Essential Items You Need to Create a Handy Cleaning Basket

With the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), you've probably been reaching for your disinfectants a lot more than usual. After all, as the World Health Organization (WHO) notes, "the COVID-19 virus can survive for up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel, less than 4 hours on copper and less than 24 hours on cardboard." That said, now's a good time to start setting up a cleaning basket. Aside from keeping your supplies neat and organized, it keeps everything within reach, making it easier for you to disinfect various parts of your home. 

To get you started, here are a couple of essentials you'll need to clean and disinfect your home: 

1. Dishwashing liquid 

Mix a few drops of dishwashing liquid with eight ounces of water to create a soapy solution, and use it to wipe down frequently touched hard surfaces like tables, doorknobs, desks, etc. at least once a week.

2. 70% Isopropyl Alcohol 

For quick cleaning, dampen a cloth with alcohol and use it to wipe down the following highly-touched items: 

• Keys
• Phone 
• Credit cards
• Remote controls
• Keyboards
• Shoes (As the Department of Health (DOH) advises, spray the soles of your shoes with alcohol after a grocery run.)

3. Household disinfectant  

According to the CDC, you can use a household disinfectant (spray or wipe) or a diluted bleach solution (if appropriate for the surface) to kill off germs on surfaces after cleaning. To make a bleach solution, simply mix five tablespoons (1/3 cup) bleach per gallon of water or four teaspoons bleach per quart of water.

4. Microfiber cloth  

Microfiber cloths attract and hold dust well, and they don't leave behind scratches, making them ideal for wiping over surfaces.  

Bonus: Plastic tray and rag 

As mentioned earlier, another item you should disinfect is the pair of shoes that you wear during grocery runs. According to The Medical City, footwear could be a possible virus carrier, as "it has been discovered that the coronavirus is able to surive on shoe surfaces for up to nine hours."

Aside from spraying the soles of your footwear with alcohol, you can use a foot bath to disinfect them. “We have a plastic tray, and then we put a rag there," cleaning service Ninja Made PH founder and owner, Ace Lara, tells Real Living during a Facebook Live interview.  She adds, "We soak it with a solution of bleach and water. We just step on it for a while. You have to make sure that your soles are wet for the solution to really work. " To make a foot bath, the cleaning expert recommends mixing one part bleach with three parts water. (Watch our full interview with Ace here!)