It’s become risky to do anything public nowadays. You can’t go outside without a mask, and you have to disinfect your hands before you touch anything. When you think about moving, you become stressed because your belongings will be exposed to movers and the environment. If you want to stay safe during the move, use the following tips.
- Buy the Cleaning Supplies
Before you begin packing, you have to clean your things to stop the spread of COVID-19. Buy the recommended disinfectants to clean your surfaces. Check on the label to see if the disinfectant has what it takes to kill COVID-19 budding off on surfaces. Alternatively, you can create the disinfectant at home if you have diluted bleach or alcohol. Other things that you’ll need for the disinfecting are gloves, a mask, cleaning towel, and a hand sanitizer. These essentials will protect you as you clean your stuff and home.
- Start with the High-Contact Areas
Start by cleaning and wiping surfaces that you touch a lot. Examples include your furniture, remote control, door and window knobs, cabinet handles and doors, keyboards, refrigerator handle, gas knobs, house keys, window surfaces, touch screens, and any other surface that you’re fond of. If you’ll throw away some things before you move, you should disinfect the bins. After you’ve finished packing and closed the boxes, disinfect the surfaces. Then, wash your hands according to WHO guidelines before taking your rest.
- Make it Easy to Access Rooms
If you want to limit the spread of COVID-19, leave all doors in the house open to avoid touching the surface all the time. It will make work easier for you because you won’t have to clean the knobs every time. Another disinfecting tip is to keep hand sanitizers outside every door. That way, you remember to sanitize before going into a room and touching things. You should also open the doors for movers when they come for your stuff. That’s how you stop them from touching everywhere.
- State your Intentions
During these serious times, you should know what you want from service providers. Since you want to keep your things and home safe from COVID-19, you should ask the moving company to take additional precautions. Let them know that if you’re going to pay for their services, they have to show up at your place with full protective gear. They should wear both masks and gloves and avoid crowding in one room. They should also agree to disinfect the moving track because you don’t want your things to be infected.
- Clean your New Home
You should delay the move until you have thoroughly cleaned your new home. Ask the landlord to give you the keys so that you can access the house before you move in. Start by wiping the dust off exposed surfaces. Clean the windows and door knobs. Deep clean the kitchen and bathroom. You should also mop the floors with disinfectants and remove dirt from inside the cabinets and drawers. If you’re doing the cleaning alone, it will take 3 days to complete. Remember to disinfect all surfaces after dusting and wiping.
- Clean the Cardboards
Before you unpack the boxes in your new home, disinfect their surfaces and wash your hands. It’s highly likely that you touched other surfaces during the move. Although the movers are under strict instructions to maintain the highest levels of cleanliness, you shouldn’t take chances. After they leave, disinfect the surfaces and the cardboards. When you’re done unpacking, fold the boxes and keep them in the garage where no one can access them. That’s because COVID-19 can stay on cardboard surfaces for a long time. To keep your new home infection-free, disinfect your home regularly.
Things are not the way they used to be. We live in a different world. One that stresses the importance of good hygiene. COVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory disease that can be spread through touching and sneezing or coughing. If the disease enters your body, it can be fatal. Therefore, it’s best to protect yourself. Use the above tips to remain safe as you move from your old home to a better neighborhood.
