Chase flu out of your house

The monsoons are a welcome change from the sweltering summers, but they bring some unwelcome guests which must be avoided at all costs. But if flu has already invaded your house these past couple of weeks, then will you clean everything out and throw every item from the sick person's room into the laundry?

GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK AND FOCUS ON FEW THINGS:

Gather your cleaning supplies:

Disinfecting should be part of your usual cleaning routine. While purchasing disinfectant, check the label to make sure the disinfectant works against the viruses you're targeting, such as cold and flu viruses.

When you use disinfectant sprays, paper towels and disposable disinfectant wipes are better than sponges.

Go for essential oils and steam cleaner; essential oils will give the area a fresh scent while steam will make cleaning a whole lot easier and will disinfect without much effort.

Let the sunshine in: Before you get started, try opening the windows up for some fresh air and let in some natural light. If you have a diffuser, add some essential oils like citrus for a crisp, fresh scent.

Think about the items you touch a lot

Bedding, blankets, and other sick clothes. Give the sick person their own bedsheets, hand towel, etc to avoid spreading disease. These should be washed at high temperature with a good detergent. Wash your hands after handling them.

The bathroom will need a good cleaning and disinfecting after illness, especially the sink, faucets, toilet, etc. If you have multiple bathrooms, try to confine the sick person to one bathroom only. This will prevent the spread of the illness as well as make your clean up much quicker and easier.

Tables like kitchen tables, coffee tables, etc are the host to cold and flu viruses, because they're touched often and aren't wiped down quite enough.

Electronic appliances such as your phone, computers, or even remote control are most touched and least cleaned items. The flu viruses survive on them anywhere from a few hours to a few days. You may be able to wipe them with an alcohol wipe or a paper towel sprayed with disinfectant after checking the maker's instructions.

Your garbage cans have held a variety of nasty things during an illness so don't forget to give them a good clean with a good steam or spray with a disinfectant.

Keeping sick person out of the kitchen is good idea. Wipe down the refrigerator door handle and any other frequently used cabinet/drawer handles daily with a disinfecting wipe or rubbing alcohol pad.

Everyone at home should wash their hands or use hand sanitizers more often when someone is sick.