5 natural cleaning tools for cold & flu seasonfeatured
Cold & flu hitting your house hard?
Hit back with these tried n’ true, oh-so natural, and way affordable tools you definitely have at home.
1 Hydrogen Peroxide: While there’s a time and place for deep down Clorox dousin’ (and that time, usually during cold & flu spikes or immediately after someone has thrown up into your hands, for a very specific example), I like to douse an old cloth in hydrogen peroxide and generously wipe down doorknobs, bathroom surfaces, light switches, and railings, and remote controls (the trick is to let the solution sit for at least 30 seconds), but adding undiluted hydrogen peroxide to an opaque bottle and spraying willy nilly works nicely, too.
2 The Dryer: Did you know that the dryer can kill flu and norovirus germs? While it’s great to wash blankets and pillows regularly, it’s a spin in the ol’ dryer at high heat for at least 30 minutes that destroys the pukey bugs for good. (…At least until your kid licks a kid at school at brings more home tomorrow.)
3 The Microwave: Guys, do me a favor: Take your kitchen sponge, get it a little wet, and put it in the microwave. Nuke it on high for two minutes and then, you know, clean your dishes with nary a trace of food-borne pathogens. (Has it been close to a month since you’ve swapped out sponges? Here’s an even easier tip: Throw it away! BOOM.)
4 Boiling Water: While I like to throw out our toothbrushes after, say, the cold & flu versions of The Plague, it can get a little costly to toss ’em after each cough or sniffle. For everyday germs, I soak the toothbrushes overnight in enough vinegar to cover the bristles and about an inch below (each toothbrush in its own cup), but for the heavier hitting illnesses, a quick 2-minute bath in boiling water works wonders.
5 A Pillowcase: Keeping things dust-free goes a long way towards sinus health (and healing)! I aim to swap in fresh sheets about once a week- and, if I’m strapped for time, at least change out the pillowcases. Got an extra five seconds? Take the used pillowcase and give a quick wipe-down to the headboard, bedside table, lamp, and teetering tower of books. (I know I’m not alone in this one.) Toss the pillowcase in with the rest of the laundry and voilà: two chores for the price (and time) of one.
You time-bending sickness-slayer, you.
