Regular cleaning is one of the most basic ways to keep your Lilburn rental home a safe place to be during flu season. But you may be neglecting a lot more areas if you are only cleaning the visible dirt. Doorknobs, light switches, computer keyboards, smartphones, tablets, television remotes, and game controllers are all easy to miss when cleaning the house. If not sanitized regularly, these things could accumulate more harmful bacteria than even your toilet seat. This winter season keep your Lilburn rental clean and safe from bacteria by following these simple cleaning tips!
Common Dirty Devices
Ideally, you should be cleaning your smartphones, tablets, keyboards, television remotes, and gaming controllers in your Lilburn rental home regularly. In short, any frequently used electronic! Since many of these devices are touched multiple times throughout the day, they can have ten times the growth of bacteria than other surfaces in your home. Touching a contaminated object and then touching your phone or computer keyboard is just transferring bacteria from one surface to the other. That is how it spreads throughout your home!
A surface that is touched often will collect bacteria rapidly, and could potentially become a serious health hazard. When it is flu season, it becomes easier to pick up germs and unknowingly pass them along to other people in your home. By sharing devices, controllers, and even the TV remote germs can spread from person to person. This is why it is so important to clean your dirty devices frequently! You wouldn’t want your family or roommates to get sick just because you didn’t clean your devices every day or after every use.
High-Touch Surfaces
Are you keeping track of everything you touch around your Lilburn rental home each day? Bet not! You would be surprised! High-touch areas are those that get a lot of use but often do not make it onto your general cleaning lists. Examples of these are doorknobs, cabinet handles, window blind pulls, and light switches; all are touched multiple times a day, probably by multiple people!
If these surfaces have not been wiped down with a germ-killing solution recently, chances are, they are harboring high levels of harmful bacteria. One study found that commonly used objects around your home are 10x dirtier than your toilet seat! Be sure to sanitize!!!
How To Properly Clean Your Surfaces and Devices
Regular sanitizing of high-touch surfaces is especially important during flu season. However, most of these surfaces are not fit for direct spraying with liquid cleaners or disinfectants. Spraying anything on your tech devices will probably damage them. Instead, you can get wipes that are specifically designed for cleaning electronic devices. These wipes usually contain alcohol, which can kill harmful bacteria without damaging your device.
You can then use a microfiber cloth and spray a disinfectant solution on the cloth, as you clean the other high-touch surfaces around the house. Many commercial cleaning solutions claim to kill bacteria and are suitable for your home’s plastic or other durable surfaces. Keep in mind that harsh chemicals can damage painted surfaces, wood, or natural stone!
Pick The Right Sanitizer!
Make sure you are cleaning all surfaces in your home with a disinfectant appropriate for the different surfaces you are cleaning! You wouldn’t use a glass cleaner on your wooden table, right? Always maintain proper ventilation when cleaning and make sure to follow the label directions regardless of what cleaning agent you choose. These extra precautions can help keep your home as germ-free as possible, not only during the flu season but all year round, while also keeping your furniture and electronics unharmed!
Clean HVAC Filter
Another important aspect of a bacteria-free home is keeping your HVAC Filter clean and replacing it on time! Dust, dander, allergens, and hair can build up in your system, causing it to not run properly. Not only does regularly replacing your filter clean the air you breathe, but it also keeps your electric bill low! The picture shows a clean filter on the left and a dirty filter on the right. Just think about all of that dirt and debris you are breathing in if not replaced regularly!
Wash Your Hands!
In addition to cleaning high-touch surfaces, the CDC also recommends washing your hands frequently to kill all the germs! Regular hand washing with the appropriate soap keeps your hands free of harmful bacteria that you could spread around your house!
By taking a weekend to deep clean and sanitize your home, you will be safe from any lingering bacteria in the air and on your surfaces and devices! Many grocery stores and supermarkets supply a wide range of all different disinfectants and cleaners so it will be easy to pick one that is right for your needs! By following these cleaning tips this flu season, your Lilburn rental home will be safe from any germs and your immune system will be thankful!
If you are looking to move into Gwinnett County, contact us today for assistance with property management services and we will help you find the perfect rental home! If you own a home and would like to rent it out in Gwinnett County, reach out to us and we will be glad to assist you in the process!
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