Summer is coming to an end, school is starting up for the kids, and colder months are approaching. This all adds up to the return of flu season and the need to protect your family and home from those dangerous germs. Go room-by-room to properly clean away the bacteria and stock up on what you’ll need when the kids inevitably catch their first colds of the winter.
Kitchen
As your kitchen is most likely well-sanitized already, we’ll focus on what you need to stock in there to keep your family’s immune systems strong. According to a study in Nutrition Journal, cranberries boost immune cells and are high in polyphenols, which are essential in fighting the flu. Try eating them as they are by putting them on a salad, rather than in cranberry juice which is normally high in sugar. Within the vegetable family, the shiitake mushroom is the best food for supporting your immune system because of its antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.
Living Room
As the gathering spot in your home, the living room catches all of the germs tracked in from the outside and spreads them to everyone else if you don’t clean it regularly. Wipe down the surfaces that are touched by everyone frequently, like remotes, light switches, and touch screens. During flu season and right before it, keep sanitizing screen-cleaning cloths in a convenient location and get everyone in the family accustomed to cleaning their screens. According to a study done by Insurance2Go, the average smartphone screen is three times dirtier than a toilet seat, and about 35% of people have never cleaned their smartphones with wipes. Encouraging your family members to not only wash their hands, but also their touch screens when they enter the house will go a long way in flu and cold prevention.
Office Workspace
This section applies to those who work outside of the home in an office space where co-workers are mixing in a cocktail of their own germs into your space. One out of three people still go to work when they’re sick and not everyone is strict about washing their hands. Even when your desk is fairly self-contained, it tends to have up to 400 times more germs on it than on office toilets. On average, a keyboard, chair, and computer mouse have about 21,000 germs per square inch on them. You can eliminate these germs by taking similar measures as in your living room. Wipe down surfaces regularly, and try putting out sanitizing wipes for the whole office to use, or start an office initiative on cold and flu prevention.
Going for your annual flu shots is, of course, necessary as well in taking steps to not catch the flu this season. When you combine that with taking these sanitizing steps in your home and office, you increase the chances of making it through the holiday season healthy and flu-free.