With COVID-19, flu and RSV viruses running rampant this #winter, the goal for #cleaning is to combat germs, says Care.com — meaning what you really want to do is #sanitize and #disinfect to prevent the spread of disease. Address the high-touch areas of your home such as door handles, faucets, window sills, phones, toothbrushes and remote controls. Clean these items two or three times per week with disinfectant, paying special attention to bathroom sinks and toilets. “And don’t forget the light switches, towel racks, and any other handles or knobs,” says cleaning expert Bailey Carson. #WinterCleaning
Tag: coronavirus
Now’s a Great Time for a Garage Sale
With the summer nearly over and the leaves starting to turn, you might think that it’s too late to have a #garage, #yard or #tag sale. But late summer and early fall are great times to weed though your old stuff and sell some of it.
First of all, the #weather is favorable – not too hot and not too cold. This is the time of year that people in cooler regions try to take advantage of the great outdoors before it’s too late, and people in hotter regions venture out of their air-conditioned living rooms.
Offer people something to do while they’re out enjoying the weather, and they will come. What’s more, you won’t have the competition you would for a big summer sale. More people are in town — not visiting relatives, at vacation rentals or at summer camps.
Furthermore, this is a fantastic time to go through your extra #stuff and #declutter. If you have children, you can take all of those outgrown school clothes and resell them. You can also get rid of any outdoor games or summer sporting goods that didn’t get used.
Offer a warm beverage such as coffee, cocoa or cider to entice passersby to your sale, Bob Vila suggests: “You might rope in some hesitant shoppers and maybe even meet a few new neighbors.”
Stage a #sale now, and you’ll make money to use during the #holidays. #Thanksgiving and #Christmas will be here before you know it, and you can put a dent in the cost of hosting and giving long before the twinkly lights go up.
If you have extra #holiday tchotchkes to sell, now is the time; you’ll be helping other households get a jump on the season, even as you increase your home’s usable storage and living space.
Observe and post any precautions against the #coronavirus you’ll ask patrons to take at your sale. You may wish to provide disposable masks and hand sanitizer to any browsers who didn’t come prepared.
Finally, be sure to schedule a ClothingDonations.org pickup for the days following your garage sale. You’ve decided to get rid of that stuff, and stuff that goes unsold that you continue to store inside your house or garage is still #clutter.
Fall is not only a beautiful season; it’s also a great time to get things done. Have a garage sale while you still can! You and your neighbors will be happy you did.
Building the Back-to-School Spirit Amid Uncertainty
This year’s back-to-school to-do lists likely include more than equipping the kids with new clothes, crayons and backpacks. #COVID-19 — and in particular, its highly contagious #Delta variant — has brought new uncertainties to reentry.
Parents must navigate mask mandates and consider the level of risk their children face in returning to in-person classes. One vaccine is approved for use in children 12 and up in the U.S., and availability may expand to all school-aged children in the next few months.
Until the #coronavirus is conquered, it may be difficult for parents and students alike to be enthused or unworried about the start of school. But there are some strategies you can follow to ease kids back into the swing.
The New York Times suggests returning to a regular school-year routine that includes regular bed and wakeup times, as well as consistent mealtimes. For grade-schoolers, a ban on screens starting an hour prior to bedtime can help establish a rhythm.
Outings such as hikes and picnics can help everyone cope with the transition back to in-person activity after a year-and-a-half of restrictions. Decide how much risk is acceptable when it comes to kids’ participation in sports and other activities, especially those held indoors.
Families may want kids to avoid “high-breath” activities held in close quarters such as choir, band or wrestling, for example. Follow the recommended safety precautions and try to emphasize what kids can do as they return to classrooms, CNN says — not what they can’t.
Students may not need as many new clothes if some of their classes are held remotely, but they may need new laptops and tablets to pursue their virtual lessons effectively. Shop retailers’ many back-to-school sales for the best deals.
Anything that won’t get used this year — stuff such as too-small clothing, last-generation phones and laptops, and equipment for the sport no one in the family plays — can be donated to ClothingDonations.org.
Sort out all of that that extra stuff, put it in bags and boxes, and leave in a designated location on the scheduled day for #contactless #pickup. You’ll be glad you have the room for all of the new stuff that every new school year seems to bring in.
Follow CDC Guidelines to Keep Your Office Safe
Offices and schools should to revisit CDC guidelines as they attempt to reopen during the #Delta variant’s “fourth wave” of coronavirus infections. Depending on the office layout, transparent shields, physical barriers, and signs or tape markers may be necessary to keep employees apart. “High-touch” communal items such as coffee pots and bulk snacks should be replaced with single-serve alternatives. Offices should consider upgrading their #ventilation systems and enhancing #cleaning protocols to keep workers safe, in addition to keeping facemasks, wipes and #sanitizers stocked and ready for use.
Keep Papers in Check to Cut Desktop Clutter
Students and office workers alike do the majority of their work on a computer, but papers can stack up nonetheless. Best Life suggests creating a zone on your desk distinct from the computer’s area to keep papers organized and cut down on #clutter. To stay on top of the piles, review papers at the end of each day, deciding what can be scanned, filed and shredded. Then, do a complete desktop #decluttering and #cleaning once a week to “deal with any papers or trash you missed” [and] reorganize office supplies, stray folders and misplaced files.