With flu season just beginning, it’s important to do everything we can to prevent from getting sick. Beyond getting your flu shot and going to the doctor when you’re sick, keeping your home clean can help prevent you from getting the flu.
Regular home cleaning during flu season keeps germs from building up or cross contaminating the surfaces in your home. Keeping surfaces disinfected and even just wiping off doorknobs and commonly touched surfaces can prevent the flu virus from getting into your body or populating widely throughout your home.
There is no need to go the extra mile and wipe down your walls or clean more than routinely necessary. The flu virus can live up to 48 hours giving it plenty of time to spread across the commonly touched surfaces and items in your home. However, the flu virus is relatively easy to kill and remove from your home with common household cleaners.
If someone in your household has the flu, cleaning is even more important, especially the surfaces the individual regularly touched. Cleaning bedding and other soft materials will contribute to overall good hygiene which is essential in preventing and getting better from the flu. Routine house cleaning is one of the most effective ways to prevent you and your family from the flu this season.
Dr. Jonov is a cosmetic surgeon who specializes in plastic surgeries of the face, breast, and body at Seattle Plastic Surgery.
