Every moment since the beginning of March, we have heard about COVID-19. The symptoms that can range from a sudden loss of taste to running high fevers raise more than panic in our heads. But often, what to do if you contract COVID-19 can get mixed up in the flood of information we receive every day. Disinfecting your Tampa apartment, contact tracing, and keeping overall good morale during a tough time are among the first things to do. Below is a quick guide on how to disinfect your Tampa apartment correctly.
Disinfecting your Tampa apartment:
While person-to-person transmissions are more likely than surface-to-person, it is still vital that you sanitize your apartment thoroughly. Make an effort to keep kitchen counters, doorknobs, bathroom faucets, and even remote controls free of pathogens. This coronavirus is a disinfecting and cleaning guide from Wired shares how to disinfect your home correctly. You should first strip the surface of any dust with a regular cleaning spray and a microfiber towel. After you do so, spray the disinfectant and let sit. Cleaning surfaces are especially crucial as COVID-19 can stay on stainless steel, cardboard, and plastic for at least 24 hours.
Disinfecting your clothes
While a mask and gloves protect your face and hands from encountering coronavirus, your clothes are still vulnerable to having pathogens. Washers and dryers do an excellent job at cleansing your clothes well enough, but its recommended to wash them at a slightly hotter temperature to disinfect. Be sure to clean any backpacks, purses, or bags that went out with you as they can harbor bacteria on their surfaces.
Disinfecting your phone
Sanitizing your phone is often an overlooked step because we don't consider how dependable we are on our devices. They go out with us and are always being touched by our fingers and surfaces. The CDC recommends disinfecting your phone and phone case at least once a day with an alcohol wipe or disinfecting wipe. These cleaning guidelines should also be applied to game controllers, Tv remotes, and gamepads as well.
If you should be placed under quarantine due to doctors' orders from illness or exposure, voluntary it is essential you monitor your health. Whether you spend your 14-day quarantine disinfecting every corner of your Tampa apartment or keep yourself busy watching movies in your bedroom, make an effort to do the following. If you live with roommates, let them know as soon as possible so they can begin contact tracing anyone who they have exposed to the virus. Additionally, if your leasing office oversees your mail and packages, let them know you have COVID-19, so they can take any necessary measures in delivering your mail. It can be concerning once you have tested positive for COVID-19, but there is plenty of information and resources available to help navigate you during this time. Remember to practice social distancing when leaving your house, wash your hands, and wear a mask to prevent the spread of the virus. For more information on what to do if you have COVID-19, Wired has an article with additional steps linked here.