10 Surfaces to Sanitize Regularly

10 Surfaces to Sanitize Regularly
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Germs… we are all thinking about them. And we are more aware of them now than ever. They are everywhere– in our homes, at the grocery store, on our packages, and in our nightmares. While we can’t avoid all germs, we can do our best to protect ourselves from them. How can we best protect our home from these germs? One way is to keep regularly accessed surfaces clean. But how do you know what surfaces to sanitize?

If you are looking for an effective type of disinfectant, check out the list on this EPA website. You will find a list of all EPA approved cleaners to fight viruses like COVID-19.

Remember, the CDC recommends wearing gloves when disinfecting surfaces. Throw away disposable gloves after each use. If you are using reusable gloves, make sure they are used only for disinfecting surfaces and nothing else. Do you have surfaces that are visibly dirty, clean them with soap and water prior to disinfecting. And of course, wash your hands after cleaning surfaces.

Because we have small kiddos at home who are constantly getting sick, I try to wipe down surfaces throughout the day, I also spend 15 minutes before bed wiping down the most touched areas in our home. Here is a list of ten surfaces that need to be cleaned regularly, especially in times like this.

Faucet Handles

A silver kitchen faucet with running water

We touch the faucet handles all day long. Keeping hands washed after using the bathroom, after indoor activities, after spending time outside, after running errands, after touching our face, and more! We are washing our hands in the bathroom, in the kitchen, and in the mudroom and the laundry room. Our hands are usually quite dirty when we touch a faucet to wash them, so it only makes sense that these need to be disinfected regularly.

Door Knobs

A brass door knob

29 times… the number of times I touched the door to my son’s nursery today. Imagine how many germs have been transferred from this door handle to other areas. around the house. I make sure to wipe down doorknobs for both interior and exterior doors that are accessed each day. The most common ones I focus on are doorknobs to the bedrooms, the bathrooms, the backyard, and the garage.

Toilet Handles

A silver toilet handle up close

No explanation is really needed here. Toilet handles are gross and should be wiped down each day. The last thing we touch after using the bathroom before washing our hands is the toilet handle. It is not a bad idea to store bleach wipes right next to the toilet and wipe the handle down after each use.

TV Remote

A close up of 5 different remote controls

If you were to have asked me a year ago, how often I wiped down the remote control, I would have told you almost never. But after reading somewhere that the dirtiest item in a hotel room is the remote control, I only imagined how many germs were on the remote at home? Yuck! I’ve touched the remote while eating, while cooking, while cleaning. I can only imagine the amount of germs that accumulate on our remotes, which is why I try to sanitize them regularly.

Kitchen Handles

White lower cabinets in a kitchen and an oven

Wiping down cabinet handles and appliance handles can seem overwhelming. But it takes like five seconds to wipe down one handle. Let’s say you have 20 handles to wipe down. At five seconds each, that is just over a minute and a half to sanitize them all. But, if you are short on time, focus on the handles that you use regularly like the handle to the refrigerator, the trash can, the pantry, and the utensils drawer.

Soap Dispensers

A dark glass soap dispenser and a small vase on a windowsill

Along with faucet handles, soap dispensers are a breeding ground for germs. Until recently, I never thought about the germs that collect on the top of the soap bottle. Every time we wash our hands we touch the soap dispenser with germs. So, that is at least a couple dozen times throughout the day. Disinfecting the soap dispenser is key to keeping germs at bay.

Computer Keyboard & Mouse

A white and silver keyboard and white computer mouse

Do you wash your hands before using the computer? If you are like me, probably not. Using the computer while eating, opening mail, or filing through papers is very common. Therefore, the keyboard and mouse are collecting all sorts of germs. I am guilty of typing on my computer, stepping away to go do something, then coming back and type some more without washing my hands before returning. But, I’ve tried to be consistent about disinfecting my computer keyboard and mouse each day.

Phone

A white iPhone sitting on a marble counter next to an open book and a vase of white flowers

Our phones have so many germs. So. Many. Germs. We use our phones in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the car. We place them on counters at the grocery store or doctor’s office. We drop them on the floor. We throw them in our purse or put them in our pockets. Our phones have so many germs on them. Honestly, we should be sanitizing our phones multiple times per day. But, it is especially important to give your phone one good disinfecting wipe down before bed.

Light Switches

Two last light switches

Light switches are often forgotten when it comes to sanitizing. Even though we touch the light switches multiple times per day, it’s easy to forget to wipe them down. Imagine, you come home in the evening…you open the door and turn on the entryway light. Then you turn on the kitchen light, the bathroom light, the bedroom light, and so on. When you turn down for the night, you touch each of those light switches again. Give the light switches a quick wipe down before hoping into bed.

Your Car: handles, interior buttons steering wheel, and seats

The view of the inside of a Mercedes from the backseat with the front seats lying back

It’s easier to avoid germs when you don’t leave the house. But it is inevitable, we may have to get in the car for some reason or another. The last thing we want to do is bring germs into our homes with us. Keep germs in check by wiping down surfaces in the car. The door handles (both inside and out), the interior buttons and levers (windows, door locks, turn signal), the steering wheel, and the seats can be quickly wiped down to sanitize easily. I like to do this when I leave the car so that when I get back into the car I am not sitting on or touching infected surfaces.

Remember, we can’t avoid all germs, but we can do our best to protect ourselves at home. If you are looking for more details on cleaning and disinfecting, check out the CDC website, for more details.

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