Unless you have self-closing doors at home (usually, not the case), doors and door knobs need frequent disinfecting. Viruses like Covid-19 can be easily spread by touching a door knob after an infected person has done so, if he or she did not disinfect after coughing or sneezing into their hands, for instance.

What to do: First, wipe away any grease or grime from handles with soapy water, then rinse and dry. Kill bacteria and virus germs with a disinfectant spray such as the Lysol Disinfectant Spray, $7.80 or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, $4.30.

You and everyone else touch light switches multiple times a day, turning the lights on and off, so don’t forget to clean these high-traffic spaces often.

What to do: Firstly, use a damp cloth to clean off dust and grime. Be careful not to let any liquid seep behind the switch. After that, with a disinfecting wipe, swab all sides of the switch. Be careful to not let any liquid get inside. Allow it to air dry.

Laptops, computers, mice and keyboards breed microbes due to the amount of time we spend on them – close to eight hours a day. We even eat and drink where our laptops and computers are. And if you share electronic devices with family members, it’s best to give it a proper wipe-down after every use.

Disinfecting your mouse or keyboard

According to Microsoft, you can use an isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution to safely clean Microsoft mice and keyboards. Apply an isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution that’s 70 per cent or less to a soft, lint-free cloth to clean the device.

Disinfecting your keyboard

1. Hold the keyboard upside down and tap it gently to remove loose dirt and other debris.
2. Alternatively, gently vacuum the top of your keyboard with a USB Vacuum Cleaner.
3. Lightly dampen a cloth or cotton swab with mild soap and water and gently wipe the surface of the keyboard and keys.

Take note that while you are cleaning your work equipment, it is important to be careful not to drip any water into your laptop, mouse or keyboard and always disconnect the device (or remove the batteries if you have a wireless device) before you clean it.

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We clean table surfaces often but it doesn’t occur to us as frequently to clean our chairs as well. In fact, our bottoms have come into contact with multiple surfaces at home, including the sofa, the bed and the dining room chair and germs just get transported from one surface to another.

What to do: Mix about 15 to 30 ml of mild dish detergent into a small bucket of warm water. Then, dip a cloth in the soapy water and wring it out so that the cloth is slightly damp. Next, wipe down the surfaces of your tables and chairs and leave them to air-dry.

Everyone has that favourite mug they use for just about every beverage, but many times we share cups and mugs with everyone else at home. And the truth is, they rarely get a good wash. We scrub them with sponges and brushes that have been used for everything, and this breeds bacteria. On a side note, do make sure you replace your dish-washing sponges or brushes regularly as they harbour colonies of bacteria.

What to do: To deep clean your mugs, first fill them with hot water and put a teaspoon of baking soda in them, letting them sit overnight. And then, finally wash them in hot water.

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Yes, we use disinfectant sprays and solutions to help us combat bacteria and germs, but more often than not, the surfaces of disinfectant sprays have been touched by dirty hands. Again, we don’t think of cleaning the bodies of these germ-busting helpers that we’ve been using to disinfect our homes.

What to do: Mix about 15 to 30 ml of mild dish detergent into a small bucket of warm water. Then, dip a cloth in the soapy water and wring it out so that the cloth is slightly damp. Wipe the body of the disinfectant spray or solution bottle.

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Taps are another high-traffic area that are almost, always not cleaned often enough. You know how you are not able to wash your hands unless you turn on the tap? It’s not surprising that taps harbour germs more than other surfaces in the house.

What to do: Mix half vinegar and half water in a spray bottle, and use it regularly on tiles, basins and taps to keep germs at bay.

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Bacteria thrive in cold temperatures and the inside of a fridge provides the ideal environment for them to grow. Raw food, unwashed vegetables and even spoiled food (it happens, once in a while) are kept in refrigerators. You introduce new microbes into the fridge every time you bring in new groceries.

There’s little wonder, then, that fridges are cesspools of bacteria and they are not cleaned often. The fridge handle is also a high-touch surface as we are always opening the fridge to grab snacks and drinks especially when we are staying at home due to the ‘circuit breaker’ measures.

What to do: With the same solution of vinegar and water, spray the inside of the fridge and let it soak in. Wash the removed shelves and drawers with warm soapy water and set them aside to dry. Wipe the inside of the fridge. Also, wipe down the fridge handle with soap water as well.

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Toilet seats can get dirtied by urine causing yellow stains and an unpleasant smell over time. We also sit on them for 15-30 minutes to take a dump. However, the throne is actually quite clean relative to most things (since we do remember to clean them), but most of us are staying at home and using the toilet more frequently. Therefore, we should clean them more frequently too.

Wipe down the lid, seat, and hinges at the back of the toilet seat.

What to do: Use disinfecting wipes to wipe down the surface of the toilet seat, underneath the toilet seat and the hinges. Some people tend to use chlorine bleach because it’s a strong disinfectant but it can be dangerous if it gets in contact with skin. Disinfecting wipes are your safer bet.

Most of us are glued to our smartphones in the day — and many continue to do so at night. We should all be cleaning our smartphones at least twice a day, with the amount of time we spend with them. Tiny droplets from coughing and sneezing can carry the Covid-19 virus and may land on our phone screens.

What to do: When cleaning your electronic device, use disinfectant wipes to clean your phone screen. Using straight alcohol is a no-no as it can damage the display and other ports. Don’t forget to clean the phone case too with the wipes. Let everything air dry before you pop your case back on.

Overall, if no one in the house is sick, don’t panic more than you should. Instead, keep a cleaning schedule and train yourself to clean surfaces after use. It is ideal to clean, sanitise, and disinfect highly-touched surfaces once a day, but if it’s too much effort, do your best to clean every other day. If someone in your house is ill, it’s better to keep them isolated and to clean surfaces and surroundings at least once a day.

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Text: Sheila Chiang