Blog Post

COVID-19: Household Cleaning

Household Cleaning

by Mark Mosley, M.D., M.P.H

Feast of St Artemon the Presbyter

Hand Washing
We must give lessons and practice how to wash hands correctly.

Soap and water is better; hand sanitizer is still excellent.
Not just fingertips—nails, front, back, between fingers
20 seconds—a song, a saying, a prayer, 3 deep slow breaths. Turn off the water with your elbow (if possible) or use the paper towel on the handle (half of all bathroom faucets are contaminated with virus when a person in the house is sick). Also use the paper towel to open the door (you will need a trashcan by the door in which to drop your paper towel).
Dry is better than wet. Viruses live longer in water. Dryness and the mechanical friction of drying both kill viruses.
Temperature of the water doesn’t matter (hot does not kill more).
If someone is sick, don’t have a community hand towel to dry hands.
Wash hands before you empty the dishwasher.

Dryer on High Setting before Washing

Drying clothes (at greater than 135 degrees C) for 30 minutes kills viruses and bacteria. Dry your clothes (if not muddy) before you put them in the dirty clothes. Dryers, not washers, are a primary way to kill viruses.

Places Viruses Hide

Sanitizer and soap dispenser pump handles!!
Printers (in emergency departments)
Coffee pot handles
Phones
Remotes
Computer keys
Stuffed animals (put them in the dryer for 30 min)

“Quarantine” the sick person in a “sick room” (& bathroom)

If possible, the sick person should be kept in their own “sick room” and be the only person that uses their bathroom. They should not use other toilets or faucets or sinks (if possible).

Things that do NOT work

Hand dryers (not hot enough and not long enough time)

UV lights on skin

Spraying alcohol on skin

Sesame oil

Essential oils or herbal remedies

“In each sink of soap and water, your hands are an island of prayer.” Make your 20 seconds count!

Mark Mosley has done emergency medicine at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas for over 25 years. He is boarded in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. He received his M.D. from the University of Oklahoma. He earned his Master’s in Public Health in nutrition from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He is married to his wife Jane and has five children. He attends Saint George Orthodox Christian Cathedral.

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