If you’re wondering when to start spring cleaning during COVID-19’s first year on the rise, the answer could be now.
For the last two decades, Spring Cleaning has always been the same each year. A ritual in which the house is thoroughly hosed down to signify a new beginning. We can all imagine waking up on a Sunday morning after a long week, making some coffee and staying home, letting the music fill the room, and brightening up our environment because it’s been a while. Today, “it’s been a while” seems to have evolved into “every day.” We’re finding ourselves at home more often than not this year in particular, and we all know the reason why.
With humans now morphed into something more like hermit crabs, our habitat becomes our daily visual for prolonged periods. We’re relaxing and living, working, and creating all in the same space. After a while, everything becomes more magnified, now you’re noticing every small thing out of place, not like before, where you might have glanced over it. Today, Spring Cleaning has taken on a new meaning, here are four tips to help you usher in a new reality.
Clean the dishes at the end of every night.
This might seem simple enough, and maybe even second nature to some, but you’d be surprised at how many homes have not adopted this method of cleaning. It’s simple and effective and helps cut down on the amount of stress that can ensue after noticing the same dishes in the sink, piling up day after day with the will to clean them dwindling by the day. The reason dirty dishes may seem to be more prevalent might be mostly because more meals are being cooked at home now than ever before, and naturally so since it is a safe way to feed the family night after night.
Break up cleaning time with intervals.
Most likely you’re going to have more than a few things to do or clean on a day-to-day basis, especially if your family is larger than two. The best way to manage this mayhem would be to space out areas of rest dispersed within your cleaning agenda. If this is practiced, it may help to cut down on the amount of stress typically placed on the shoulders of one with more than a few tasks to handle. If you must clean the kitchen, maybe try to cut it up into smaller, more achievable pieces that can be tackled at an even pace. For example, mop the floors, take a break, wipe down the counters, call a loved one, organize the dishes, and continue this cycle until the job is complete.
Follow the EPA’s guidelines for cleaning during COVID-19.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has released guidelines specific to COVID-19 and outlines how to clean the house with the standard of maximum safety in mind. To be specific, there is a six-step process for making sure everything is squeaky-clean. To paraphrase, EPA first encourages citizens to pay attention to the text featured on each cleaning product in the household and cross-check them with List N to ensure they are EPA compliant. List N names products that meet EPA’s criteria for battling SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that is responsible for COVID-19.
In addition to this, working our way down the six-step process, we understand that EPA also boasts the practice of making sure the right cleaning product is used for the right surface. Pre-washing your surfaces with good old soap and water before using List N-approved cleaning agents to create a sure-fire way to know your COVID Spring Cleaning is on its A-game. Always make sure to use gloves to limit contamination to yourselves and others, and for the more earth-conscious readers that you are, one designated pair of washable, reusable gloves will get the job done.
Since these cleaning products are a little on the stronger side, it's best to make sure these materials are locked up and away from the reach of children and pets in the household. For more information on recommendations for this unusual time, visit coronavirus.gov.
Don’t push yourself too hard.
Remember, as normal as this pandemic may seem at this point, it’s truly not. Something like this hasn’t happened for years and is jarring to some to have even happened in the first place. Therefore, there’s some adjusting that needs to take place, and within that adjustment, there has to be room for being human. As much as we’d like to stay on top of every little detail in our lives and cleaning, it’d be best to do what we can and put it down once we’re done.
As we’re going through a challenging time, so is the planet we live on. While making sure we take care of ourselves and our wellbeing, let’s always do the same for our environment as well. Skoy is proud to offer innovative and unique products for cleaning the kitchen that will be the perfect partner to you during this pandemic and so on. Learn more about our product line here.
By Treavor Taylor