As Singapore transitions to endemic living, home recovery is the default care arrangement for all who have mild or no symptoms. This might be a concern for many because research has found that the virus can stay on surfaces for a couple of days.
Even if one has tested negative and recovered from Covid-19 after the home recovery programme (HRP), there is a need to disinfect the home to ensure that others living in the same home don’t get infected as well. Here’s how to properly disinfect your home with these few steps.
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How to disinfect your home post-recovery
1. Ventilate the room for 3 hours.
Before you start cleaning, it’s important to ventilate the room first. Even during the home recovery period, you should leave the windows open, switch on the fan, and point the fan towards the windows.
You shouldn’t switch on the air conditioner because the viral particles could potentially escape from under the door and spread the virus to those living in the same household. In fact, you might need to engage an aircon specialist to thoroughly clean the aircon unit after your HRP as well.
2. Prepare the appropriate cleaning tools and products.
While the room is ventilating, prepare the appropriate cleaning tools and products. Other than the products that you will be using to clean, remember to also prepare personal protective equipment for yourself. Minimally, you should put on a surgical mask and gloves when cleaning.
Some products and tools that you will need include:
- Disinfectant
- Trash bag
- Pail
- Disposable cloths/rags
- Mop
- Extra set of clothes
Prepare an extra set of clothes so that you can shower and change into a fresh set right after cleaning. That will minimise any risk of transmission, just in case any virus stays on your clothing while you clean.
3. Wash bedding and fabrics
Remove all linens such as bedsheets, pillowcases, mattress protectors and duvet covers. Place them into the washing machine gently and directly. Do not toss or throw the fabrics.
The clothes worn by the infected individual throughout the HRP can also be washed together with the linens. However, don’t mix these with other linens or fabrics belonging to other members of the same household.
If the room has curtains or carpets, they should be washed too. But these are significantly harder to wash on your own. You can engage curtain and carpet cleaning services to help disinfect and thoroughly clean those items.
Use the warmest setting on the washing machine to wash the linen and clothes. Then, dry the items under the sun. These both help to kill the virus. Thereafter, don’t forget to disinfect the laundry bags or use disposable ones.
4. Start cleaning surfaces
Once you have everything ready and the room has been ventilated for a sufficient period of time, you can start cleaning all the surfaces in your home. Soak the cloth in the disinfectant and use it to wipe all the high-touch surfaces in the room/house. Some examples include doorknobs, switches, armrests, tables, etc.
Soak and rinse the cloth in disinfectant before moving on to the next surface. If you can, use a separate cloth altogether. Try not to use disinfectant from a spray bottle. But if you have to, spray the disinfectant onto the cloth and not onto the surface.
When mopping the floor, go from one end of the room to the other. Don’t move back and forth between an area that has not been cleaned to an area that has already been cleaned. After mopping, soak the mop in disinfectant and rinse it thereafter. Also, remember to disinfect the pail used.
5. Clean the bathroom.
Cleaning the bathroom is another important step to reduce the risk of transmission from wastewater. Especially if the bathroom is shared, ensuring that the bathroom is thoroughly cleaned is essential.
Disinfect the sink pipes by pouring one cup (about 250ml) of disinfectant into the sink. Next, pour two cups (about 500ml) of disinfectant down the floor trap. Just like in the room or other parts of your home, use disinfectant and a cloth to wipe down surfaces such as the tap, flush buttons, soap dispenser, the door, etc.
To clean the toilet bowl, pour disinfectant into the toilet bowl and use a brush to scrub it. Close the lid and flush the toilet after leaving it for a minute.
Last but not least, mop the toilet floor from the exit inwards using the disinfectant.
6. Dispose waste
The waste generated by the infected person during the HRP should be double bagged, tied securely, and put aside for at least 72 hours. You can then dispose of the waste together with the gloves, masks, cloths, and other waste generated from disinfecting the room/home.
Make sure they are securely tied before disposing of them outside the home. After disposing of the waste, wash your hands with soap and water immediately.
Properly disinfect your home after home recovery
With the 6 steps above, you can properly disinfect your home after the home recovery programme and protect yourself and your loved ones from any possible transmission. Take note to protect yourself and remember to shower and wash your hands immediately after you finish disinfecting.
Although you can disinfect your home yourself, it’s not an easy process and there are many things to take note of. A more convenient way would be to engage a third party to handle everything for you.
Our disinfection service includes fumigation of all areas, wipe-down of high-touch surfaces with industrial-grade disinfectant, and waste disposal. We provide disinfection services both as a preventive measure or for post home recovery. Book now and enjoy a special rate!
