Do you know someone who has contracted H1N1 this year? I do. It seems like each week I hear of someone else who is sick with the flu.
No one wants to get the flu, and I am doing my best to protect my family from the flu and all the other illnesses that seem to affect everyone during the winter months.
If you have young children who put their hands in their mouth, nose, and other parts this little tip could prevent the spread of a cold or flu this season.
What do all these items have in common? They are high “touch” zones in your home. Frequently wipe these areas down with antibacterial cleaner to help prevent the spread of nasty germs.
While I can’t guarantee this will keep your family flu free this year, it will keep what you already have from spreading!
This post is linking to Works for Me Wednesday.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
i’m a freak about keeping things clean … and this whole flu thing makes me sick to my stomach … here’s to keeping us all healthy!
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AMEN! H1N1 is misery! I use these tips and do the FlyLady “swish and swipe” of our bathrooms almost daily. Anything to keep from getting the flu!!! If you do get the flu the CDC has helpful info on their website on how to prevent it from spreading. We followed it to the letter and in our household of 6 I am the only one who got H1N1.
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I was going to do the same tip this week!! Great minds must think alike : )
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very good & helpful reminder! THANK YOU! the keyboard, mouse, phone, and toilet flush handle are “hot spots” too
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Lysol spray is my BFF this time of year
We use it to spray down all the doorknobs, phones, microwave, fridge handles, etc.
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Thanks for the tips. So far we are flu free over here. On my blog I wrote a review of how nutrition can help build up little one’s defenses. Thought some of you might be interested.
http://www.raisehealthyeaters.com/2009/10/10-ways-to-flight-swine-flu-with-nutrition/
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One of my favorite chores to give a small child is to wipe down all door knobs and light switches. It does help.
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 10:47 am
I do the same thing! My little kids love to help around the house and that is a great job for little hands.
Toni
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So easy to do the quick swipe with a antibacterial wipe.
Definitely don’t want any flu in our house. We already had some although not swine flu when we were on the East coast. Ugh! 
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my husband had swine flu last week and thankfully in a house with 4 people he was the only one who got it.
I carried dettol antibiacterial spray everywhere with me spraying all of the hot spots. This spray was great as you dont need to wipe it off.
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I am expecting baby #3 and have two children under the age of 3 in my house…germ monsters, I call them! I do wash my hands a ridiculous amount and require shoes off and hands washed before my family settles into being “at home” for the day and evening. I received this tip from our pediatrician AND my OB! Every night make a solution of 1 Tbsp of bleach to 1 qt. of water (check out the info at clorox.com) in a spray bottle and spray all the “touch” zones down, I include the toys in the toy room too, the couch arms, the remotes, the toilet flush handles, all the sink handles, my kitchen countertops I cook on etc. I do it right before bed so I don’t have to “smell” the bleach. The solution is enough to kill most ANY germs, cheaper than Lysol (and no film) and (don’t worry) doesn’t bleach your fabrics. If someone has a ’sniffle’ I also do their pillows / bedding (if it’s not wash day, which is once a week in our house) just to eliminate anything they’ve sneezed into their pillow at night or stuffed animal at night. My son’s daycare uses it on their carpet area when a kid pukes and they have BLUE carpet and there are no bleach spots! Here’s to staying healthy! I have avoided 3 colds that my family has shared with each other since October! GERM MONSTERS
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Great tips! I definitely should be cleaning my kids toys… but it seems overwhelming! I am going to start with the baby toys- since they go in the mouth and go from there.
I have also put plastic baby toys in the dishwasher… that seems to work well.
Toni
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don’t forget the garbage can and the TOILET HANDLE!
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Don’t forget remotes. Also, wipe down the door handles and steering wheel in the car. Thanks for offering practical, common sense advice. If I read one more crazy, over the top, panicked piece of advice I’m going to scream!
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Ah! I did forget remotes since we don’t do television, but that is a great tip! Door handles and steering wheels too. I was also thinking the mailbox, since it is touched daily by strangers….
Toni
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We suspended cloth hand towel use when my kids came down with H1N1 and used paper towels instead. Not every child (or adult!) washes with hot-enough water and enough soap to kill germs…so the paper towels were an extra layer of protection. (No adults in my home have yet come down with flu. Let’s hope it stays that way!)
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My almost 2 year old loves to ‘clean’ like me (though she also loves to empty out a container of lysol wipes as well). I get her to clean remote controls (she plays with them like phones) as well as some of her toys that she plays with often.
Another place I like to wipe down often is the computer keyboard and the phone touch pad.
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Yep, I totally agree with you. I make up a vinegar, lavendar oil, and water spray bottle, hand my kids some rags, and they go to town. They love it and it helps me out!
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Wow, these are some areas I hadn’t thought about. Thanks for the tips! I am scared of the kids getting sick.
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