How to Have a Healthy House

A healthy house is a happy house. As we spend more days in our home, there are several things that you can do to keep your house as clean as possible. Here at QOL Labs, we have come up with several easy tips that you can do to keep your home spick and span and keep your family fighting fit.

1. Leave your shoes at the Door
Muddy footsteps are meant for the outside patio, not for that lovely new carpet. As well as staining your surfaces, studies have shown that the bottoms of shoes are more likely to carry stomach bug-inducing pathogens than bathroom surfaces. Ensure that fellow inhabitants and visitors take off their shoes at the door, clean off any dirt or debris outside, and spray their shoes with a disinfectant solution.

2. Bust the dust
As well as it being unsightly on your surfaces, dust particles can carry allergens that cause various health issues. Due to how quickly dust can build on household surfaces, furniture, and behind cabinets, it is important to regularly vacuum and open windows to allow ventilation.

3. Wash the floors
Although it is often rare to catch an infection from your floor, several harmful pathogens can exist in dry conditions and can stay at the bottom of your feet. Once or twice a week, run the vacuum and mop the floors. However, remember to be more diligent with spillages if you have little ones or pets who are likely to crawl around.

4. Keep it clean in the bedroom
Whether you share a bed with someone or not, you are never alone in your bed. Between the sheets, dust, hair, dead skin, pollen, and fungi can keep you company that adds to poor air quality and skin irritation. As we spend a third of our life sleeping, make sure to keep your bed clean. Change your bedsheets at least once every two weeks and wash your bedding in hot water at approximately 40°C degrees. Pillows and duvets should be washed every few months to prevent the build-up of dirt, dust mites, and bacteria.

5. Unsoiled in the soil
Several people are venturing out to their backyards to keep them busy during the lockdown. Although we applaud these newly green-fingered gardeners, QOL Labs recommends wearing gloves if you're going to be handling soil or compost. Plenty of pathogens lurk in the dirt, so ensure that you wash your hands and fingernails, before and after gardening.

6. Keeping up in the Kitchen
As the focal point in many homes, the kitchen is ground zero for plenty of bacteria, and pathogens to thrive in. As everyone gravitates to the kitchen, practically every surface is a magnet for germs. Although there is an entire rulebook for kitchen cleanliness, our top ones include:

• Regularly wipe down each kitchen surface with disinfectant. These include counters, tabletops, stove, microwave buttons, fridge handles, and any other surfaces that you or your family may regularly touch.
• Your kitchen bin can be a hot spot of bacteria with food spoilage. Use a container with a closing lid and bin liner and wash your hands after contact.
• Wash all dishes and silverware before and after use
• Never cut fruit and veg on the same chopping board, you use to cut raw meat on. Wash chopping boards with hot water and soap before and after use.

7. Take care of the bathroom
As the bathroom is also a major hotspot in your house, it is also a breeding ground for bacteria. From stomach-bug bacteria to water-borne pathogens, the bathroom is a considerable transmitter of germs. Make sure you clean frequent touchpoints such as toilet handles, door handles, showerheads, taps, and light-switch pull cords regularly.

8. Living it large
Our living rooms are the places where we unwind in private but also entertain in public. With visitors going in and out of your living room, it is imperative to keep your lounge as sparkling clean as possible. Clean and disinfect surfaces, remote controls, and tablets to prevent the transfer of germs.

9. Keeping it fresh
Dirty clothes, gym kits, and towels are the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive in. Keep your laundry fresh by washing your linen in hot water and high-quality detergent with antibacterial properties. Try to avoid air-drying within the house as dust particles or moisture can build up with poor ventilation.

10. Wipe out the mold
From floor to ceiling, mold in your home can present several health problems. Another related danger that can lurk in the corners of your house is trichophyton, a fungus that causes ringworm and athlete's foot. To clean mold and trichophyton in your bathroom and the rest of your home, use a disinfectant designed to kill mold and fungus, wipe down the tub or shower after bathing or showering, and empty the wastebasket daily.