How to clean your home the right way during coronavirus outbreak

ByKate Larsen KGO logo

Friday, February 28, 2020

How to stay healthy during coronavirus outbreak

With news of the person-to-person spread of novel coronavirus in nearby Solano County, San Francisco families are stocking up on supplies and focusing on staying healthy and prepared during the coronavirus outbreak.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- With news of the person-to-person spread of coronavirus in nearby Solano County, San Francisco families are stocking up on supplies at Safeway in the Marina District.

Meghan Sinning is a nanny and personal assistant. She filled up the trunk of her SUV with dry goods for her boss and family and says she loaded up on disinfectants and hand sanitizer.

"She's worried about the coronavirus," said Sinning about her boss, and explained that the shelves inside the grocery store were starting to look a little bare.

"There's not a lot left. The pasta shelves are basically empty."

"You know I've got more pasta than I'd normally have, more black beans than I'd normally have," said Jane Gaito, who also left Safeway with an extra large grocery haul.

Rather than panic, she's prepping, in case coronavirus hits her family.

"Normally we have 72 hours (worth of food) on hand, and now I feel like we need 10 days."

The cleaning aisle at Cole Hardware on Polk Street also looked a little sparse. The store was running low on Purell and and sanitizing products, but manager, Leo Sepulveda, said they were working hard to get more in stock.

"Everyone wants to make sure they have everything at home that they need," Sepulveda said. "They're coming in to buy their supplies. They're actually afraid of getting sick."

Once you have your cleaning supplies, how do you maximize your disinfecting efforts?

Patrick Doyle, owner of Stratus janitorial service in San Jose, explained how to effectively rid a space of viruses and bacteria.

Doyle says to spray your cleaning product directly on a microfiber cloth, which he likes to color code for each space in a home or office.

"To prevent contamination, you want to have separate rags for each location in your home," Doyle said.

He also explained that how you move your cloth around makes a big difference.

"Move it up, move it back down," he said. "The reason you don't want to circulate your motion is you're just blending in the dirt and debris you're picking up."

Doyle says to clean from high to low and whether you're at home or work, focus on areas that your hands and fingers frequent like light switches, elevator buttons, door knobs, and appliance handles.

And while you're cleaning, don't forget your personal items.

Doyle recommends using disinfecting wipes for things like your bag, keys and of course your cell phone.

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