A Healthy Home for Winter

Are you preparing for all the bugs you and your family will come in contact with this flu and cold season? Your best defense is a room by room action plan that could spare your family the aches, fevers, and sore throats in the months ahead.

Your kitchen has the most germs of any room in the house. Here are some rules to kill those germs in their tracks.

Mix 1 ounce bleach with a quart of water. This is the most powerful disinfectant available.

Every day after you are finished in the kitchen, Mix this solution. Wipe down counters, all handles to cabinets, refrigerator, cutting boards, and all appliances you have used. When you are finished, wash all sponges and dishrags in the bleach solution and lay aside to dry. Clean your floor in the same solution. You will have a germ free kitchen for the following day.

Your bath room is the second best breeding ground for germs in the house. Always leave your shower door open at least 15 minutes after a shower. Mix your solution of 1 ounce bleach to a quart of water, add some dish washing liquid to make some suds. Wash your sink, counters, showers, tubs and commode with this solution. Clean your floors in the same solution. If you see any signs of mold call in an expert to check it out. This can be very dangerous to your family’s health. Do this at least twice a week.

Your living room and den is a breeding ground for allergens caused by dust mites, pet dander, and cock roach droppings. You can minimize these factors by this method. Clean carpets and upholstery with a dry-steam cleaner, followed by an intensive vacuuming.

Use the bleach and water solution to wipe down cabinet handles, phones, remote control, light switches, door knobs, and keys. Have the family leave their shoes at the door. Shoes worn indoors can spread pesticides, and germs.

Your bedrooms are dust mite heaven. Dust mites thrive on shed human skin cells, and we shed millions daily. After five years about 10% of the weight of a pillow is composed of dust mites and their debris.Every ten year, your mattress doubles its weight with debris containing mites, insects and food particles. Here’s what you can do.

Wash bed linens once a week in bleach solution. Place allergen-proof protectors on pillows, springs, and mattresses. Wash the protectors three or four times a year. Clean furniture, window frames and sills, tops of doors and frames. Dry-steam carpets, and do intense vacuuming once a week.

Teach your family to always wash their hands with soap and warm water when coming in from outside the house. Have your child sing a song that lasts about 30 seconds while he washes. It takes that long to clean the hands thoroughly of germs.