Stop Viruses From Spreading Inside Your Home

In today’s world of social distancing and fear, it can be difficult to find the right tactics to apply to your own home to staying healthy and preventing the spread of viruses in your
home. Here are a few hard and fast rules that are easy to follow as long as you get into a routine of doing them every day.

Number one: Wash your hands.

Washing your hands before, during, and after preparing food is a must. The CDC
also recommends that you wash your hands:

 Before eating
 Before and After Caring for someone who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
 Before and After treating a cut or wound
 After using the restroom
 After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
 After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
 After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
 After handling pet food or treats
 After touching garbage

There are 5 steps that the CDC recommends you take every single time that you wash your hands:

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice. (You can absolutely come up with your own handwashing
song to get rid of the monotony, as long as it’s at least 20 seconds!)
4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water. 5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them. If you do not have access to soap and water, then use hand sanitizer! The CDC recommends
that although it is not 100% effective in cleaning the hands, nor is it as effective as soap and water, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is far better than nothing in the fight against preventing the spread of viruses in your home. As they say: Clean hands save lives, and who else is more deserving of your consideration of their health than your immediate family?

Number Two: Be Conscious and Considerate With Tissues

This goes hand-in-hand with washing your hands, and again may seem obvious, but if you or another family member is prone to sneezing or coughing fits, then they need to have a supply of tissues at all times. Sneezing or coughing into a tissue or even the sleeve of your shirt is far preferable to letting it all fly with reckless abandon! When we sneeze, we propel air and by extension, germs at a rate of around 100 miles per hour on average. That can very easily travel
anywhere in your home if you do nothing to cover your mouth. The concept is simple, if you feel a sneeze or a cough coming on, cover up out of consideration for others. Very little effort is required to get rid of a major risk factor in terms of communicable diseases.

Number 3: Personal Hygiene

Every person in your household should be applying themselves and sticking to the general standards for personal hygiene every day. This includes taking a shower or bath at least once a day and brushing your teeth at least twice a day.

Number 4: Eat Right, Stay Healthy.

A balanced diet has always been a cornerstone of physical health for humans since we could make a meal plan, so do your best to plan out a healthy set of meals for your family on top of
having plenty of healthy alternatives to the usual snack foods if possible. Usually, a healthy diet will focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains, with low fat/fat free
milk and dairy products. This can also include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. Try to avoid any foods that are high in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added
sugars. Sticking to these kinds of foods will make your body more resilient and regular. Fruits and vegetables contain fiber to regulate bowel movements, proteins will help heal wounds, and the
various vitamins found in a balanced diet can even help to heal body tissue damage caused by chronic diseases. The Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish can help to regulate bodily function and
reduce inflammation and constipation.

Number 5: Avoid Unnecessary Trips

Try to stay inside if possible. Nobody can blame you if your job requires you to go out of the house, but if you are stuck at home right now, there’s a good reason for it. Stay safe, and don’t
unnecessarily endanger yourself and others by having unrelated company over or going to any kind of large gathering. The most you should be doing if you are stuck at home is going for
groceries once a week if necessary. Make sure you have a grocery list and plan out your route so that you spend as little time as possible in an overpopulated area.

Overview

You should accept nothing less than the best you can give for your family and keeping them healthy and safe is the best some of us can do right now. There is a light at the end of the
tunnel, and nothing will convince me otherwise, but that light comes at an unfortunate cost. Follow these safety guidelines to make sure the cost to you and your family is as minimal as
possible. Stay safe, and give those closest to you a chance to do the same.