How to Keep Your Home Germ and Toxin-Free

The coronavirus pandemic has caused us all to reexamine the way we approach cleaning and placed greater emphasis on personal hygiene. For those seeking assistance to maintain a clean and healthy environment at home, booking professional house cleaning services has become a popular practice across York Region. 

Even so, germs and toxins have ways of getting into our homes that aren’t immediately obvious. To help you keep your home clean and healthy, we have prepared a short guide on what you should concentrate on when disinfecting your house or apartment and provided a brief list of everyday items that may contain harmful toxins. Read on.

How do you keep your house clean and safe?

It’s important to establish a regular maintenance cleaning schedule for your home. Before doing so, a deep cleaning is recommended to tackle hard-to-reach areas and any heavy build-up. After a detailed cleaning, bi-weekly maintenance cleanings are sufficient for most homes, however, more frequent cleaning may be required.

The frequency of your maintenance cleanings will depend on the size of your household, the amount of daily foot traffic in your home and whether you have children or shedding pets. To stay on track and make sure nothing is missed, consider creating a detailed cleaning checklist for your home. Having a ready-to-go checklist will also be helpful if you have to get a lot of cleaning done in a short amount of time.

To limit the spread of germs, high-touch surfaces need to be regularly disinfected using appropriate hard-surface disinfectants.

These frequently touched surfaces include:

• • • Railings
    • Countertops
    • Light switches
    • Toilet seats
    • AC and TV remotes
    • Game controllers
    • Oven and microwave buttons
    • Faucets
    • Tables
    • Desks
    • Computer mice and keyboards
    • Handles of all types
    • Touchscreens
    • Doorknobs

How can I reduce the toxins in my home?

While regular cleanings are the most efficient way to reduce the amount of dust, dirt and allergens in your home and keep it sanitary, you may be bringing dangerous toxins into your home without even being aware of it. That’s because many common products we use on a daily basis may contain chemicals that are harmful to our health.

Here are some products to avoid and suggestions for healthy alternatives.

• • • Plastic water bottles may contain BPA (Bisphenol A) and/or BPS (Bisphenol S). Both substances can negatively impact babies and small children. Replacing plastic bottles with reusable glass or stainless steel water bottles is the recommended option.
    • Plastic food containers sometimes contain phthalates that can cause birth defects, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. This is especially problematic if you regularly heat up your food in the microwave before taking it out of the plastic container. Use glass dishes or ceramic containers instead.
    • Microwave popcorn is often made using artificial butter flavours that contain harmful chemicals such as pentanedione. You can avoid this exposure by using unseasoned microwave popcorn, or by preparing your own popcorn at home. Either way, seasoning it yourself will also help to keep unhealthy fat and sodium content out of your diet.
    • Hand sanitizers that are based on chemicals other than ethyl alcohol have been known to aggravate respiratory conditions like chronic bronchitis and asthma. If this is a concern, be sure to use one that is based on ethyl alcohol. You can check public health guidelines and lookup tools to confirm the ingredients for hand sanitizers that are approved.

Where can I schedule detailed house cleaning services in the York Region?

Between work and other obligations, many Canadians have precious little free time to do the things they enjoy. It can be a struggle to regularly clean and disinfect your home, and keep it free of toxins. Luckily, you don’t have to do everything on your own!

By outsourcing your housekeeping to a reputable cleaning company, you will not just get a comprehensive cleaning, but also reclaim some leisure time for the things you love. Whether that’s spending an afternoon outdoors at the Boyd Conservation Area with your family, or catching up with friends for dinner on Main Street in Unionville, you can also look forward to coming back to your spotlessly clean home!

As an established provider of residential cleaning services across York Region, Hire A Maid will give your home a truly premium quality cleaning. Call us today!