As families remain at home during coronavirus lockdowns, houses need frequent cleaning particularly crucial areas like the bathroom. Here is how to disinfect the bathroom.
The goal is to keep toilets, counters, showers, and sink free from germs and keep the family healthy.
A report in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, can live on hard surfaces for up to three days. The bathroom has lots of surfaces.
Published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the text “Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1” showed that coronavirus could persist in aerosols for up to three hours.
Results also show that the virus can last up to four hours on copper and up to 24 hours on cardboard. Moreover, it can stay up to two to three days on stainless steel and plastic.
The study presents key information about the stability of SARS-CoV-2, which leads to COVID-19 disease. With this, NIH states that “people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects.”
"We'd be mostly concerned with the inanimate surfaces," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
"Any household disinfectants will work against this virus," he said. "And soap and water work perfectly well."
High-touch areas
To disinfect the bathroom, one must start by hand washing. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency among the disinfectants one can use are Clorox Disinfecting Wipes and certain Lysol sprays.
However, British manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser, maker of Lysol, has warned the public not to digest or inject its cleaning products after US President Donald Trump suggested its potential to treat coronavirus.
One must prioritize the "high-touch" areas of the bathroom. These are door knobs, light switches, and the sink areas. Other less obvious areas are shower heads, shower curtains, and around the toilet seat.
Items such as shavers, hair dryers, electric toothbrushes, or other appliances in the bathroom need cleaning too.
Households must consider placing a wipeable cover on electronic devices, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Moreover, a study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology revealed that particles and droplets can spread up to six feet when one flushes with the seat up.
"You don't have to panic clean," said Brian Sansoni, a spokesman for the American Cleaning Institute. He noted that one must need to make sure they are cleaning correctly.
Air-dry
After one wipes down hard surfaces such as counter tops and sinks, leave them wet for three to five minutes. The American Cleaning Institute advises letting the surfaces air-dry, and then rinse them with water.
People should recognize the need to wait, said Sansoni. He added that it is important to give the cleaning products time to truly work and completely eliminate viruses and germs.
Sansoni mentioned findings from an Ipsos poll commissioned by his organization. The report shows that 42% of Americans were not cleaning or disinfecting the right way. This could leave them vulnerable and unprotected.
He pointed out that many people are ignoring directions on product labels, such as allowing cleaning products enough time to work.
