How often should we sanitise our homes? We ask the experts

These are the germ hotspots at home we should be disinfecting daily, weekly and monthly

How often should we disinfect our homes? We ask the experts. Unsplash

It's hard to deny that we've all learned a lot throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and one thing that's been drilled into us is health and safety guidelines. And this doesn't just mean washing our hands.

As restaurants, supermarkets and even parks – to name a few – are being regularly sanitised, we must also make sure to take care of our own homes.

But how regularly should we be wiping down our surfaces or getting our place deep-cleaned? We asked the experts.

It's a 'personal choice'

Babak Moghaddam, general manager of Champion Cleaners, which has seen almost a 50 per cent increase in requests for sanitisation services since the pandemic began, says how frequently we sanitise our homes is a personal choice.

“[It] depends on how well our homes are disciplined to keep germs out,” he says. “The main purpose of sanitisation is to disinfect soft surfaces, such as carpets, upholstery and curtains, as, once general sanitisation is done, hard surfaces such as counter tops and flooring could be kept sanitised with domestic agents added to the routine mopping.”

As a general rule of thumb, he adds, “and to be on the safe side, it would be ideal to sanitise the home at least once a month and to be quite disciplined with a regular routine sanitisation of hard tops at least every two days”.

Diksha Ahuja, a spokesperson for Zoflora, maker of multipurpose cleaning products that claim to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria and viruses, echoes this sentiment. She says choosing what needs to be sanitised regularly in the home depends on how often you use certain areas.

"Taps can harbour more than 6,000 bacteria per square inch and the kitchen sink may also be home to over 2,700 bacteria per square inch, so these items need a quick once over with disinfectant [daily]," she says.

“Anywhere that sees food preparation must be disinfected daily, such as kitchen counters, and not forgetting the fridge handles, which can often get missed.”

Moghaddam, whose company uses a fogging machine during sanitisations, adds that all personal items such as mobile phones, keys, wallets and other similar items should be sanitised as soon as you enter the house. "We would also recommend routine sanitisation of doorknobs, light switches and TV remotes.

“Hard surface disinfection should be carried out at least every two days if possible.”

Ahuja says you’ll want to hit germ hotspots such as desks, remote controls, keyboards, mobile phones, cupboard doors and bins weekly. “If you have pets, floors are always in need of a sweep/vacuum and mop at least once a week.”

As for fridges, washing machines and showerheads, you can get away with cleaning these once a month, she says.

And don’t forget your vehicles. “One very important place to clean out and disinfect once a month would be your car interior,” adds Ahuja. “Research has found that our steering wheels are often a breeding ground for bacteria, with roughly nine times more germs than you may find on a public toilet seat.”

Overall, it’s important to disinfect all areas of your home and car at least every two months, Ahuja says. “It’s important to keep on top of disinfecting all areas of the home and car regularly, but sometimes life may get in the way, so at least bi-monthly, you should go through the whole house from top to bottom, inside and out and ensure that every surface has been thoroughly disinfected, whether you use it often or not.”

Moghaddam recommends a general home santisation of hard and soft surfaces at least once a month.

What the health professional says

How important is this from a medical point of view? Dr Salvin George, a specialist in internal medicine at Medcare Hospital in Al Safa, says there is no official data on home sanitisation guidelines, but basic precautions are undeniably important, particularly during a pandemic.

“Self-hygiene should be practiced, especially after going out and coming home. Disposal of shoes, which should be left outside home, disposal of masks, sanitisation of hands … in the case of healthcare workers, they must have a shower after reaching home, before meeting or greeting their family members.”

As for regular sanitisation of your home, he says, this is especially beneficial in order to avoid instances of allergic-related conditions. Studies have shown that dust mite allergies have increased since the Covid-19 outbreak as more people have been working from home.

However, George warns, we must be careful to use only Dubai Municipality or Dubai Health Authority-recommended chemicals during sanitisation. “Avoid using corrosive and volatile compounds. Chemicals recommended by Dubai Municipality usually contain diluted solution of hypochloride, which is safe to be used inside homes and also for cleaning utensils and vehicles.

“Hiring a professional company bearing the licence of Dubai Municipality is very important.”