The pandemic has jolted the whole world. From macro to micro, changes can be observed everywhere. Businesses, schools, offices, roads, hospitals, households; all these have been affected by Covid. Along all the other changes, the cleaning habits have also altered.

Deep cleaning, use of cleaning and hygiene products have rapidly increased in the last couple of years. Since the pandemic people are spending more time to search for ways to effectively clean and disinfect their homes.

How cleaning routines have transformed since the COVID-19 virus?

People are now more interested in finding out how to keep their home germ free rather than thinking about other things. The cleaning interests have changed.

Increase in Interest – How to disinfect and clean

According to a recent study conducted to observe the behavioral changes in the cleaning and disinfecting habit of people post Covid, it was observed that increased population have searched over internet regarding the ways to clean. The statistics show that increase interest has been observed in cleaning of surfaces by 586%, 556% for door handles, 457% for laptops and 430% in how to disinfect.

Similarly, people have shown increased interest in cleaning of TV screen by 98% and mattresses by 49%.

Deep cleaning

A high number of people are looking for ways to deep clean their homes. The shift towards deep cleaning has been really significant. According to Google Keyword search increase interest has been observed in deep cleaning of phone by 300%, tub filter by 200%, deep clean the house by 200% and clean ipad screen by 160%. Whereas a decreased interest and trend had been observed in searches for things like getting rid of mould on wall, cleaning burnt iron and removing wax from clothes.

Takeaways

• As door handles are the most frequently used and touched surface in every household, therefore the play a vital role in spread of virus and other infectious diseases. The solution is to regularly clean them. All you need is a clean cloth and a multi surface cleaner. But also make sure that you wash your hands frequently to avoid the transmission of virus.
• According to the figures more people are interested to know how to deep clean their houses. Everyone is concerned about the prevailing virus and wants to go an extra mile to stay as saferas possible. The goal behind deep cleaning should be to break the chains of infection to stop its spread.
  • When deep cleaning make sure to clean all door handles, handrails and the toilet flush. Similarly, areas where food is prepared, refrigerators and cupboard door handles in kitchen and rooms should also be cleaned.
  • If you have a baby crawling around your home, make sure that the kitchen and other floor are regularly cleaned and disinfected.
• Don’t forget to clean your laptops. When you are at home and are washing hands when required you don’t need to worry about disinfecting your laptop as the risks are really low. However, in office or a place where the equipment is shared, it is must to wash hands and clean the surface before you use it.

The changed future

It seems like we will not be getting rid of Covid virus anytime soon. Our changed habits should not be only about cleaning and getting rid of germs rather they should be considered a holistic activity that is important for our wellbeing.  Below are some tips that might come in handy to clean your house hygienically.

• Replace the shared items frequently. For instance towels in bathroom should be replaced every day since they are a shared item. Instead of hand towels make use of paper towels to avoid the everyday cleaning of cloth towel.
• Surfaces that are used and touched frequently should also be cleaned frequently. Door handles, handrails, and toilet flush handles should be cleaned to break the chain of transmission of virus.
• When cooking, wash your hands multiple times in between. This helps to prevent cross-contamination. For instance wash hands after washing raw meat, fish or vegetables. Also wash all the utensils and boards.
• Leave the toilet seat cover down when flushing to avoid any kind of bacteria to come in contact with the surfaces you touch regularly.
• The first thing you should do upon entering the house is to wash your hands. Make this a habit.

Conclusion

You don’t need to spend whole day to clean your house. You need to clean smart. Use of cleaning liquids available in market and antibacterial liquid soaps are all that is required. Keep in mind that cleaning different surfaces even your hand is a way to break the link of the spread of virus. So focus on smart cleaning and stay safe.