Coronavirus Keep Disinfecting Daily - Top 23 Germy Spots Around Your Home

Here’s some good news from the Food and Drug Administration, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Albert Einstein School of Medicine: Regulators have given doctors the go-ahead to test a treatment for Covid-19 patients that’s been used successfully in patients fighting other viral diseases, like polio, Ebola and SARS.

The basic idea is to give seriously ill patients the blood plasma of recovered patients, which is rich in antibodies that target and kill the virus. If the treatment is proven to work with the coronavirus as well, says Johns Hopkin’s Arturo Casadevall, it could be widely available by early summer.

 So, fingers crossed that the cavalry rides in sooner than we expected.

 But in the interim, our efforts to “flatten the curve” by practicing social distancing and disinfecting our homes, among other measures, are still absolutely vital to staying safe and winning the national battle against Covid-19, especially with many households reconfiguring as a result of the pandemic.

 Has your son or daughter returned home from college mid-semester or moved back in after losing a job? Get disinfecting. Is your husband or wife still on the job and out there meeting the public every day? Keep disinfecting. The more virus particles you kill around the house, the less likely it is that one family member will infect another. And as the epidemiologists have learned, Covid-19 can spread quickly within families.

 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website says to clean and disinfect daily frequently-touched surfaces, including tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, desks, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks. That’s a good starter list. But there are many more germy objects you’ll want to hit regularly, depending on family roles and routines.

 All you need is 4 teaspoons of household bleach to a quart (4 cups) of water. Any more bleach is overkill and can damage surfaces. Rubbing alcohol (at least 70% ethanol) is a great household disinfectant, too, but that’s harder to find in stores right now. If you’re lucky enough to have any on hand, you may want to save it for sanitizing your hands during and after trips out of the house.

 If possible, open windows and air out your home while you’re disinfecting. Not only will this spare your throat and lungs (bleach can be an irritant in enclosed spaces), it’ll rid your home of airborne respiratory droplets that might harbor the virus.

Top Germy Surfaces You’ll Want to Hit Early and Often

#1 Handbag (For now, consider using a non-leather bag, which can be wiped down without damaging the “leather.”)

#2 Eyeglasses (How many times a day do you adjust your glasses? For most of us it’s a lot.)

#3 Dishwasher Door and Controls (Especially now, used dishes and utensils should go straight into the dishwasher.)

#4 Microwave Door and the Controls

#5 Refrigerator and Freezer Door Handles

#6 Kitchen Cabinets Doors

#7 Teakettle and Water Filter Pitcher Handles

#8 Pepper Grinder and Salt Shaker

#9 Family Coffee Thermos

#10 Toothbrush and Toothbrush Holder (Toothbrush holders are among the germiest spots in the house.)

#11 Shower Controls (Not to be too gross about it, but people often do their coughing in the shower.)

#12 Toilets Handles

#13 Hand Lotion Dispenser (What with all the hand washing, these are seeing frequent use.)

#14 Make-up (Two of the most germ-ridden items in a handbag are lipsticks and mascara.)

#15 Earbuds

#16 Phones (The germiest thing in the average office is the telephone.)

#17 Cellphone/Tablet Chargers/TV Remote Control

#18 Drawer pulls (Don’t skip the family “junk drawer” and drawers storing frequently-taken medications.)

#19 Desk Chair Armrests

#20 Washer and Dryer Door and Controls (Remember, just a half an hour in the regular dryer cycle kills most viruses and bacteria on fabrics.)

#21 Gym Equipment, such as Free Weights, Treadmills and Exercise Bikes

#22 Car Gearshift, Seat Belts, Door Handles, Window Buttons, Steering Wheel (Studies show that germs are thickest on seat belts and window buttons.)

#23 Car Keys