How to Prevent Illness and Winter Infections {printable}

Here is a free printable cleaning checklist on how to eliminate germs and bacteria on surfaces as well as how to clean the indoor air pollution that builds up during the winter months. These simple steps will help prevent illness and sinus infections as well as dramatically improve the air quality in your home!

Simply hang it on the inside of your medicine cabinet for a quick resource at your fingertips!

 Print Free File:
Winter Guide to Clean In-Door Air {printable} (2592 downloads )

How To Prevent Illness

This winter has been a doozie hasn’t it? Everyone I know has been sick and everyone I know is starting to get cabin fever. I’ve taken matters into my own hands and researched how air quality is linked to illnesses and uncomfortable physical symptoms in order to try to eliminate them!

Increase Your Indoor Air Quality!

Did you know that “Poor indoor air quality can cause a range of physical and psychological symptoms?”   Those headaches, itchy eyes nose and throat and respiratory issues can be linked to poor air quality!

In order to improve the indoor air quality in my home, I came up with a printable checklist to help keep my air clean. Feel free to download the free printable and join me this winter as I clean and use filters to get the air in my home as clean as possible!

1.  Eliminate Germs & Bacteria on Surfaces

• Bleach rinse in washing machine ~ This is something that is so important, and easy. It just takes a little bleach and a reminder!
• Clean your computer ~ Do this on a regular basis. If your fingers are constantly on your key board then it makes sense that you want it as clean as possible!
• Deep dust your furniture and blinds ~ Germs and pathogens can live in dust so you want to try to eliminate as much of the dust from your home as you can.
• Don’t forget to vacuum inside your couch and dust ceiling fans.
• Cobwebs? Catch ’em!
• Window seals? Wipe ’em down!
• Deep clean floors.
  • Sweep and mop laminate or wood floors at least once a week.
  • Steam clean carpets every 6 months to a year.
• Wash mattress covers in a hot wash cycle. {you want a bacteria-killing temperature}
• Disinfect all door knobs in the house ~ If you have kids, this is a great job for them. Give them some antibacterial wipes and have them do this once a week!

2. Clean Indoor Air Pollution

Here’s a list of filters and annual inspections to help keep your indoor air clean:

• Change your furnace filters every 3 months.
• Change air filters in your air conditioner quarterly.
• Clean the air with air purifiers ~ Oreck sells room purifiers that eliminate pollen, dust, pet dander, smoke and other odors.
• Make sure the HEPA filter in your vacuum is in good condition.
• Inspect exterior doors and windows for crevice cracks leaky seals.
• Inspect fireplace damper for proper closing and opening and screen the top of chimney to keep out pests.

According to the EPA, the air inside your home may be up to 5 times more polluted than the air outside. Ack! No wonder so many people get sick during the winter when everyone is cooped up inside. Filters go a long was in eliminating indoor pollution and bacteria.

Everyone has heard of HEPA filters, but do you know how they work or why they are important? {I didn’t}. HEPA filters {at least the ones in Oreck filters} capture 99.97% of dust, allergens, smoke, pet dander and pollen particles as small as .3 microns from the air that passes through its filter. That means that all those yucky pollutants get captured by the filter in the room instead of your lungs.

I hope that you find this printable helpful. This winter especially as it seems like everyone is getting sick, I wanted to do all that I can to keep my family healthy. If doing a little cleaning and filter maintenance is something easy that I can do to clean my air, I’m all for it. I thought that if this was on my mind, it might be on yours too! {wink}.

And, I’m totally hooking a Tip Junkie reader up with a free $500 Air Purifier by Oreck. It’s called the Oreck AirInstinct 200 and you can turn it on and walk away. It’s got the smart technology we all love!

**Oreck Corporation provided the prize for the sweepstakes as well as a product for review, but is not the sponsor of the sweepstakes.