How to Decontaminate a House

Are you wondering how to decontaminate a house after someone has been sick? Decontaminating a house when someone has been ill can help to avoid the spread of the sickness to other members of the household.

To learn more about how to stay safe and healthy in your home, check out these house decontamination tips. Make sure you are disinfecting your home to keep your household members safe and healthy this year.

Cleaning Vs. Disinfecting: Know the Difference

When decontaminating a house, you want to make sure that you are not only cleaning but disinfecting the space. While cleaning works to remove germs such as grime and dirt, using soap, water, or cleaners. While cleaning lowers the number of germs and the risk of infection in the home, it does not eliminate them.

On the other hand, disinfecting uses chemicals that kill germs on objects and surfaces. While disinfecting does not focus on removing dirt, grime, or dust, it does lower the chance of infection within the home. If you are trying to slow or stop the spread of an illness, virus, or infection within your home, you will want to make sure you are cleaning first and then disinfecting problem areas.

Preparing to Decontaminate

There are certain things you will want to do and certain supplies that you will want to gather in order to prepare for proper home decontamination. You should get some disposable plastic gloves or reusable rubber gloves to avoid contracting germs from the surfaces you are preparing to clean. You will also want to get an all-purpose cleaner for your initial clean as well as a certified disinfectant for the decontamination process.

Make sure to always clean using the instructions on your cleaning supplies with regard to the surface or item that you are preparing to clean or disinfect. You can then gather all of your cleaning supplies and tools in a caddy or cart to make sure that these supplies are easy to carry from room to room for full home decontamination. Make sure to pick up any clutter and messes before cleaning to make this process easier and more thorough.

Start Cleaning and Disinfecting

When working to eliminate germs from your home specifically, there are some areas that you will want to focus on more than others. These areas may be those that you have not thought to clean before when doing your general cleaning. Think of areas of heavy traffic or areas that are often handled by members of your household.

These areas should include not only surfaces such as tables and countertops, but also items such as doorknobs, cabinet handles, and other areas that are using touched with the hands. For some help with this process, check out CURIS 3.