We may well be on our way to Spring but cold and flu season seems yet to let up. These cleaning tips from Universal Cleaners are sure to help you prevent the spread of germs in your home & office.

Clean Contact Points

The first step to figuring out how to prevent germs from spreading is knowing the main contact points in your home and office. These are going to be areas that are frequently touched or handled by multiple people. Some of the most common touch points at home and work are:

• Door knobs, handles or locks
• Light switches
• Stair rails
• Faucet and toilet handles
• Refrigerator handles and stove knobs
• Remote controls
• Copiers and scanners

During cold and flu season, you’ll want to clean these surfaces more often than you would any other time of year. You can use a handheld steamer to kill germs if you have one. Alternatively, you can clean surfaces using disinfectant wipes.

If you’re concerned about contact points at work, ask the office manager to speak with the cleaning staff to ensure they’re paying extra attention to common points of contact during cold and flu season.

Be Mindful of Shared Items at Home

You can’t exactly quarantine family members if they happen to get sick. However, you can figure out how to prevent germs from spreading in your home. Here are some tips to help you do so:

• Wash communal throws or afghans weekly during cold and flu season. If someone in the house is coughing or sneezing, wash these items immediately.
• Clean bedding daily until the sick person is better. If he or she has a fever, you’ll want to wash the bedding immediately.
• Don’t share bath or hand towels, and make sure toothbrushes aren’t coming into contact with one another.
• Keep tissues around so that any family members who are ill can cover their mouths or noses when sneezing or coughing.

Teach Your Children (and Co-Workers) Well

Some general guidelines you might want to share (and use yourself) include:

• Keep your hands clean by washing often. The CDC recommends scrubbing your hands for 20 seconds. Teach children to time this by having them sing the entirety of the “Happy Birthday” song twice.
• Don’t share food or drinks.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
• Politely keep your distance from people who are sick.