Good hygiene habits don't need a special occasion to matter. The items you touch most often, like your phone, doorknobs, and kitchen counters, are also the ones most likely to pick up and spread germs throughout your home. A few consistent daily habits can go a long way toward keeping your household healthier, without turning cleaning into an all-day chore.
You don't need to scrub your entire home top to bottom every day. Instead, focus on high-touch surfaces that see the most contact, and build simple, sustainable routines around them. Here's how to disinfect your home, starting with the 10 household items worth cleaning and/or disinfecting daily.
Frequent handwashing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of illness. That means more than a quick rinse under the faucet, though. Use soap and warm water, and scrub for at least 20 seconds. When soap and water aren't available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a good backup; alcohol breaks down the proteins in bacteria and viruses, neutralizing them.
You may not share your phone often, but you're constantly transferring germs from your hands onto it and then straight to your face during a call or scroll. Wipe your phone down with a dry, soft cloth to remove dust and surface grime, then disinfect the screen with a cloth or paper towel lightly dampened with an appropriate disinfectant. Check the product label for how long the surface needs to stay wet to be effective, and repeat as needed.
Doorknobs and appliance handles (refrigerator, microwave, cabinets) are among the most frequently touched surfaces in any home. The more often a surface is touched, the more often it needs cleaning and disinfecting. After wiping away visible dirt, use a fast-acting spray disinfectant so the surface stays wet long enough to actually kill germs. Disinfecting wipes can work too, but many need the surface to remain visibly wet for several minutes. Read the label, since a quick single wipe often isn't enough.
Light switches rank among the most bacteria-covered spots in the average home, and nearly everyone who walks through a room touches them. A spray disinfectant labeled to kill common household bacteria and viruses can quickly knock down germs on these hard, non-porous surfaces. Just be sure to follow the dwell time listed on the product label.
Bacteria like Salmonella spread easily from raw food to countertops and other kitchen surfaces through improper handling. Make it a habit to clean your countertop before you start prepping food, and disinfect immediately after any contact with raw meat, eggs, or dairy. Good counter hygiene is one of the simplest ways to cut down on foodborne illness at home.
Daily sweeping or vacuuming helps, but a more thorough floor cleaning and disinfecting routine a couple of times a week goes further toward reducing the spread of germs. Shoes and foot traffic track in dirt, allergens, and bacteria from outside, and floors can hold onto more of it than you'd expect, especially in entryways, kitchens, and bathrooms.
Dish sponges are one of the germiest items in the average kitchen, harboring bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella if left damp and unchanged for too long. Microwave a damp sponge for about 90 seconds to kill off bacteria, and replace sponges every one to two weeks regardless.
Wallets, cards, and keys pick up germs from every surface they touch, from checkout counters to gas pumps. Wipe them down regularly with a suitable cleaner, taking care not to damage magnetic strips, chips, or electronic key fobs.
Keyboards, mice, and other frequently touched devices can become a hotbed of bacteria between hand-washings. Check the manufacturer's cleaning guidelines first, then unplug the keyboard and gently shake it upside down over a trash can to remove loose debris. Use compressed air to clear out the gaps between keys, wipe with a cloth lightly dampened with soap or an all-purpose cleaner, and finish with a disinfectant spray if the device allows it. Always work upside down so liquid doesn't seep further into the keys.
Flushing the toilet with the lid up can send a fine mist of microbes onto sinks, counters, and even toothbrush holders. Bathroom faucets and handles also see heavy daily contact and can harbor significant bacteria. Wiping down and disinfecting these surfaces daily helps keep one of the germiest rooms in the house in check.
Not all cleaners are created equal when it comes to killing germs. Look for an EPA-registered disinfectant like Simple Green Clean Finish, so you know you're killing 99.9% of germs and bacteria.
Building small daily habits around these 10 items is far more manageable than trying to deep clean your entire home every day, and far more effective at cutting down on the germs that matter most. Pair these habits with a reliable, EPA-registered disinfectant, and you'll keep your household running cleaner and healthier year-round.
Learn more about the 10 most germ-infested spots in your home.
