These are the Best Ways to Maintain a Clean Environment and Keep Germs Out of Your Home

Keep yourself and your family safe and healthy!

We all have responsibilities. Whether we have jobs to go to or errands to run, it’s inevitable that we’ll eventually have to leave the house. Unfortunately, it’s entirely too easy to bring outside germs home with us. To help you and your family stay healthy, we’ve compiled a list of the best ways to maintain a clean environment at home.

These are the Best Ways to Maintain a Clean Environment and Keep Germs Out of Your Home

Your home is supposed to be the place where you feel the safest and most comfortable. Taking these simple steps (no matter what time of year it is) can limit your exposure to bacteria and viruses and reduce your chances of getting sick.

1. Carry sanitizer or sanitizing wipes with you while out and about

It’s impossible to count the number of different surfaces and objects we touch on any given day. Multiply that by how many other people touch the same areas, and it’s no wonder there’s always a bug going around.

Carrying sanitizer or sanitizing wipes in your purse, backpack, or car can help you significantly cut down on the germs you bring home. The CDC recommends using sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Anything with less alcohol may prove ineffective. 

Use sanitizer any time you touch things like public door handles, elevator buttons, handrails, or gym equipment. You can also use wipes to clean shopping carts, your desk at work, and your steering wheel. 

2. Remove your shoes at the door

These are the Best Ways to Maintain a Clean Environment and Keep Germs Out of Your Home

Think about all of the places that you step every single day. From sidewalks to bathrooms and everything in between, the bottom of your shoes basically act as shuttle buses for all kinds of germs and bacteria. Do you really want to walk all of that right into your home? Absolutely not!

Removing your shoes at the door (preferably outside the door) can drastically reduce the germs you bring inside. A microbiologist at the University of Arizona conducted a study to see how filthy our shoes truly are. The study gave ten people brand new shoes to wear for two weeks. When the shoes were tested, fecal bacteria appeared on 96% of them. Furthermore, the transfer rate of bacteria from the shoes to clean tile was as high as 90 to 99%. This bacteria included E. coli, respiratory-infection causing bacteria, and more. 

The takeaway? Take off your shoes at the door! You can even keep a can of Lysol near the entryway to disinfect them. 

3. Wash your hands when you come inside

These are the Best Ways to Maintain a Clean Environment and Keep Germs Out of Your Home

Even if you’ve already sanitized your hands, nothing beats washing them for at least 20 seconds in soap and water. Make sure you scrub your palms, the back of your hands, in-between your fingers, and under your nails. You can even wash up to your elbows if you’d like! Getting in the habit of doing this can limit the spread of germs around your house.

4. Wipe down commonly used surfaces several times per day

These are the Best Ways to Maintain a Clean Environment and Keep Germs Out of Your Home

When we tell you to wipe down commonly used surfaces, your first thought is probably the counter tops. While it is important to wipe down your counter tops regularly, there are other surfaces you may not think of. Objects like cell phones, remotes, computer mouses, keyboards, light switches, faucet handles, and door handles are all things that we touch dozens of times per day. 

To make things worse, ask yourself how often you hold your cell phone or a remote control while you’re eating? If you’re anything like me, the answer to that question is, “Frequently.” The best thing to do is not to touch anything else while you’re eating, but at the very least, wipe them down first!

5. Frequently clean high-traffic areas

If you remove your shoes at the door, you don’t have to worry about this one as much, but it’s recommended to steam clean your floors every couple of weeks. Areas like the entryway, kitchen and bathroom should be mopped more frequently (at least once per week). Additionally, you should swap out your mop head every two to three months. After all, your floors are only as clean as your mop!

6. Shower before you crawl into bed

These are the Best Ways to Maintain a Clean Environment and Keep Germs Out of Your Home

Keep the grime from the day away from your sheets! Taking a quick shower before bed can limit the growth of bacteria, as well as decrease risk of infection. Just like your hands, your skin comes into contact with things all day long. Showering before bedtime will ensure your sheets and bedroom stay nice and germ-free!

These are some of the best ways to maintain a clean environment at home. By practicing these simple habits daily, you and your family can have peace of mind knowing that you’re doing everything you can to avoid illness.

Do you have any special tips for keeping germs out of your home? Share them with us in the comment section!

At SkinnyMs., we’re always working to bring you and your family the best tips for living a healthy lifestyle. Be sure to subscribe to our daily eNewsletter for all of the best health and fitness ideas, and more!

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Erin Miller

Erin is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist. She is also a Performance Nutrition Coach, certified through the Clean Health Fitness Institute. Some of Erin’s favorite hobbies include hiking, kayaking, and hanging out at the beach, although weight lifting is her greatest passion. She says, “Weight training is one of the most empowering things a person can do. Not just seeing, but feeling yourself transform… There’s just nothing else like it.”

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3 Comments

  1. A good habit to get into is to clean your mailbox handle with some form of disinfectant – (your postal handles many mailboxes)

  2. Loved the make your own hand sanitizer recipe on TV. 2/3 cup rubbing alcohol(70%) and 1/3 cup of aloe vera gel. Add a few drops of essential oil! maryW

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