Back to School During a Pandemic – Clean Mama

August 10, 2020

I’m undecided the place you’re at for college – returning full-time with security precautions, doing a hybrid mannequin of distant and in-person studying, or utterly distant. Or perhaps you’re homeschooling or sending your youngsters to a new faculty. This faculty yr might be completely different – I’m decided to make the perfect of it and go into the yr with confidence and a versatile plan. Very similar to life, we now have to be prepared to make changes as we go, however give your self grace. Take a deep breath, we are able to’t management what goes on outdoors our partitions, however we are able to management how we react to it inside our houses.

I assumed you may like to see how we’re navigating again to faculty and a few techniques I’ve put into place to maintain everybody protected and wholesome and profitable learners, no matter how faculty performs out. I’ll preface this with the truth that I’m not a medical skilled – I’m a mother and a former instructor and I’m simply sharing what we’re doing.

DON’T MISS THIS!
I’m introducing one thing model new in my store – Clean Mama’s 5 Day Residence Refresh. I’m so excited to share this do-able program with you – it’s simply what we’d like to give us a little re-frame and refresh in our houses earlier than this subsequent season.

BACK TO SCHOOL ADJUSTMENTS

Masks storage. Relying on the place you reside and the foundations in place, you probably want masks in some capability. It’s obligatory right here in any public area, so I’ve arrange a clear masks basket within the mudroom. We’re utilizing washable face masks and I’m additionally placing a bag with disposable masks within the youngsters’ backpacks in case they want them for any cause. Once they come dwelling from faculty they are going to want to put their soiled masks in a mesh laundry bag to be laundered. Ensure you’re utilizing protected, non-toxic laundry merchandise to launder your masks – I like to recommend Clean Mama’s Laundry Merchandise.

Backpacks, sneakers, coats. Drop all the pieces on the door – properly, grasp it up properly and put your sneakers away. I would change this to maintain sneakers within the storage, however the principle factor is to not let the germs from faculty make their means in to our dwelling. As quickly as the youngsters take away their sneakers and coats, they totally wash their fingers.

School and homework station. I’m all the time a believer in a clear separation of schoolwork and homework and wish these areas to be simple to maintain clear in addition to simple to clear up. I’m nonetheless working by means of some potential techniques for what we do, relying on how the college yr performs out however I do know that we’ll proceed to have a homework caddy on the prepared. 

MINDSET SHIFT

Do you want a mindset shift? A little bit course and routine? I’ve all the time argued that no matter how busy you might be, you want a cleansing routine. For those who’ve been ready for the ‘proper time’, now could be the time to put it to the check and see the way it works for your loved ones. Everyone seems to be coming at this from a completely different angle and it has affected your own home and household in a completely different means. I’m not pretending to perceive your private circumstances, however I’m merely extending the identical recommendation I all the time have however perhaps you’ll see it a little otherwise by means of this expertise. Routine, even when it’s free, is all the pieces in a time like this. It brings a sense of normalcy and you recognize that your own home received’t disintegrate even when it appears like all the pieces round you is. Truth: muddle = stress – let’s use this time to deliver the stress degree down in our houses as a substitute of enhance it.

For those who haven’t tried the Clean Mama Routine and even in case you have however want a little refresher, the Begin Right here web page is totally redesigned to make it easier to get began. Test it out! While you do the Clean Mama Routine you might be already maintaining your own home CLEAN on a day by day foundation – that is important to maintaining germs away.  The Clean Mama Homekeeping Planner and the Homekeeping Society Subscription are designed to take the GUESSWORK out of cleansing – all the pieces is laid out for you with Day by day and Weekly Duties.

HOUSE RULES

• No sneakers on in the home. Take them off within the entryway, storage, or mudroom. For those who haven’t finished this up to now, now could be the time to begin. You possibly can carry in all kinds of germs, pesticides, and simply plain grime on the bottoms of your sneakers.
• Wash fingers within the powder room upon coming into the remainder of the home – even should you’ve simply been enjoying outdoors. Keep in mind, you simply eliminated your sneakers. That is a regular family rule for us, but when it isn’t for you, I’d advocate including it!
• Change garments when coming in from faculty.
• Change hand and tub towels DAILY. This is one thing that we already do with hand towels however I’m including the tub towels in now too. Not everybody takes a day by day bathe and sure, it may appear extreme however that is what we’re doing in the mean time. Do what’s best for you. I wash all sheets and towels on Saturday – Sheets + Towels Day.
• Everybody helps! Right here’s a put up all about how to get the youngsters concerned in cleansing with a free printable chore chart too.
• If somebody will get sick, that is what we do. – I wrote this put up a couple months in the past but it surely nonetheless applies, within the case of COVID-19, we’d quarantine the sick member of the family otherwise than we usually do.

A COUPLE THINGS I’M DOING/ALREADY DO TO PREVENT ILLNESS

• Complete home air filter is working 24/7 – I often do that throughout chilly/flu season anyway.
• HEPA filters in vacuum cleaners – that is essential to get small particles and include them so that you aren’t respiratory them in. Germs experience on mud particles – it’s essential to get these mud particles out of the house safely.
• Wipe down most-touched areas regularly/day by day – I take advantage of rubbing alcohol for many areas and I take advantage of Hydrogen Peroxide or Clean Nicely Disinfecting Wipes on areas the place I can’t use rubbing alcohol.
• Utilizing the sanitize choice on the dishwasher – I do that on a regular basis anyway, however should you can choose that, that is the time to begin. For those who wash dishes by hand, wash and rinse on the best water temp you’ll be able to stand.

• Nutritional vitamins + dietary supplements are stocked and in full pressure – All of us take nutritional vitamins and dietary supplements and I’ve upped a couple issues and added a couple others to assist construct our immune techniques over the previous few months. Some essential ones for us – Nutritional vitamins C + D, Zinc, Probiotics, and Elderberry Syrup. You possibly can see among the dietary supplements we use and what I maintain available simply in case – right here in my Amazon store below ‘nutritional vitamins + dietary supplements’.
• Complete meals + loads of water – Ensuring we’re hydrated and maintaining our sugar consumption low and filling up on complete meals and loads of vegatables and fruits is useful for simply feeling nice, but it surely’s additionally useful for maintaining irritation down and our immune response up.

LAUNDRY

• Do no less than a load of laundry from washed and dried to folded and put away. That is a Day by day Activity, but it surely’s so useful to sustain with this if it really works for you and your loved ones. Now’s the time to attempt it!
• Launder sheets + towels weekly. That is one thing we do as a part of the Clean Mama Routine on Saturday – Sheets + Towels Day. Weekly sheet washing retains what you spend a third of your life doing, clear. Wash your sheets! I do that on Saturday so everybody can assist out and learn the way to change sheets, make beds, and maintain their areas clear.
• Launder every member of the family’s garments SEPARATELY.  This retains any potential germs contained. Washing on heat/sizzling and drying on heat/sizzling will kill most germs naturally. Wash on the warmest temperature you’ll be able to as acknowledged on the tag and dry on heat if attainable. I additionally use 1/four cup of white vinegar in every load of laundry to soften the laundry and maintain issues contemporary. Yow will discover the laundry merchandise I take advantage of within the store.
• Clean the washer weekly. This is one thing I usually do on Saturday in any case the sheets, towels, and cleansing cloths are laundered. On our machine we now have a ‘clear washer’ choice, making this simple. Go right here for a put up on how to clear a entrance or prime loader.
• Clean laundry baskets. That is particularly essential if somebody is sick. Use steam, take them outdoors and spray with hydrogen peroxide or wipe with a disinfecting wipe or clear with cleaning soap and water and let sit within the solar. I’ve clear laundry baskets for clear garments to simplify this course of.

WHAT I’M USING TO CLEAN

• In the beginning, wash fingers regularly – earlier than meals, after meals, after utilizing the toilet, and periodically in the course of the day. Go right here for the way to make foaming hand cleaning soap and hand sanitizer.
• DIY Pure Disinfecting Spray – As soon as issues began to open up and with analysis across the Coronavirus, I re-formulated my DIY Disinfecting recipe. If you’re in search of sturdy AND protected methods to disinfect surfaces, that is it! You’ll discover a vinegar-based recipe and a soap-based recipe, each with over 60% alcohol within the recipe. Head to the weblog put up for my new DIY Pure Disinfecting Spray Recipes.
• Any of my DIY cleaners will REMOVE germs when utilized correctly – Plain cleaning soap and water will take away germs. Take a look at this put up and video on how to make eight of my favourite DIY cleaners. I like to recommend spraying and letting sit for 10 minutes and wiping with a clear microfiber cleansing material. If you’re needing a disinfectant for surfaces, I like to recommend cleansing the floor with a DIY cleaner or all-purpose cleaner after which spraying with hydrogen peroxide or my DIY Disinfecting Recipe and permitting to dry on the floor or utilizing a disinfecting wipe (see beneath). I take advantage of rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad on these most-touched areas like door handles, gentle switches, remotes, telephones, and many others. Personally, I don’t use utilizing any cleaners which have dangerous chemical substances and fragrances in them even on this state of affairs as a result of they’ve endocrine and immune disruptors and might contribute to superbugs. 
• Clean Mama All-Objective Spray – that is one other smart way to clear surfaces – it will likely be again in inventory this week!
• Disinfecting wipes – I take advantage of CleanWell Disinfecting Wipes (at present bought out) if I do have a state of affairs that wants a disinfecting wipe.
• Steam Cleansing/Sanitizing/Disinfecting – I purchased this Dupray Steam Cleaner a couple months in the past and love utilizing it to sanitize and disinfect arduous and mushy surfaces. Once we had influenza in February I used it to sanitize the sofa and arduous surfaces. When you’ve got little ones and are involved with mushy toys or something that may’t go within the washer, that is a nice choice. Steam to this temperature will kill 99.99% of germs and viruses. It’s expensive however for my part, price it!

I hope this put up offers a little hope and steerage on this time of uncertainty.

Listed here are a few extra posts which may assist:

Cleansing During a Disaster : Useful Suggestions for Your Residence

How to Plan in Unsure Instances

How to Clean Your Residence’s Most Touched Areas