Germs are the main cause of infection. They live both inside and outside our body and can be easily transferred to surfaces and other humans. Good germs can keep our body in balance and build our immune systems, but bad germs can cause illness and infections. These are some of the most common germs we can find in homes and preventive measures we must take in order to avoid getting infected. 

Cold & flu viruses

Cold & Flu have very similar symptoms and are the most common infections during the flu season (mainly during cold temperatures). The flu has usually more severe symptoms, such as high fever, chills or sweats, sore or aching muscles, headaches, weakness, sore throat and sometimes even loss of appetite. When you have a cold, you may experience many of these symptoms, but it rarely causes a high fever. 

To prevent catching a cold or the flu during flu season, ensure you wash your hands properly and quite frequently and avoid sick people. Don’t touch your mouth, nose or eyes to avoid getting the virus into your body. Be sure to disinfect surfaces in your home and at work to kill cold and flu traces. Cold and flu germs can live on surfaces for up to two days, so ensure you are disinfecting your home daily to prevent spread the virus.

If you or any member of your family is experiencing either of these symptoms you should stay home to prevent spreading the virus. We might even want to avoid any hugs and handshakes, even sharing objects or food, just as a preventive measure. 

Coronavirus/ COVID-19 

SARS-COV-2 or COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus that was identified during an outbreak in Wuhan, China, and later spread through different countries around the globe. This new form of virus has provoked a sanitary crisis, with a high quantity of infections and deaths, that has provoked a high impact on society and an increase in the need of disinfecting all surfaces in order to avoid the spread of this virus. The most common symptoms for Coronavirus are high fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. If you experience these symptoms call your sanitary center and ensure you get checked out. 

Sanitary authorities have recommended to wash more frequently our hands. Even if we ensure we are getting our hands washed as much as possible, truth is we sometimes need an on the go solution for when we are out of home or out of the office and can’t wash our hands, for example, while doing the groceries or commuting. Ensure you always use hand sanitizers that have the correct amount of alcohol to kill Coronavirus recommended by the World Health Organization (above 60% of alcohol content). Check the range of Wyx hand disinfectant gels and sanitizers that have been developed to kill Coronavirus and stop spreading the virus.

Learn how to disinfect correctly the different surfaces and areas of your home in order to kill Coronavirus, bacteria and other germs. 

Bacteria

Some bacteria can be good for our body, as they help the digestive system and prevent bad bacteria from moving in. Other bacteria, the commonly known as ‘bad bacteria’, can cause sore throats, ear infections and cavities.

Fungi

Despite many fungi are not harmful to healthy people, people with weak immune systems (such as patients with cancer) may have more risk of getting fungi infections like athlete’s foot and yeast infections.

Despite our best efforts while cleaning our home, it is important to consider that when we clean we are only removing dirt, grease and grime from surfaces, but we are not disinfecting them and therefore we are not removing bacteria, germs and viruses from our home. 

This is the reason why cleaning is not the same as disinfecting. Using general household cleaners around the home is not enough to keep yourself and your family protected from common infections and viruses that may appear in your home. Instead, try using household disinfectant cleaners as your usual cleaners to ensure you always keep your home not only clean but also germ and virus free. Check all the information regarding the range of Wyx XtraHygiene disinfectant products. 

Bear in mind that there are certain areas around our home that we must disinfect, such as bathrooms, door knobs and handles, cooking areas, baby and kids’ rooms and pet areas. Though you cannot see the virus and germs around home surfaces, it can stay there for days. If we don’t disinfect them properly, we might touch infected surfaces with our hands and get them into our body (via our mouth, nose and eyes) or onto other surfaces and infect other members of our home, that might have a higher risk, such as pregnant women, babies or elders. 

Consider the following hygiene guidelines when disinfecting your home to ensure you are doing the job correctly. 

As we have mentioned, bacteria and viruses are invisible to human eyes and can be hidden in different surfaces around home, public places and personal items. Ensure you disinfect correctly all areas mentioned bellow with Wyx XtraHygiene disinfectant products. 

Public Places

• Public transport: tube, buses, taxis, etc. 
• Airplanes and airports. 
• Restaurants and pubs.
• Workplace
• Theaters
• Doctor’s office, dentist, etc. 
• Shops and supermarkets. 
• Elevators & escalator handrails
• Public restrooms/ bathrooms. 
• Gyms: changing rooms, machines, water dispensers, vending machines, etc. 
• Schools & universities: school bus, playground, stationary, toilets, etc. 

Ensure you always carry Wyx Disinfectant hand gel while being out of home. You will be able to apply some disinfectant on your hands to kill any virus or bacteria that might have gotten onto your hands while being on public places. 

Home

• Door handles & knobs
• Light switches
• Kitchen surfaces and items. 
• Bathroom surfaces and items. 
• Remote controls
• Workspace: Computer, keyboard and computer mouse.
• Other devices, such as tablets, laptops and earphones.
• Calculators
• Stationary
• Books
• Pet toys
• Toys

Personal Items

• House & Car Keys
• Glasses
• Handbags, wallets and backpacks.
• Credit cards, IDs and driver’s license: only necessary if you have used them. 
• Mobile Phones and cases. 
• Other devices, such as tablets, laptops and earphones. 
• Money. 
• Umbrellas. 
• Watches and jewelry.
• Pet accessories: dog leash, bag dispenser, clothes…

Use WYX Disinfectant All Purpose Cleaner, WYX Disinfectant Multipurpose Cleaner or WYX Disinfectant Spray to disinfect your home and personal items. It is highly important to follow the directions for use in order to ensure a correct disinfection of the items. When using WYX Disinfectant Multipurpose Cleaner spray on a damp clean cloth and then rub the item. Leave to act for 5 minutes to kill Coronavirus and rinse with a damp clean cloth. Ensure to dry technological devices with a dry cloth. Always test on a hidden area before using the product.

The Kitchen is a place of high traffic for many homes. Not just for cooking but also for getting together after a long day at work, leaving the groceries when you get back home or a place where kids can do their homework. 

Germs can be found in many kitchens, caused by food residues, cross-contamination and greasy leftovers. Simply cleaning and removing grease from cooktops and worktops won’t do it. It is important we disinfect correctly all surfaces and objects around the kitchen to ensure a healthy home. 

Sponges & cloths

To avoid accumulating bacteria and mal odours at the end of the day, ensure you wash and disinfect your cloths and sponges every one or two days, depending on how much you use it at home. Check our latest post on how to disinfect sponges & cloths. 

Bins

Empty your bins daily to ensure bacteria does not build up from food remains. Once every week clean and disinfect your bins to remove any germs and food remains or grease spillages. 

Chopping boards & knifes

Try to clean and disinfect them before cutting different ingredients. For example, if you cut raw meat or chicken and afterwards you need to slice some vegetables, ensure you disinfect first your chopping board and knifes. We can cause cross contamination of pathogens from raw meat to vegetables, which will end up in our body.  

Cooking worktops

We commonly place our groceries here before storing them. We also tend to manipulate food on our worktops and this can cause cross-contamination. Ensure you are disinfecting correctly your kitchen worktops before and after preparing any meals. 

Kitchen sinks and taps

Food remains are sometimes left on kitchen sinks if we don’t clean it correctly after doing the dishes or emptying a beverage or coffee. This, together with humidity, will eventually cause the growth of microorganisms. Ensure to clean and disinfect your kitchen sinks and taps on a daily basis to prevent the growth of germs. 

Fridge

We should clean and disinfect our fridge occasionally. Food remains can fall from their original packaging and hide in our fridge, causing bacteria, which will then pass to other food and directly to our body. Ensure we clean and disinfect our fridge at least every once a month. 

Door handles & Chairs

Fridge, oven, microwave, cupboard handles and chairs are touched by every member of the home. Disinfect them daily to prevent germs being spread through all family members. 

Use WYX Disinfectant Kitchen Cleaner or WYX Disinfectant Multipurpose Cleaner to tackle touch grease and dirt while killing 99,9% of bacteria and killing Coronavirus from your kitchen surfaces. 

Washing your hands is the best way to prevent spreading Coronavirus and other illness. You can either wash your hands with liquid soap or with Wyx Hand gel, depending on the place and the time. 

As we are constantly touching everything with our hands, we recommend washing your hands very frequently during the day. Ensure you are doing it correctly, covering all areas, specially the most forgotten ones such as between fingers and under your nails. It is highly important you take your time while washing your hands, approximately for up to 1 to 2 minutes. 

Make sure you wash your hands after the following moments of the day: 

• After visiting the bathroom
• Before, during and after travelling in public transport. 
• Before, during and after visiting stores. 
• After sharing any object with another person: pen, calculator, mobile phone, etc. 
• Before and after preparing or eating food. 
• After blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing. 
• After touching animals or handling animal waste. 
• Before and after touching someone sick.
• After handling money or paying by dataphone. 
• After handling garbage or waste. 
• Any other moment you feel you might have been in contact with germs.