24 secrets of a Covid-free home
Top tips for a happy, healthy home

As we start to get used to the 'new normal', it's easy to become complacent about hygiene. Yet now, more than ever, it's important to stay vigilant when it comes to keeping your home safe and sanitised. Here we've rounded up some great ideas to help you and your family stay well – from clever cleaning hacks and innovative technology to easy habits to incorporate into your daily routine.
Haul in houseplants

There are numerous ways to keep your interior germ-free, but one of the most effective is freshening up the air in your living spaces. While products like Dyson's air treatment purifiers use filters to capture 99.9% of microscopic allergens, pollutants and germs, so too can certain indoor plants. Plants can naturally remove toxins from the air and pump out clean oxygen, helping you create a healthy environment. Opt for a weeping fig, a golden pothos or a rubber fig, Patch Plants suggests.
Don’t just clean, disinfect

Wiping down surfaces may make them look sparkling, but it's important to remember that there's a difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Bacteria and viruses are often left behind (and spread around) if you aren't disinfecting at the same time. The good news is that you don't have to splash out on pricey cleaners – a diluted bleach formula (four teaspoons of bleach to a litre of water) will do the trick.
Splash out on self-cleaning technology

You can also take your cleaning regime one step further, with self-cleaning technology. Enough to help you create a Covid-free space, Nanoselfclean’s innovative wrap product is designed to protect high traffic touchpoints around the home. Using a patented formula, the company’s self-adhesive touchpads can be added to door handles or light switches and use light to oxidise bacteria on surfaces. The self-cleaning coating lasts between three and six months. Other tech includes self-cleaning toilet brushes, taps and showerheads.
Try antiviral paint

Did you know that microbes can double in number every 20 minutes? Proven to significantly reduce the growth of harmful bacteria, antimicrobial paint can prevent germs from multiplying. Products include Microsafe by Hanford+Green, which is proven to be effective against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, and Paint Shield® by Sherwin-Williams, which kills 99.9% of viruses within two hours of exposure on painted surfaces. How nifty is that?
Wash your laundry carefully

You don't have to boil-wash all of your clothes, towels and bedding but there are a few ways to stop viruses spreading from your fabrics and sheets. First, don't shake your laundry before you put it in the machine as it could disperse the virus into the air. Next, wash your hands after you've finished loading, and finally, don't leave wet laundry in the machine – this bad home habit allows any remaining germs to multiply.
Dispose of tissues properly

Let the fresh air in

Opening a window is the easiest way to control germs in your home. It helps to flush out indoor contaminants, including airborne infections, and it'll do your body good in general. Even if it's chilly outside, try opening windows at either end of your home every day for 20 minutes. Before 10am and after 9pm is best, as the outside air will be less polluted. Keeping a trickle vent open year-round is also a good idea.
Self-scan your shopping and use your own bags

Quarantine your deliveries

Keep floors germ-free

Don't neglect your laundry

Just as a chopping board can harbour invisible bacteria, so too can fabrics. While getting your laundry regime right is essential, so too is being regular with washing. During these times it's recommended that you wash your bed sheets every three days, since materials can collect germ particles. The same goes for hand towels and dish sponges – and don't forget about those cushions and throws that might not have been washed for years.
Be mindful of pets

The chances of catching coronavirus from your dog or cat are low, however, it's a good idea to always wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. As well as minimising any potential virus risk, it protects you against bacteria that can pass between pets and humans, such as E.coli and salmonella.
Leave your shoes at the door

There's more than one good reason to kick your shoes off at the door after a long day – not only does it help to prevent dirt being tracked through your home, but can keep potentially harmful microbes away from your main living spaces. Put your hallway to good use by popping a stool by the door for removing your shoes, along with a storage unit that can accommodate the whole family's footwear.
Disinfect door handles

If you don't fancy relying on new-found technology, then consider the places around your home that are touched frequently. Handles are probably among the top five. Soap (or washing-up liquid) and water will do the trick on a regular basis, but to disinfect, use a diluted bleach solution. The same applies for anywhere else that you touch often – light switches, keyboards, remotes and taps are all popular hiding places for germs.
Clean kids' toys

While plush toys can be popped in the weekly wash, bath toys and solid plastic toys, such as blocks, bricks and rings are best cleaned in the dishwasher. Secure larger toys between the prongs, put small toys in a mesh bag and select the sanitising cycle. If you don't have a dishwasher you can wash them by hand in hot, soapy water, adding one or two teaspoons of bleach to the water and leaving them to soak for five minutes to sanitise.
Wipe down shopping

Use your garden gate

Rather than have guests traipse through the house to reach your garden when restrictions allow, ask friends and family to come through a side gate. This reduces the amount of foot traffic through your home and the number of people touching surfaces. Why not make your garden gate more inviting by adding a fresh coat of paint?
Clean your devices

Hang up coats in the hallway

Declutter your sink

Use cleaning wipes correctly

Sanitise reusable shopping bags

Tackle germ hotspots

The dirtiest places in your home aren't always where you'd imagine, so when you wipe down worktops and basins, don't neglect the other high-contact objects around your home. Bins, stove knobs, toothbrush holders and even salt and pepper shakers can be a haven for bacteria, so disinfect them or wipe over regularly with antibacterial wipes or reusable alternatives.
Get a video doorbell

Knowing who's at your door without opening it is both convenient and a great tool for keeping your home virus-free. A security doorbell or video intercom makes contact-free deliveries easier and limits the number of people accessing your doorway. Many models also allow you to communicate with visitors remotely, often via apps, so you can answer the door when you're away from the house too.
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