UK Health News
99% Germ-Free?
The 1% Your Disinfectant Misses Could Leave You Vomiting for Days
Comments by Appliances Expert, Matt Ayres from
RDO Kitchens and Appliances
Norovirus cases are surging, and patients being treated in hospital has reached an all-time high. NHS England data shows an average of 1,160 patients a day were being treated for the winter vomiting disease last week - almost double the number this time last year.
You may think you can stop the spread of norovirus within your home with your trusted disinfectant sprays and wipes. But these are largely defenceless against the bug.
Your reliant cleaners may claim to kill 99% of viruses and bacteria, but norovirus is often in the 1% they can’t.
Here are some of the other ways you can prevent norovirus spreading in your home…
BBC/Getty Images
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Good hygiene is vital to break the chain of infection in the home to other family members. Begin by limiting where the infected family member can be to one bedroom and bathroom, avoiding the kitchen entirely. And encourage everyone to wash their hands with warm soapy water for a minimum of 20 seconds – just like with Coronavirus.
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For hard surfaces, some cleaning products will specifically say they are effective against norovirus, so double check. Any good quality chlorine-based bleach product will do the job too. Always store chemical cleaning products safely away from children and pets.
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Wearing disposable gloves, clean all surfaces, handles and frequently touched items like remote controls, door and cupboard handles, light switches and devices across the whole house. It is likely the infected person touched many things before realising they had the bug.
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Keep the room where the infected person(s) is well ventilated with an open window but close any internal doors to avoid particles spreading from one room to another.
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Ask the infected person to close toilet lids before they flush and wipe down the immediate area to kill any dispersed particles.
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Do not mix contaminated clothes, bedding or towels with everyday washing from the rest of the family. Keep contaminated items separate in a plastic bag and wash them as soon as possible on the hottest setting the materials can withstand (ideally a 60-degree wash) and then run a hot dry cycle if you have a tumble dryer.
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Use disposable cloths and paper towels to clean up most of the mess, disposing of them in a sealed plastic bag or down the toilet if suitable to do so. Also clean any horizontal surfaces within two metres where the virus can easily land.
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Keep anything precious (or expensive) that cannot be cleaned with bleach or machine washed away. Otherwise, you could risk having to throw them away.
Matt Ayres, Appliances Expert
