How to Prepare Yourself and Your Home for Cold and Flu Season
There’s no way to totally eliminate your chances of catching a cold or flu. But that’s not an excuse to do nothing. There are a bunch of things you can do around the house to slow down the spread of germs and boost your immune system. By following these simple steps, you’ll ensure that you and your home are ready to take on cold and flu season.
Only Keep Clean Clothes in the House
You can’t put a pause on your routine during cold and flu season. You still might have to ride the bus to the grocery store or pick up your kid from school. Even the simplest errands present opportunities to come into contact with germs and bacteria: from the seat on the bus, giving a hug to another mom at the school, handling groceries and waiting in the checkout line.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s important to keep all your laundry items clean on a regular basis! Find out how to clean white mesh or canvas sneakers with OxiClean™ White Revive™ Laundry Whitener & Stain Remover. And remember, when you wash your dirty clothes, try adding a laundry booster like OxiClean™ Odor Blasters™ Versatile Odor & Stain Remover Liquid or OxiClean ™ Odor Blasters™ Versatile Odor & Stain Remover Powder to the wash to help give your normal detergent added stain- and odor-fighting power.
Cook Extra Nutritious Meals
Even if you’re really diligent about washing your hands and cleaning your clothes, you’re still going to interact with some germs. That’s why it’s important to make sure your immune system is functioning at its best during cold and flu season. A few changes in the kitchen can help you fight off the germs and viruses that might encounter.
When preparing meals and snacks, make sure you’re getting plenty of fruits, vegetables and lean protein. These foods provide your body with the nutrients it needs. Another important factor is staying as hydrated as possible. You can go with the rule of 8 eight-ounce glasses of water per day, but you’ll probably be good as long as you drink water whenever you’re thirsty. After all, your body needs more than hot cocoa during this time of year.
Focus on High Traffic Surfaces
You don’t need to worry about cleaning the entire house every day during cold and flu season. A smarter approach is identifying the places where germs are most likely to accumulate, and then using OxiClean™ Daily Clean Multi-Purpose Disinfectant as directed to help destroy them. Some of those items could include bathroom faucets, doorknobs, and the cabinet handles.
You should also consider using OxiClean™ Daily Clean Multi-Purpose Disinfectant to help kill 99.9% of bacteria* and viruses† on non-wood coffee or kitchen tables in common areas. It can be used to clean floors and the bathroom. OxiClean™ Daily Clean Multi-Purpose Disinfectant can tackle these cleaning jobs, as it can be used on hard, non-porous surfaces like tile!
*Effective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli O157:H7
†Rhinovirus, †Influenza A, †Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1, †Rotavirus, †SARS-COV-2
Get Plenty of Sleep
Okay, this might seem like an easy one, but that doesn’t make it any less important. Sleep allows your body to maintain healthy homeostasis, and when that’s interrupted it can interfere with healthy hormone balance and compromise your immune system. If you’re someone that can have a hard time getting a full night’s sleep, you can try to exercise more often during the day. Not only does it have the chance to improve your quality of sleep, but it can also help bolster your immune system.
Don’t Go Soft on Soft Surfaces
Just because bathrooms, faucets and doorknobs get many germs doesn’t mean you should ignore the rest of your home. You don’t need to be quite as disciplined about cleaning the living room, for instance, but you should probably clean your couches and rugs more often than you would during summer.
If you need to clean the couch, you can do just that with OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover. When used as directed, it’s safe to use on water-washable fabric couches, rugs, and upholstery. As the name suggests, it’s one of the handiest tools you can have to remove stains from clothes and clean both hard and soft surfaces.