Keeping your child at home for the first few days of school means they won’t be exposed to germs and won’t pass on their germs to other kids. However, if your kid is coming home from school with a bad cold or flu, you might need to find some ways to keep it from spreading in your house. The common cold is highly contagious, even in households without classmates or co-workers. It’s important to know how to get rid of a kids cough and all those other symptoms so they can get back on track with their life as soon as possible. These tips will help you avoid getting sick yourself, while helping keep everyone else healthy until they’re better.
Isolate the Sick Child
The best way to avoid getting sick when your kids are sick is to keep others from coming into contact with their germs. For kids who are contagious with a cold or flu, it’s best to isolate them so their germs don’t spread to others in the household. This can be done by keeping your sick child away from other kids in the home. You don’t have to send them to another room, but if you have a large house, consider keeping them in one part of the house to reduce their contact with others until they are completely well. If your kids have a really bad cough, consider keeping them home from school until they are completely well. Other kids are great incubators for bugs and will just spread your child’s germs around. This is especially true for young children whose immune systems aren’t quite strong enough yet to fight a cold or flu on their own.
Wash Everything
This is another best practice when your kids are sick, or when you’re expecting guests who might be sick. Wash all sheets, blankets, pillowcases, and clothing that has been touched by the sick person. You can do this either by machine or by hand, but clothes should be washed again on a hot cycle just to be extra cautious. Wash any toys that have been touched by the sick person using a disinfectant. If you have a high-efficiency washer, use a sanitizing cycle. Otherwise, add a little bleach to the wash cycle to sanitize everything. Make sure to launder anything in the bathroom that has been touched by the sick person, too. This includes towels, washcloths, and toilet seat covers.
Decontaminate The Room
If your kids have been sick and the room they’re in has been contaminated with their germs, you can decontaminate it by using a mixture of baking soda and water. Sprinkle the mixture liberally around the room and leave it there for at least an hour before wiping it away. This will neutralize any odors and make the room smell fresh again. You can also use an air purifier in the room to help remove odors. You’ll also want to clean the surfaces in the room, including the door knobs and light switches. Make sure not to forget the TV remote! Cleaning these surfaces with a diluted mixture of bleach and water will help kill any germs that might be present.
A Light Cleaning of Everything Else
A light cleaning of everything else in the house is sufficient enough to keep everyone healthy for a couple of weeks. Make sure to wipe down counter tops, floors, and any other surface that has been touched by the sick person using a diluted bleach solution. Also, make sure the dishwasher is clean so you don’t spread germs around the kitchen. If you have kids, you’ll also want to disinfect the kids’ play areas and toys that have been touched by the sick person. You can use the same cleaning solution on all of these surfaces. While this isn’t as thorough as a complete deep-cleaning, it’s important to keep everything clean to help prevent spreading germs.
Change the Bed Sheets And Blankets
If your kid has been sick and you’re not sure how contagious they are, you might consider changing their bed sheets and blankets if they’ve been used. A good rule of thumb is to change everything that can come into contact with their saliva or mucus. If their sheets and blankets have been on the floor, you can put them in a hot water wash cycle, or put them in a hot dryer cycle. They can also be placed in a dryer and then left in the garage to air dry if you don’t want to wash them.
Get a Good Purifier Or Air Quality Monitor
You can’t always see if there are germs in the air, but a good air purifier or air quality monitor can tell you if there are. You can use an air purifier to clean the air in your house, removing odors and allergens while also killing germs. An air quality monitor will let you know if the air in your house has a higher level of bacteria in it, helping you know when to clean the house more thoroughly. An air quality monitor is a good investment if you want to keep your family healthy, or if you want to make sure your kids are not getting sick when they’re in daycare or school. They’re a good way to make sure germs stay away from everyone.
Conclusion
Kids are exposed to lots of germs, especially when they are around other children. When your kids are sick, it’s important to keep them away from others to make sure they don’t spread their germs. This includes other kids in the house and kids at school. You can also keep your house clean when your kids are sick so germs don’t spread as easily. This can be done by washing sheets and blankets, changing the bedding, cleaning the surfaces in the house with a diluted bleach solution, and getting a good air purifier or air quality monitor to help prevent germs from spreading.