Winter has arrived and so has the flu season. A person sick with the flu will usually have high fevers, severe body aches, a bad cough, and will need to take a few days off from work or school. More severe cases can lead to hospitalization or sometimes be fatal, which is why it is of critical importance to have a flu-free home.
The flu is especially dangerous for people over the age of 65, young children, pregnant women, and those with health conditions like asthma or heart disease. Despite this, many do not take the precautions needed to help protect themselves and their family from getting and spreading the flu virus.
It’s important to keep in mind that the annual flu vaccine is the most effective way to prevent the flu. Many of us know that when one person gets the flu it can spread quickly among families, friends, and co-workers.
While the flu shot is the first line of defense against the virus — followed by protecting your cough and washing your hands with soap and water often— here are additional precautions you can take to keep your loved ones safe in your flu-free home:
- Carry Hand Sanitizer- Consider carrying around an alcohol-based hand sanitizer in your car, purse, or work bag, or at your desk that they can use after shaking hands or to use in between activities.
- Carry a Personal Package of Tissues – Communal tissue boxes are a breeding ground for germs associated with the flu virus. Sending children to school with a personal package of tissues during flu season is a simple way to prevent them from using the germ-carrying communal tissue box. At work keep a box a Kleenex for your personal use.
- Clean the Toys – Frequently cleaning children’s toys — especially toys that are carried back and forth from school — can limit the spread of the flu. Clorox disinfecting wipes are great for this.
- Sanitize your Phone- Cell phones harbor more germs than many restrooms. Disinfecting your screens with a Clorox wipe regularly will help you fight common cold germs. In the workplace make sure to do the same with your handheld phone and keyboard specially if you share phones with co-workers. Keep a can of disinfectant wipes under your desk and wipe often.
- In the workplace – making sure that your cleaning service is providing regular disinfecting is of most importance. Make sure that your cleaning service is disinfecting popular touchpoints in the office will help keep your office clean and healthy and will avoid the spread of germs. TouchPoint cleaning focuses on those areas that are touched frequently and by multiple people. Things like entry doors, counters, light switches, doorknobs, phones are some of the most likely places to pick up viruses and bacteria. A good cleaning program will break the chain of transmission and helping reduce the spread of infection. It will keep you healthier and help reduce absenteeism this winter.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Dura-Shine Clean and learn more about our commercial janitorial and business cleaning services. We are a premier janitorial cleaning agency in Eastern Washington! Give us a call today to learn more at (509) 543-9608.
We wish you a safe and healthy holiday season!
