Learn How My Family is Staying Safe During COVID-19

You know, they tell you a lot of stuff to try and prepare you to become a mom. The one thing they don't mention though, is that the moment your child takes their first breath- it's the moment you begin to HOLD yours forever.

Raising a child is like having your heart beat outside of your chest. I don't care who you are; as a mother, you will do everything humanly possible to make sure that your baby stays safe- no matter how old they get. Okay, maybe not EVERY mother... Casey Anthony might be an exception to this. But not only do we have to protect our tiny humans from people like HER, we now have to protect them from...EVERYONE?

So how do we do this without going completely bat shit crazy.. Oh, right...WE'RE ALREADY THERE! Bats? Really people? Out of all things to eat!

I've watched countless videos and read so many articles on what we are supposed to do to protect our families from this crisis. Trust me, I am NO expert by any means. But I am going to share with you all what my family has started to do in hopes to keep my little man safe and these scary germs out of the house.

1. Declutter!

You know you have to do it anyways! And trust me it will be the most satisfying thing ever to have a clutter free kitchen when you try some of my recipes to kill time while in quarantine.

I took everything off of the fridge that wasn't a magnet or something made of plastic (we have magnetic flashlights on our fridge), and threw it all in a box that we put into the basement. That box filled up pretty quickly. ANYTHING that is not needed on a daily basis or anything that is porous and not easily cleaned was stored away.

2. Sweep/Vacuum

I did this second because I figured that once I started I would disrupt anything that has settled. Sweeping/Vacuuming last would only move all of the dust around and land on places you have already sterilized, making you have to start all over! Who wants to do that?! Not me! Not until tomorrow anyway!

3. Swiffer/Mop

I use a Swiffer daily to clean our floors in the house. Normally, I just use the cleaner that comes with the Swiffer itself and buy refills of it. They're always good to have and it is SO much easier than having to get out a mop and bucket so often. But with this COVID-19 going around, I have replaced my usual Swiffer cleaner with a Fabuloso and warm water combo to make sure that it's sterilizing as well. I'm not sure if the Swiffer cleaner can be used to sterilize surfaces, but I know that Fabuloso can so that is why I have made the switch. Also, Fabuloso is much cheaper than the Swiffer cleaner and since you dilute it with water, you're using even less.

Here are the links to the products that I have been using:

4. Wipe Everything Down!

After the floors are dry (it takes 6 minutes for them to be disinfected and by that time they are usually dry), I either take that same Fabuloso/warm water mix and put it in an empty spray bottle or I use my Lysol Multipurpose Spray. Either one works just the same and I spray down literally everything in the house that gets touched by everyone.

That includes but not limited to:

-Doorknobs (INCLUDING OUTSIDE DOORKNOBS)

-Lightswitches

-Fans

-Knobs

-Handles

-Counters

-Blinds

-Remotes

-Toilets

-Shower Doors

-Mailbox! (Help out those who are essential!)

-Thermostat

-Car door handles and seatbelts

-Faucets

-Computers/Ipads

-Everyone's individual phones and headphones

-Video Game Controllers

-Bluetooth speakers

-Railings

-Soles of shoes

Like I said.. LITERALLY anything and everything that we constantly and mindlessly touch, gets disinfected as often as possible.

5. Laundry Time!

We're almost done people! This step is pretty basic- you're going to simply wash and dry all bedding in the house, communal throw blankets and pillows, the most popular stuffed animals, towels, shower mats.. you name it- we're washing it!

Don't worry about your clothes that you haven't touched in a while.. according to what I have read, the virus won't live for that long. So, if something is sitting in your closet or your dresser- I am under the impression that you will be fine. However, clothes that you wear outside or to work or to the grocery store MUST be removed before entering your safe zone and brought directly to the laundry in order to kill the virus. Any detergent will do just fine. From what I have read, warm water and soap will do the trick.

I have also heard that sharing washers and dryers- whether it be at the laundromat or because you live in an apartment building- is totally fine because once the clothes are in the machines, they will be decontaminated due to the washing process.

This brings us to our last and final step!

6. Create a Designated Contamination Area

In my opinion- this is the most IMPORTANT STEP!

Not that decontaminating your home isn't important, because it is definitely a key part to maintaining the cleanliness of your household that we need in order to prevent this virus from spreading. But the most important step that I believe is going to make the most essential impact, is making sure that nothing contaminated enters the household while this virus is still alive and kicking.

Luckily for my family, we have a mud room attached to our side door that we use to enter the house, so that has become our contamination area. Anything that was worn outside of the house whether it was just in the yard or worn to work, is to be taken off in the mudroom and immediately bagged to be brought to the laundry.

Shoes must be removed and replaced with already sanitized house shoes/slippers (unless you are just going to wear socks/bare feet around the house).

This also goes for groceries. This is where we decontaminate all packaged items before they enter the house. Ideally we would use Lysol wipes, but because every Karen went to the store before us and is holding them all hostage in their basements, we have to settle for a Lysol spray which I had linked earlier. But hey-it gets the job done and it's cheaper. So, jokes on you Karen's of the world.

Any produce is washed thoroughly in the sink after removing it from the packaging. The same thing goes for toilet paper and paper towels (if we can find any in stores). I find it easier to just remove the individual rolls from the packaging instead of wiping down the outside of the pack-but either should work just fine.

Our local stores have ironically banned reusable bags, so we have been using plastic bags which have been going directly into the trash after returning home from the store.

Once everything has been decontaminated, it is free to enter the house!

Lastly, re-sanitize the doorknobs!

And of course, always make sure to wash your hands with warm soap and water and for at least 20-seconds! Hand Sanitizer works too but don't rely solely on that for protection! Nothing works as good as washing your hands!

So, there we have it...

That's how my family has been doing their best to stay safe during this crisis. Nothing is perfect and I don't think there is a right or wrong way to do things. You have to figure out what works best for you and your family. And please- unless you are ESSENTIAL- make sure to social distance!

May God bless you and your families,

Brittany