CLEAN LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM BEDROOM, KITCHEN,

TOILENT AND BATHROOM

News: How to Disinfect After Someone in Your House Has COVID-19

Media Contact:
Peter Dwoskin, Esq.
U.S. News & World Report L.P.
212.210.6390

https://health.usnews.com/conditions/articles/how-to-disinfect-after-someone-in-your-house-has-
had-covid-19

Date: March 2, 2022

In May 2020, experts spoke with U.S. News about effective cleaning after a household member
had been isolated at home with COVID-19. A lot has changed during the pandemic since then,
but thorough cleaning and sanitation of living quarters where the virus has circulated is still
essential.
Thankfully, the majority of people who come down with COVID-19 disease have mild to
moderate symptoms and can safely recover at home. But the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention suggest that someone with symptoms should go into quarantine and use as few
rooms as possible, to prevent spreading the virus to others in the household.
Here’s what to know about proper cleaning of a sick room now or in the future – whether the
goal is to prevent spreading COVID-19, the flu or any highly contagious virus or bacteria.
Surface Viruses
Erica Marie Hartmann, an assistant professor in the department of civil and environmental
engineering at Northwestern University who focuses on indoor microbiology, is particularly
interested in how the use of specific chemicals impacts survival of microbes (germs) that are
found indoors.
Viruses are, in many respects, not even alive outside of their hosts. "This means that viruses,
novel coronavirus or otherwise, aren't doing much of anything on home objects except slowly
falling apart," she says. "A virus may be present on an object, but objects themselves cannot
actually be infected, and the virus cannot replicate or grow on any object, in your home or
elsewhere."
Over time, the virus on household surfaces disintegrates. "Certain factors can speed up this
process," Hartmann says. "Generally speaking, the longer you leave them, or the higher the
temperature is, or the lighter they're exposed to, the faster they will disintegrate." Approved
disinfectant chemicals will also do the trick.
Clean Before Disinfecting
Once the disease runs its course, the room or rooms that the sick person used, along with the
objects he or she came in contact with, need to be cleaned and disinfected. Cleaning visibly
dirty surfaces, followed by disinfection, is "a best practice measure for prevention of COVID-19
and other viral respiratory illnesses in households and community settings," the CDC says.
Cleaning and disinfecting are not the same thing:
Cleaning means removing germs, dirt and impurities from surfaces. It does not kill germs, but
reduces the number of them on surfaces.
Disinfecting means using Environmental Protection Agency-registered chemicals to kill germs
on surfaces. This is intended after cleaning, and it can further lower the risk of spreading
infection.
If you can do so, the easiest way to secure a room after someone in your home has COVID-19 is
to close it off for a week, says Colleen McLaughlin, an associate professor of epidemiology with
the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Albany, New York. "If the room is not
needed, just close the door for seven days," she says. The virus will be inactive at that point.
"The longer you wait, the safer it is to clean."
That's not always practical, however. If you can't wait that long, the CDC has posted its
recommendations for cleaning and disinfection of households with people suspected of having
or confirmed to have COVID-19.
Appropriate Disinfectant Products
When it comes to COVID-19, “it’s the same things we recommend if you have someone with flu
in your household,” says Melissa Bronstein, director of infection prevention and control
for Rochester Regional Health in New York. “The cleaning process doesn’t change.”
Although cleaning steps are consistent, availability was a problem in the early pandemic
months with supply-chain shortages and store shelves stripped bare of familiar products. “In
2020, manufacturers were scrambling to get their products certified (by the EPA) to be effective
against COVID,” Bronstein says. “But, now, the products we consider effective against flu virus
or for many other organisms have also obtained that certification.”
Natural cleaning products may not be strong enough. “You have to be really careful,” Bronstein
says. “Some things that they put in natural products can be effective if they’re in the correct
concentration. For instance, vinegar can be effective. You just have to get the proportions
right.” Over-diluting disinfecting agents can make them too weak. “With some products, if they
don’t have EPA registration, it might be because they’re very dilute,” she explains.
“I personally like bleach because I know it’s effective against almost anything," Bronstein adds.
"So, for any product that’s got bleach, just look to see it’s got that EPA registration, and you
know you’re good to go for almost any organism.”
It's important to avoid fumes from strong disinfectants. Open a window if possible while
cleaning in these confined spaces. “We all have new appreciation for the importance of good
air quality,” Bronstein notes. “Especially when you’re using cleaning chemicals, you want to
make sure the area is well-ventilated.”
Airing out the room by opening any windows and closing the door is beneficial for another
reason. Air circulation will move virus out of the immediate air and help degrade any virus
particles in droplets on surfaces, McLaughlin says.
Cleaning and Disinfection Steps
If someone in your household is infected with COVID-19, or recovering from COVID-related
illness, have the household member isolate within the home, with a separate bedroom and
bathroom if possible. Once they've recovered and are no longer contagious, take these steps to
clean and disinfect:
Ventilate rooms by opening windows and running fans.
Wear gloves and a face mask while cleaning these areas.
Clean all surfaces in the isolation or sick room with soap or detergent and water, as well as all
common areas and high-touch surfaces like bathroom fixtures.
Disinfect hard surfaces with an EPA-approved product. Follow label directions.
Give disinfectant time to work by following manufacturers’ instructions on how long to leave
the wet product on the surface before wiping it off.
Clean soft surfaces, such as carpet, rugs and drapes, according to manufacturers’ directions for
those materials.
For clothing, linens and other soft items that can go in the laundry, use regular laundry
detergent and the warmest water possible. Avoid shaking dirty linens.
Use an individual, lined trash can for the person who is sick. When handling trash or disposing
of garbage bags, wear gloves and wash hands afterward.
What to Clean
If possible, dedicate one bedroom and bathroom for the sick person to use and make sure
everyone else uses others. While the person is sick, have them clean the rooms they use if they
are well enough to do so. If they are not able, caregivers should wait as long as possible to clean
and disinfect the rooms.
If it's not possible to keep household members fully separate, disinfect all shared high-touch
surfaces such as light switches, counters, tables and faucets frequently. Be extra-cautious
about wearing masks, using gloves and discarding objects like used tissues in separate trash
containers.
Disinfect specifically the objects that the ill person touches or interacts with, Hartmann says.
"So, for example, if someone is sick and staying in bed and only getting up to go to the
bathroom, pay close attention to the nightstand, the bed linens, the bathroom door handle, the
taps, the flush on the toilet," she says.
Start every cleaning session with clean gloves and a face mask. When cleaning and disinfecting
hard surfaces – such as counters, tabletops, door knobs and bed frames – use any household
detergent or soap and water before disinfecting. "Soap and warm water works very well at
destabilizing coronavirus," McLaughlin says, by destroying the fatty membrane that holds the
virus.
Once they're clean, hard surfaces can be disinfected using EPA-approved products such as Lysol
or Clorox. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions, especially on how long you should
leave the product on the surface before wiping it off. "Read the label to see how long the
surface needs to stay wet. Some say they need to be wet for several minutes," McLaughlin says.
"If you use a spray, leave it on for a few minutes before wiping off. If you use wet wipes, don't
use it when it dries out. Then it is no longer effective. You want to see the surface wet and stay
wet for a while."
Hartmann agrees: "Don't skip the wait step. Disinfection is not instantaneous. For a solution of
5% sodium hypochlorite, which is most household bleach, you want to leave it on the surface
for 10 minutes before wiping it off," she says. "If you're not giving your disinfectant enough
time to do its work, you're not disinfecting."
To clean soft surfaces, such as carpets, rugs and drapes, follow the directions for those specific
materials. If appropriate, wash them in your laundry using the warmest water temperature
allowed for that item.
Linens, clothing and other soft items that go in the laundry can still be cleaned that way. Do not
shake dirty laundry; that could spread the active coronavirus through the air. Again, follow
appropriate laundry guidelines for the items, and use the warmest water possible. Regular
laundry detergent is fine, McLaughlin says. "The water, in addition to laundry detergent and the
heat involved with drying – all of those are going to clean and disinfect the clothing, linen and
towels." Remember to clean and disinfect clothes hampers as you would other hard surfaces.
With electronic devices, such as cellphones, tablets, touch screens, remote controls and
keyboards, first remove visible dirt and other contaminants. Then follow the manufacturer's
instructions for all cleaning and disinfection products, the CDC advises. If you can't find such
guidance, you should consider using alcohol-based wipes or sprays containing at least 70%
alcohol to disinfect touch screens. Dry surfaces thoroughly.
Reducing Risk
"While it's important to use cleaning products and practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19,
it's also important not to go overboard and to acknowledge that your home will not, and should
not, be completely sterile," Hartmann says. "Microbes are around us all the time. They were
with us before the pandemic, and they will be with us long after the pandemic is over. And not
all of them are bad. In fact, the vast majority of them will not make you sick and may even be
necessary to keep you healthy and happy."
However, do take particular care during outbreaks. With the pandemic, “It really struck me that
so much has changed, but cleaning a room for someone who’s sick – that’s not going to
change,” Bronstein says. “It’s always been true for flu that we want to be sure we’re cleaning
carefully. As COVID makes that transition (such that) we consider it more endemic than
epidemic, we just need to recognize that when you use the appropriate product and do the
appropriate technique, it really makes a difference for all communicable (infectious) diseases.”
Think of cleaning as part of an overall strategy to prevent COVID-19 transmission in the
household. “Because this particular virus spreads most easily through air droplets, mask-
wearing is still the most important thing,” McLaughlin says. “People need to be aware that
when they’re caring for someone in the house and they’re wearing a mask, they should keep
their hands away from the mask. Change your mask frequently. Change your mask when it gets
moist. Make sure when you take it off, you take it off by the ear loops or the head loop rather
than pulling it by the front.”
Separation is the key, as it has been throughout the pandemic, McLaughlin says. “Staying out of
the area where the sick person has been or is still going to be is effective,” she says. “That’s true
of any respiratory virus, and not just respiratory viruses but even stomach bugs and things like
that. The more you can protect yourself while caring for that person, just distance and
separation, if possible, will definitely reduce risk.”

REFLECTION:
On my opinion about the covid-19 cleaning is the most important part and needed to all things
that is most used in isolation room but cleaning is is not enough you need to sanitize or
disinfect too to remove the bacteria and germs that is on the surface that we cannot see it also
lower the risk of spreading the infection. About the easy way to serve your room is always close
it off for a week and always use your alcohol every time when you're going home or anywhere
if you don't have to go anywhere that is important it is best to stay at home even the covid-19
has a vaccine and other medicine to make you feel better still the covid-19 has a real type of
medicine that's why you need to watch out for the things that you touch around you especially
when you're in the kitchen and about to eat always sanitize and disinfect the things that you
use daily to be safe and lower the risk of getting a virus or a covid-19 infection