So, after listening to Dr Sally Bloomfield on R4 this morning I had a Google and found this:
Don’t deep clean your home
While you need to keep frequently used areas clean, you do not need a thorough deep clean of all parts of the house. You can’t get infected by touching a contaminated surface, only if you touch your mouth, eyes and nose. “Be sensible about where you are going to come into contact with infection,” says Sally Bloomfield, honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and chairwoman of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH). “If you sneeze and it lands on the floor, you or someone else is not necessarily going to touch the floor with their hands. Focus on cleaning surfaces and banisters.”
Clean and disinfect toilet seats and flush handles, especially after defecating (the virus may be present in your faeces), and “close the lid before flushing to prevent spray of virus around the bathroom”, says Lisa Ackerley, a chartered environmental health practitioner and IFH spokeswoman.
Do use diluted bleach on your home surfaces
Although the virus can only “breed” inside human or animal cells and cannot multiply on surfaces, it is important to keep frequently used surfaces — and that includes computer keyboards, TV remotes, telephones, kettle handles, door handles, tap handles and kitchen tops — scrupulously clean. Cheap bleach is as effective as more expensive products. “We know that bleach destroys the biological structures that make up the virus and so kills it rapidly,” Bloomfield says. “Both thin and thick bleach is about ten times stronger than you need, so use one part bleach to ten parts water dilution to disinfect surfaces.”
Dettol Spray, which has antiviral properties, or 70 per cent alcohol surface wipes are another option, Bloomfield says. “Avoid using old cloths and sponges, which can harbour germs — disinfect all re-usable cloths immediately after each use using a bleach disinfectant.’’
Don’t use cash
Cash is covered in germs and although the World Health Organisation has not issued any warnings about the use of cash it has reiterated that you should wash your hands, including after handling money. According to the Bank of England, notes can carry bacteria or viruses, but “the risk posed by handling a polymer note is no greater than touching any other common surfaces such as handrails, doorknobs or credit cards”.
With notes and coins likely to have been handled by large numbers of people,and since you are unlikely to wash or wipe them, it’s logical that contactless is the way to go. “Keep cards in a plastic wallet and use an antibacterial wipe to clean them when you get home,” Ackerley says. “And wash your hands or use a sanitiser after touching your credit card or a payment terminal.”
Do clean your phone
“Your mobile phone is an extension of your hands and probably the item you touch most regularly and which also comes into contact with your face,” Bloomfield says. “As such, real care needs to be taken to try to use it with clean hands, and to disinfect it along with your hands regularly.”
Apple advises against using spray cleaners, bleach and aerosol products, and obviously don’t submerge the device in liquid even it is said to be waterproof. To clean your electronics safely, turn off your device, damp a microfibre cloth with soap and water and lightly wipe the screen. Then use a 70 per cent alcohol wipe on the surface, washing hands thoroughly when you are done. Do the same with your phone case.
Don’t share toothpaste
Squeezing toothpaste that may have been used by an infected person on to your brush could spread the virus. “It’s worth buying a tube of toothpaste for everyone in the house and the same goes for other toiletries, and any glasses in the bathroom,” Bloomfield says. It may be a good idea in shared bathrooms for everyone to use their own wash bag to avoid things getting muddled up. “Keep toothbrushes in a clean bag to prevent them getting contaminated.”
Do wash salad vegetables
There is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted by food and much remains unknown about how long the virus could survive on the surface of food, but it is theoretically possible if someone who has the virus but doesn’t know it coughs, sneezes or handles fresh produce. “So, you should definitely wash all fresh produce in plain water as soon as you get home,” Bloomfield says. “And wash your hands before picking up the produce again.”
Don’t share towels
Get into the habit of using separate hand towels, bath towels and flannels for each member of the household. If you are self-isolating or someone in your house is ill, they should also have separate bedlinen and all laundry used by them should be washed separately from other laundry. Select clothes that can be washed at a temperature of 60C.
“Use a bio powder laundry product containing active oxygen bleach (see back of pack ingredients) and wash your hands after putting laundry into the machine,” Ackerley says. “Remember to disinfect the buttons and door handle.”