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Back-to-School [At Home] During COVID

In today’s COVID climate, it’s more important than ever to stay healthy. This is usually a season of fun times and new traditions as students everywhere go back to school. But what happens now when they go back; or when they are staying home as most students are? 

 

We all know that we should wash our hands frequently, not touch our face and wear a mask. (Yes, I said it.) But, what else can we do while we are staying home, working at home and schooling at home to keep our healthiest? 

 

COVID 19 is an airborne illness. That makes it a bit tougher to keep the germs at bay. There are a few things you can do at home to lessen the odds of getting it. Here are a few tips.

 

Wipe down popular hand-spots. Lysol spray, liquid cleaners and Clorox wipes (If you are one of the lucky ones to find some) can all be used to clean the areas that are frequently touched. These are going to be door handles, appliance handles like the stove/refrigerator, sinks/faucets and the toilet handle. Also be sure to clean off your phone once a day too. You touch everything and then touch your phone on a frequent basis. Another thing people frequently use but forget to wipe off is the television remote.

 

Don’t forget your work and school equipment. If you are working or schooling at home, be sure to include those necessary items in the sanitizing. Wipe down computer screens that may have been sneezed on. Spray your keyboard off with some Lysol now and then. Be sure the mouse, mousepad, ear buds, pencils and pens get some cleaning attention frequently as well. 

 

Keep circulating fans clean. Not only will that help with allergies but in general, it spreads less germs. 

 

Switch to paper towels in the bathroom for handwashing. Yes, they aren’t as environmentally friendly as using a hand towel for drying off but this way each person gets a fresh towel each time. Consider getting the half towels to save on the paper. If not having guests over, you could also assign a hand towel to each person in your family but, ultimately, using the paper towels is the safer bet. 

 

If someone is ill, take advantage of your home spaces. Not all homes are large and offer the opportunity for easily spreading out but most homes at least have more than one bedroom or bathroom. If someone does develop COVID, try to keep them quarantined to one space and have them use their own bathroom. Cook for them to keep them out of the kitchen and make sure no one else uses their silverware and dishes until they are properly cleaned. 

 

Open those windows. If you don’t have horrible late summer/early fall allergies, take advantage of cooler days and get some fresh air in your home. 

 

One final thought is to make sure your HVAC system has been recently checked and that your air filters are changed frequently. Your HVAC is circulating your air and those air filters are really important to keeping allergies and illnesses at bay. 

 

Do you have other suggestions on how to stay healthy while spending more time at home? We’d love to know about them.