COVID-19, Proper Sanitation, And Your Household Waste

With the prominence of COVID-19 in the news and in our communities, you might have questions about your household sanitation and waste disposal practices.

Aside from wearing a mask and washing your hands, what's needed at home and what should you do with your household waste?

Avoiding COVID-19 at Home

Currently, health experts are stressing avoiding any unnecessary social activity and minimizing contact with others. In public, this typically means avoiding group gatherings and "social distancing" by keeping a six-foot space from others. At home, it can mean cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting. 

In fact, the best way to protect your family is to quite simply clean your house.

According to a recent article at Business Insider, 

• If someone in your home is sick, prevent the spread of bacteria, viruses, and more with appropriate cleaning strategies and disinfecting products like Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, Lysol Laundry Sanitizer, and Microban 24 Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Spray.
• Some of these products are expected to be effective against the novel coronavirus, but not all are, so be sure to read labels and check the EPA's list of effective products.

Here are the key current recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the state of California Department of Public Health (CDPH) for cleaning and waste disposal:

• Perform hand hygiene frequently. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20
seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 60%-95% alcohol. 
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw it into a lined trash container.
• Avoid sharing personal household items, dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating
utensils, towels or bedding with other people or pets in your home. After using these
items, wash thoroughly with soap and water.
• Wash laundry thoroughly: Wear disposable gloves while handling soiled items. Read
and follow the directions on the labels of bedding, clothing, detergent and/or washing
machines. Dry thoroughly using the warmest temperatures recommended on the
clothing label.
• Clean all “high-touch” surfaces every day, such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs,
fixtures, toilets, phones, etc. Also, clean any surfaces that may have blood, stool, or
body fluids on them. Use a regular household cleaning spray or wipe according to the
label instructions, which include precautions you should take when applying the
product, such as wearing gloves and making sure to have good ventilation during use
of the product.
• When removing personal protective equipment, first remove and dispose of gloves.
Then immediately clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand
sanitizer. Next, remove and dispose of face mask, and immediately clean your hands
again with soap and water or alcohol based hand sanitizer.
• Place all used gloves, face masks and other contaminated items in a lined container
before disposing of them with other household waste.
• Clean your hands (with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer) immediately after handling these items.

Steps to Take at Home

If you or a family member has, or may have, COVID-19 there are best practices to carry out to minimize spreading the virus at home.

The CDC offers the following steps for households with actual or suspected COVID-19:

• Household members should educate themselves about COVID-19 symptoms and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in homes.
• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas (e.g. tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, handles, desks, toilets, sinks)
  • In the bedroom/bathroom dedicated for an ill person: consider reducing cleaning frequency to as-needed (e.g., soiled items and surfaces) to avoid unnecessary contact with the ill person.
    • As much as possible, an ill person should stay in a specific room and away from other people in their home, following home care guidance.
    • The caregiver can provide personal cleaning supplies for an ill person’s room and bathroom, unless the room is occupied by a child or another person for whom such supplies would not be appropriate. These supplies include tissues, paper towels, cleaners and EPA-registered disinfectants (examples at this link)
    • If a separate bathroom is not available, the bathroom should be cleaned and disinfected after each use by an ill person. If this is not possible, the caregiver should wait as long as practical after use by an ill person to clean and disinfect the high-touch surfaces.
• Household members should follow home care guidance when interacting with persons with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 and their isolation rooms/bathrooms.

Fortunately, most municipal waste management companies and agencies are continuing to pick up and dispose of household waste on regular schedules. However, it is wise to practice bagging ALL of your household waste, especially anything that may even be remotely infected with virus.

The Right Team for Your Household Garbage

Junk King also provides efficient, safe and eco-friendly garbage removal and junk hauling services so you don’t need to worry about the pick up or disposal of the debris after you're done cleaning. 

Whether you need our services several times during a cleaning project or just once after it is complete, our hauling professionals will ensure that the spring cleaning garbage and junk is out of your way so that you can get on with your work - or play!

Our team specializes in garbage removal. We can be at your home or workplace in mere minutes, so call us today! Our crew is fully insured and well-trained, so you can trust them to get rid of your unwanted items in a professional and courteous fashion.

One of the best things about hiring Junk King is that we recycle much of the material we pick-up. This is proof of our commitment to being an eco-friendly removal service. If you have questions about what we do or what we believe, give us a call at 1-888-888-JUNK (5865).