hard surfaces, laundry baskets, and hampers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, it’s safe to combine laundry from someone who is sick with items from someone who is not. The key is to use the hottest water temperature possible and to completely dry all items to kill germs.
Aside from washing bedding, getting rid of flu viruses in a bedroom also requires cleaning and disinfecting hard surfaces. These include:
- doorknobs and light switches
- bedside tables
- bed frames
- drawer handles
Cleaning bedroom flooring can also help remove germs and reduce the transfer of viruses. Vacuum carpeted floors and sweep and mop hard flooring after someone has been sick.
Additionally, if a child was recently sick with the flu, you’ll need to take steps to clean and disinfect their toys. Soft toys, such as stuffed animals, can be machine-washed in pillowcases. Hard toys can be cleaned with soap and water and then disinfected.
Disinfecting commonly used surfaces can help prevent flu virus transmission. But all this work may be in vain if you don’t also disinfect your electronic devices. Touching a contaminated phone, for example, can spread germs from your hands to other surfaces.
Electronics are some of the most germ-filled surfaces in homes due to their constant use. In fact, one 2020 review of 56 separate studies concluded that about 68% of mobile phones worldwide carry harmful microorganisms.
To clean your smartphone, take a soft, lint-free cloth and dampen it with a small amount of warm water and soap. Disinfecting wipes may also be used, but keep in mind that alcohol-containing products can damage screens over time.
To help protect your personal electronics, you might consider adding wipeable coversTrusted Source. This way, you can easily disinfect the surfaces of your phone and other items without damaging them.
In addition to your phone, make sure you clean and disinfect other electronic items throughout your home, including personal computers and keyboards, remote controls, and tablets.
If outdoor temperatures are comfortable, consider opening windows to let in some fresh air. This helps reduce the stagnation of germs that might linger in the air, which can then get other people sick.
Ventilating your home is also a good idea while cleaning and disinfecting. Not only does this help to air out the house, but it’s also a good practice when you’re using bleach or other disinfecting products.
If you were the one in your household sick with the flu, it’s important that you let yourself fully recover before doing any deep cleaning.
While most people recover from the flu within 1 week, it can take longer if they have an underlying medical condition or complications, such as a sinus infection.
If you’re still recovering from the flu, you might consider enlisting the help of other household members, friends, relatives, or a professional cleaning crew to assist with some of the work.
The flu is highly contagious and may spread easily when more people spend time indoors. Cleaning and disinfecting your home are both essential to preventing others from getting sick after someone in your household has had the flu.
While the process can seem overwhelming, you can first start with high traffic areas and then tackle the rest of your to-do list from there.
Be sure to wear gloves and a mask while disinfecting, and always follow manufacturer instructions when using commercial disinfectants.