First let me give you some basic tips that I am using at this moment around my home. My Lilly is sick (that's my 16 yr. old) and the only way I can keep my family and myself from not catching the bug that has her down real good (as I tell her) is by using this homemade solution:
You can re-use an old spray bottle that you have washed and cleaned
2 TBS of bleach
1 Quart of cool water
Cleaning rag
Mix well and pour into bottle. The diluted bleach loses strength within a day, so make it fresh when you need it.
Now I am ready with my rag and solution on hand to wipe all of my door knobs, toilet seats, spray utensils (if they are not going into the dishwasher, which they should) remote controls, game controls, etc. Anything she may possibly come in contact with will be wiped with this solution.
Yes we may still get sick, but this works almost every time with us. I have Fybromyalgia and I can't get sick, it's just not a good thing for me! We all try as much as we can to keep bugs away from me, this has worked, try it!
Before I give you the recipes I must give you the 411 of Clean vs Disinfected. Many times we walk into a home and everything looks nice and "clean". To clean means to remove dirt from the surface and floors such as crumbs and food etc. But do we ever stop to think "I wonder if this house is "disinfected?" NO! Of course we don't (at least I don't!) Disinfected means to remove microorganisms (germs) in other words, viruses and bacteria to a safe level. It also means to sanitize to help prevent disease transmission. If a home is not properly sanitized and cleaned it may be the reason why some of our kids end up sick after we visit with some friends that have the perfect "clean" house.
Don't you find yourself saying, "I just don't know how Tommy got sick? The only place we went this weekend was with the Johnson's. They have such a clean home! Yes, I know little Mikey was sick last week, but he was over his cold. Mary said it was perfectly safe to come over their home."
According to the Federal Center for Disease Control, viruses and bacteria can last as long as 7 days. It's important to clean and disinfect A WEEK AFTER onset even if symptoms are lessen.
Did you know that a sanitizer must be capable of killing 99.999% of a specific bacterial test population and to do so within 30 seconds?!
Let's look at the best ways to disinfect your home:
- BLEACH this is the most effective and cheapest way to sanitize your home. My friend Trudy from Kansas has 7 kiddos and the only way she knows how to prevent from all of them getting sick at once is cleaning her home and toys with a spray bottle with water and bleach.
- LYSOL laboratory tests have shown that many lysol products, when used according to label instructions are effective against similar strains of Influenza virus H1N1.
DIAPER WIPES
2 TBS Baby OIL
2 TBS Baby Bath
2 1/4 Cups Hot Water (Use Filtered or Distilled Water)
FACE/HAND WIPES
2 TBS Baby Bath
2 Cups Hot Water
BUG WIPES
1 Cup Avon Skin-So-Soft
1 Cup Hot Water
BATHROOM WIPES/CLEANING WIPES
1 Cup Pine Cleaner(I will use LYSOL)
1 Cup Hot Water
WINDOW CLEANER
1 1/2 Cups Glass Cleaner
1/2 Cup Water
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut a roll of Bounty paper towels or the Costco brand in half. Gently remove the cardboard tube from the middle and place 1/2 of the roll end up in a container with a lid. Heat the water, then add the appropriate ingredients and mix well. Slowly pour the liquid over the paper towels in the container. Let sit overnight and then they are ready to use. You will pull out the first wipe from the center of the tube and tear off at the perforation. I like the Costco brand because they have the select a size and I get more for my bucks! I will also be using an old Lysol wipes container I saved and put the paper towels in there.
TIPS:
Use Bounty paper towels if possible. Look for when they go on sale and stock up. They are much stronger and you can "trust" them to hold up on those messy diapers. :) I've been told that the Costco brand is just as good :) You decide!
Use a sharp knife or electric knife to cut the paper towels, whichever is easier. It tends to be a little tricky cutting them in half. Use a straight edge knife! You don't want a serrated knife and rip up the edges more than they will be already. While you are cutting, cut quite a few rolls so you have several on hand when you need to make more wipes they are ready to go!
To make Baby wipes tranportable, use one of the travel containers you get with the store-bought wipes. Tear one wipe at a time, fold in in 4ths and put it in the container (as many as will fit into the container) to be put in the diaper bag. Sometimes the wipes can be extra moist, causing some liquid to leak from the container. Put the wipes in a ziplock bag first.
Note: On the Baby wipes, I would use the Select a Size fold and put on a Ziplock bag. Much easier than what is telling us here. :)
These hints come from Sheri Graham at Graham Family Ministries given to me by my friend Kathy Fanning.
Now a household Tip from my friend Paula Smith:
Household Tip: Did you know if you have a Vinyl Shower liner, you can throw it in the washing machine with a few towels and it will come out brand new? So when you start to see build up of soap scum and mildew just throw it in your washing machine with a few towels and you have a new liner! It's nice not having to keep replacing them :)
I LOVE this post!! I have fibromyalgia also so I can absolutely relate. Especially if there is a storm a brewing. thanks for sharing!!--connie, measuredbytheheart.com
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