Covid-19: how to effectively disinfect your home © iStock
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the French have spent up to 2.5 hours more each week cleaning their homes. However, this intensive cleaning would not allow us to properly disinfect our interior. Reminder of the right actions to adopt.
While we have been spending more time at home since the onset of the health crisis, we are also spending more time maintaining our home. According to a survey conducted in September 2020 with the European institute Onepoll by Mr. Propre and Antikal *, the French have become real fairies of the home, thus passing between 1 hour and 2.5 hours extra each week to do the housework.
The fear of contracting the virus or transmitting it to relatives is indeed shared by 72% of those questioned. Almost 65% of them therefore admit spending more time cleaning their interior, with particular attention paid to disinfection of door handles (50%), at the seat and toilet bowl (40%), as well as on the floor (36%). However, it would seem that certain surfaces at greater risk, such as the worktop (19%) or the keys (28%), are not subject to the same vigilance.
Cleaning is good, doing it correctly is better
Another lesson from this study: despite all this goodwill, the surfaces of our homes would not be disinfected properly. Because for cleaning to be effective, it must still be done well. And that wouldn’t always be the case.
If the French use more virucidal and bactericidal household products, they don’t would not use correctly. 38% of them would thus skip the initial step, namely cleaning the surfaces before disinfecting them. It is however essential because dirt, lime or even grease serve as a “reservoir” for the development of viruses and bacteria of all kinds.
Choose and use your cleaning products well
For cleaning to be efficient, you have to choose your cleaning products well, but above all you have to use them well. Here are some reflexes to adopt to be sure not to make a mistake.
- Remember to read the label carefully. An effective product should contain cleaning agents AND disinfecting agents. This will remove dirt and viruses. Only products meeting standard EN 14 476 would be effective against viruses.
- If you are used to using household products such as bleach, remember to clean your surfaces before spray it, and because they are dangerous products, always follow the usual precautions.
- Observe the instructions for use. If the label indicates that the product must act for several minutes, respect this exposure time before rinsing it. Only 16% of French people read the instructions and really let the product act for the necessary time.
* study carried out on a sample of 900 people, representative of the French population aged 25 to 65 and over
