Ivy says:

They say, “it’s going around” and it’s “going around and around” in my house, for sure. Winter is prime time for viruses to come on in the house and take up residence. It’s up to you to clean them away as best you can. Of course, you’re not going to be able to fight off every single bit of bacteria and viruses that are in your house- nor do you want to, as some bacteria is good. But you definitely want to hit several areas to make sure you’re doing your best to keep the nasties away.

Living Areas

In your living room, great room, and all other areas where you “hang out,” keep in mind areas your hands touch- doorknobs, light switches, remote controls, computer keypads. For items that are less likely to be harmed by getting a little wet, spray Lysol and leave it without wiping. For more sensitive electronic items, I usually spray Lysol on a cloth and wipe from there.

Kitchen

Here, you’ll also think about areas hands touch. Again, clean the light switches, doorknobs, the refrigerator door handle, and all other areas your hands touch. Lysol, again, is the best for this. Don’t forget things like your coffee maker and the buttons on your microwave. I rarely use bleach for cleaning since I cannot handle the smell, but I do use a bit of bleach in my dishwater when washing dishes if anyone has been sick. I also make sure all dishes are absolutely and thoroughly dry before putting them away. I normally make sure they’re dry, but in the case of sickness, bone dry, baby.

Bedrooms

I change the sheets as soon as someone’s finished being sick and wash them with hot water. If you’re going through a particularly ugly round of sickness and you feel too weak still to change sheets, changing the pillowcases will be a good temporary solution until you feel well enough to go all out and change everything. Don’t forget your can of Lysol and spraying all the areas your hands touch. I also like to make sure I thoroughly dust and vacuum (this goes for every room of the house) if it’s a respiratory illness- sometimes a bad cold is actually allergies. Give your pillows a nice sunning, if it’s dry enough outside.

Bathrooms

Clean your toilets like the Queen of England is coming to use the loo. And, of course, don’t forget the good ol’ Lysol. Clean the sink and tub really well, too. And, of course, don’t forget the light switches, etc.

Laundry

All clothes and bed linens from the sick person should be washed with the hottest water possible. If there have been diarrhea or vomiting issues, be sure to wash those items separately with bleach, if the items can be bleached. Dry on the hottest possible setting as well. And, naturally, Lysol all the areas that hands touch. You should be used to that routine by now.

Tell me, Home Eccers, how are you faring this cold and flu season?

Ivy says:

When I worked as a professional maid, sometimes the boss would come into a house we had just cleaned and would do what she called “the white glove test.” She’d wear a white pair of gloves and check areas we were supposed to have cleaned, and if so much as a smudge appeared on the famed white gloves, we’d get marked down.

There were 5 places she called “hot spots”- these were the places she would most likely find that we had missed. These are those places.

1. The top of the refrigerator- Oooh, I’ve seen some nasty refrigerator tops in my time. Normally they’re fairly close to the stovetop, so the dust on top of the refrigerator gets mixed in with grease and it’s just a nasty, heinous mess. Also, people like to store stuff on top of the refrigerator, so now your stuff is greasy and dusty. Go ahead and start making the top of your refrigerator a regular part of your kitchen cleaning routine. If you do it at least once a week, it won’t be bad at all.

2. The tops of door frames, and the tops of anything hanging on a wall- I have a confession to make. Because this was something my bosses at the cleaning service were SO snotty about these particular items, it was years before I was able to go into someone’s house and not run my finger on the top of their door frames. Talk about conditioning. When you’re dusting, don’t forget the tops of door frames, the tops of picture frames, the top of your doorbell box, your smoke detectors, your thermostat, and anything else that hangs on your wall.

3. The back sides of your faucets- This is something that is easy to miss. When I make the kids clean the kitchen or the bathroom, they miss this every time. One would think that being busted on this myriad times would make them remember, but one would be wrong. It can get pretty funky back there, so don’t forget to clean behind the faucets.

4. Underneath and behind appliances that sit on the counter- When I was at my mom and dad’s house on Sunday, my dad’s coffee maker decided to flood. We quickly pulled everything out and started mopping up. Behind the coffee maker was actually pretty clean, but behind the microwave- eww. I know it’s a pain to pull larger appliances like that out, but be sure to clean under there every once in awhile.

5. Toilet paper holders- When I worked at the cleaning service, this was something I got marked down on a few times. Toilet paper leaves dust on the sides of the holder, and it needs to be dusted off. This is something that would have never occurred to me to clean if I hadn’t ever worked at the cleaning service, but there it is. Clean your toilet paper holders, yo!

Now, I know these items are all really fussy things to clean. You could go the rest of your life not dusting your door frames and be just fine. But if you’re looking to get your house completely spotless, don’t forget these items!

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