a guide to cleaning your own home during lockdown

A person with suspected or confirmed Coronavirus should be isolated to a single room. They should use their own bathroom or the person should clean and disinfect the bathroom after each use. Public Health England have provided guidance on cleaning in a home setting when someone has Coronavirus.

A study found that Coronavirus is viable for up to 72 hours on plastics, 48 hours on stainless steel, 24 hours on cardboard, and 4 hours on copper. It is also detectable in the air for 3 hours.

In third party laboratory testing, specific Dettol products have demonstrated effectiveness against coronavirus. These products are: Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleanser Spray, Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleanser Wipes, Dettol All-In-One Disinfectant Spray, and Dettol Disinfectant Liquid.

You will need normal house cleaning equipment and supplies:

A vacuum cleaner

Bucket and mop

Broom

Cleaning cloths, scourers, dust wipes, kitchen paper

Surface cleaner

Limescale remover

Floor cleaner

Window cleaner

Specific product for sensitive surfaces at home (e.g wood)

Washing powder

We recommend Dettol Surface Cleanser to disinfect surfaces. You can find a full list of cleaning products effective against Coronavirus on the National Environment Agency website.

BEFORE CLEANING...

We recommend removing shoes or using shoe covers as outdoor shoes inside the home can contaminate floors. (5) Open windows and turn on extractor fans as poor indoor air quality is a predisposing factor for respiratory infections and virus spread.

CLEANING "HIGH-TOUCH" AREAS...

All areas should be cleaned. High-touch areas require specific attention for cleaning and decontamination because they are more likely to spread the virus. These areas include:

Light switches

Door handles

Cabinet handles

Hand rails

TV remotes

Tables

Countertops

Window cleaner

All bathroom surfaces including the toilet

Smart phones, PCs and other personal electronic devices are also high-touch. These also need to be sanitised and disinfected regularly using isopropyl alcohol or disinfecting wipes.

DISINFECTING SURFACES...

Cleaning is not enough to completely remove the risk of Coronavirus contamination. To protect yourself from infection you need to sanitise and disinfect. Sanitising reduces numbers of bacteria and viruses to safe levels whilst disinfecting aims to destroy harmful microbes (bacteria and viruses).

To clean hard surfaces, use warm soapy water and a clean microfiber cloth to wipe down the area. Use very little moisture on the cloth to clean around sockets and light switches.

To avoid contaminating areas that you have already cleaned start cleaning high areas first. Clean the bathroom last where you can clean yourself and your tools at the end.

When all surfaces have been cleaned, spray a disinfectant product directly onto surfaces, wipe with a clean, damp cloth and leave to dry. Check instructions that you are using the product correctly. Some products recommend waiting a few minutes before wiping.

For granite or marble surfaces check product warnings to see if could damage the surface. There are specialist disinfecting stone sprays available.

DISINFECTING FLOORS...

Vacuum all floors thoroughly before cleaning and disinfecting.

To clean hard floors, fill a bucket with warm water and a disinfectant product that is suitable for your floor’s surface. We recommend a product such as Dettol Spray & Wipe. Start in a far corner and mop your way out of the room to avoid contaminating the clean area.

Steam cleaning provides the best way to remove germs from carpets. If this is not an option then a carpet shampoo, such as Vanish will remove more dirt and germs than just vacuuming. Once again, work your way out of the room to avoid contaminating clean areas

AFTER CLEANING...