During this pandemic, we’ve all had to add a few strange words and phrases into our vocabulary. One such term is cleaning ‘high touch surfaces’. For us to continue living safely, we need to remember this phrase long after this quarantine.

Today our home interior designers in Chennai are here to walk you through some of the most touched surfaces in a home and how to properly clean and sanitize them. Follow these steps every day to ensure your home plays hosts to fewer germs.

What is a high touch surface?

High-touch surfaces are those that are frequently handled throughout the day by multiple people. In everyday life, your hands come in contact with a plethora of places and things. Sometimes you don’t even have to think about it. Enter a dark room and you immediately search for the switch board. Plop down on the sofa and your hands automatically reach for the TV remote. 

Recently, such surfaces have been identified as a hotbed for pathogen transmission. During the lockdown and even after, these are places you’ll frequently be touching and hence warrant regular cleaning.

Doors and door knobs

After a trip to the grocery store, you reach for the door to step inside. The delivery man leaves your food hanging from the doorknob. You touch a door every time you enter and exit a room. If left unattended, the door and the knob become a magnet for dirt, grime and of course germs. Make sure to wipe the door knobs at least once a day even if you are living alone.

Glasses

You might have stopped touching your face but have you stopped touching your glasses? Chances are you have not. Give your glasses a quick wipe twice a day using warm water and washable lens cleaning cloth to keep them free of germs.

Phone, Tablets, Laptops

Maybe you take your laptop to the shared rooftop in your apartment to get some fresh air as you work. This lockdown, we’re all either glued to the phone or the laptop. Just like with the doors, your electronics are coated with your skin’s oils which attracts bacteria and viruses. Use an alcohol-based wet wipe to properly sanitize them without affecting their functionality.

Switch boards

Everytime you step into or out of a room, you have to touch the switch board to operate the lights and fans. So don’t forget to cover them in your daily sanitization routine. All you need to do is simply spray a disinfectant solution on a washable cloth and wipe them down. (Do not spray the solution directly on to the sockets!)

Remote control

After a short morning jog, you crash on the couch and reach for the AC remote. After a long work day you and your family cannot help but reach for the TV remote or the Xbox joystick. But, that also makes one of the most riskiest surfaces in a home. Wipe down the remote control with a washcloth multiple times a day to ensure maximum safety.

Faucets 

Whether it is the sink in your kitchen or the ones in your bathroom, there is no avoiding the water faucet. In these times you cannot compromise on washing hands and being hygienic. Unfortunately, faucets are usually in humid spaces in the home, bacteria and viruses thrive here. Therefore, clean your faucets with warm water and soap before you get to washing your hands thoroughly.

Toys

Apart from those action figures behind a glass showcase, toys are meant to be touched and played with. Toys like rubber nipples and such are meant for children to put in their mouths too! This in turn, makes them a breeding ground for germs. Disinfect plastic toys by dunking them in a homemade disinfectant solution. If your soft toys like teddy bears and plushies are machine washable, use hot water at a temperature of 60-70°C to wash and later dry them on a high heat setting in the dryer.

During the pandemic and even after, a clean home is a safe home. So, make sure you scrub and disinfect the items on this list regularly to drastically reduce your chances of getting sick. 

Watch this space for more tips and tricks from the best home interior designers in Chennai.