Help Prevent Winter Colds By Cleaning These 6 Areas.

posted in Health & Fitness on 12/8/2015

Your co-workers have already started calling in sick. Your partner complains of a sore throat. You sneeze. Is that because you haven’t dusted this week or because you’ve already contracted this seasons case of the cold?!

Don’t panic. When it feels like everyone around you is taking a sick-day, stay safe at home and clean these frequently-touched (and therefore germ-tastic) spots:

Fridge Handles
The average fridge handle is five times filthier than a toilet seat! It's also a magnet for everything greasy that happens in your kitchen as you reach for ingredients while cooking or eating (which means cold germs are gonna end up there, too).

Remote Control
The Huffington Post reported that your TV remote is dirtier than your toilet. Use a Q-Tip dipped in alcohol to reach those weird spots in between the buttons.

Door Knobs & Cabinet Handles
Flu viruses can last up to 24 hours on hard surfaces. Although that may not seem like a lot, if someone in your house is sick, it’s likely that you’re both going to use the same restroom or open the cup cabinet. Use a Clorox bleach wipe to protect yourself.

Your Cell Phone When was the last time you cleaned your finger-touching, face-smashing, friend-finding device? Especially if it’s sitting on the table in a communal sneezing and coughing zone, it’s time to disinfect. Turn off your phone and grab a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol. Use a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol on it to wipe down your screen and phone. Be sure to keep your phone off until it’s completely dry.

Your Sponge
In order to kill any lingering virus germs in your sponge, you want to wash it with water that’s about 95 degrees or hotter. Unfortunately most don’t have thermometers on our sinks, so switch your sponge or throw it in the dishwasher on high heat to be safe.

Light Switches
Avoid spraying a disinfectant directly on your light switch to protect the electrical outlet. Instead, apply the disinfecting spray to a rag or q-tip to clean the light-switch plate.