Category: Lifestyle

Normal cleaning is an important part of maintaining your home healthy.

Including preventing and mitigating germs, viruses, and other insects such as moths, silverfish, and bedbugs that can do damage if left unattended.

And normal cleaning is much more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, can live on some surfaces in your house for days.

Fortunately, it’s easy to eliminate the virus material from such surfaces with some fundamental disinfectants and cleaning processes.

Continue reading to find out about some common trouble spots around the home and solutions for keeping your living spaces safe and healthy.

How to clean a kitchen
Part restaurant, part amusement center, and part family room, it is ground zero for the most troublesome spots in the house. Virtually every surface is a magnet for bacteria, viruses, germs, insects, and other pests.

Your kitchen may also be among the most likely places you can transfer a virus, such as SARS-CoV-2, into your household. A 2020 study found that this coronavirus can live for days or weeks on many common kitchen surfaces.

A sponge may carry mold and tens of thousands of germs and foodborne pathogens if it is not cleaned or stored correctly.

Cutting board
Don’t cut vegetables or fruits with the same cutting board. Clean it with hot soap and water first.

Maintaining veggies and raw meat split will prevent cross-contamination and the potential spread of salmonella, E.

It is a fantastic idea to have two cutting boards: one for raw meat and one for vegetables, fruits, and everything else.

Countertops
This additional step will help remove food bacteria like Campylobacter, a frequent cause of diarrhea. This may also discourage insects from feasting on the leftovers left on the counter.

Household pests such as cockroaches can take numerous pathogens and may also trigger allergies and asthma in some people.

You can sanitize your countertops with bleach after wiping them down with water and soap. 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach per quart of water will do just fine. This additional step will help kill any bacteria that are lingering.

Using bleach with chlorine may also help eliminate any virus material associated with COVID-19. Just don’t use ammonia and bleach together, because they may combine to create harmful chemicals.

Keep a lid on potential insect infestations by washing utensils and dishes immediately after eating, keeping food in tightly sealed containers, and keeping trash in a container with a lid

In the bedroom
Dust, dust mites, and pet dander keep you company all of the time. These bed bugs contribute to bad air quality and may irritate the best people, whether you are allergic or not allergic to them.

Add hair, dead skin, fungi, and pollen, and you receive an allergen-filled combination that could pack a wallop to sensitive people.

In the bathroom
For centuries, people relied on outhouses and public bathrooms, and for good reason — to keep germs and squander away from living quarters.

Today, we’ve got the luxury of toilets and bathtubs, and germs can lurk where you would not expect them.

Toilet handle
The toilet could be a simple mark for possible health hazards in the bathroom, but it is for a reason you may not expect.

Sure, you know to keep the bowl and the chair clean, but how often do you wash the flush handle? Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhea among children.

The new coronavirus can also survive on plastic and steel bathroom handles for up to 3 times.

Maintain the flush handle sanitized using a disinfectant that specifically lists battling germs or germs on the tag. Sanitizing with a 60 percent alcohol solution can also help eliminate the virus contamination of SARS-CoV-2.

Floor to ceiling
Mold can flourish in the restroom and present several health issues, from watery, itchy eyes to asthma attacks.

Another threat lurking in your toilet, and possibly throughout your property, is trichophyton.

This fungus causes ringworm and athlete’s foot and may be passed from one person’s foot to another via flooring.v

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak is upending life for families around the world. As schools and childcare centers close, many parents are finding themselves stuck in the home for the majority of the day juggling childcare, full-time job along with other competing responsibilities.

To make things even more difficult, panic buying and disruptions to food distribution systems imply some foods can now be tricky to discover. And for lots of people, unemployment and lost income are making food purchasing yet another financial challenge.

While many parents are looking to prepare meals and processed foods as a fast and low-cost means to feed the family, you will find convenient, affordable and healthy choices. Here are five strategies to help feed your kids a varied, nutritious diet that will support their development and growth, while building healthy eating habits.

5 Healthy Eating Tips

1. Keep up fruit and vegetable intake
Purchasing, storing and cooking fresh vegetables can be challenging in a lockdown, particularly if parents are advised to restrict trips beyond the house. But wherever possible, it is important to ensure kids are still getting loads of fruit and vegetables in their diet.

Whenever it’s possible to find fresh produce, do this. In addition to being eaten fresh, fruits and vegetables can be frozen where possible and will retain the majority of their nutrients and flavor. Using fresh veggies to cook large batches of soups, stews or other dishes will make them last longer and provide meal alternatives for a couple of days. These can also be suspended where possible and then immediately reheated.

2. Swap in healthy canned or dried choices when fresh produce is not available
Fresh produce is almost always the best choice, but if it’s not available there are tons of healthy choices that are easy to store and prepare.

Canned beans and chickpeas, which offer plenty of nutrients, can be kept for months or even years, and may be included in foods in a lot of ways. Canned fatty fish such as sardines, salmon and mackerel are full of protein, omega 3 fatty acids and a range of minerals and vitamins. These may be used cold in sandwiches, salads or pasta dishes, or cooked as a member of a warm meal.

Dried products like dried beans, pulses and grains such as lentils, split peas, rice, couscous or quinoa are also healthy, long-lasting alternatives which are tasty, filling and affordable. Rolled oats cooked with water or milk can act as an exceptional breakfast choice, and can be spiced up with yoghurt, chopped fruits or raisins.

3. Build up a stock of healthy snacks
Children often have to consume a snack or two throughout the day to keep them moving. These foods are healthy, more filling, and help build healthy eating habits that last a lifetime.

4. Limit highly processed foods
Whilst using fresh produce may not always be possible, attempt to limit the quantity of highly processed foods in your shopping basket. Ready-to-eat foods, packaged snacks and desserts are often high in saturated fat, salt and sugars. Should you purchase processed foods, examine the tag and try to choose healthier options comprising less of these substances. Try to also avoid carbonated beverages and instead drink a great deal of water. Adding fruits or veggies such as lemon, lime, cucumber slices or berries to water is a superb way to add an additional twist of flavor.

5. Make eating and cooking an enjoyable and meaningful part of your household routine
Cooking and eating together is a excellent way to produce healthy routines, strengthen family bonds and have fun. Wherever you are able to involve your children in food preparation — little children can help with sorting or washing food items while older kids can take on more complicated tasks and help to set the table.