How do I disinfect my house after someone has the flu?

After someone in the house has had the flu, clean and then disinfect the surfaces people touch most, use a registered disinfectant exactly as its label says, let in fresh air, and wash the sick person's bedding and towels. Then keep up the high-touch surfaces every day until five days after the sick person is back to normal activities. Most of the work is in the order: clean, then disinfect, then leave the product wet for its full contact time.

How flu gets around a house

Flu spreads through the small droplets a sick person makes by coughing, sneezing or talking.^[1] Catching it from a surface is less common: someone touches an object with the virus on it, then their own mouth, nose or eyes.^[1] So disinfecting the house is worth doing, but it works alongside hand washing, covering coughs and fresh air, not instead of them.

Timing matters too. A person with flu is most contagious during the first three to four days of being ill,^[1] and some keep spreading the virus for as long as five to seven days after falling sick, and young children and some people with weakened immune systems can stay contagious longer.^[1] For the five days after a sick person goes back to normal activities, the Virginia Department of Health's added precautions include cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces every day.^[2]

Pick a product that actually disinfects

Sanitizers and disinfectants are not the same thing. A sanitizer is made to kill bacteria, not viruses,^[5] while a disinfectant kills both.^[5] Flu is a virus, so you want a disinfectant. EPA registers both sanitizers and disinfectants as antimicrobial pesticides,^[5] which is why a real disinfectant carries a registration number.

When you pick a product, find its EPA registration number,^[4] read which surfaces it is for, and check that it works against the germs you want to kill.^[3] The chemicals most often used in household disinfectants include bleach (sodium hypochlorite), quaternary ammonium, hydrogen peroxide, and alcohol solutions of at least 70% alcohol.^[3] EPA does not review whether everyday ingredients such as vinegar or rubbing alcohol kill germs,^[7] so save vinegar for ordinary cleaning.

Where to focus

You do not need to disinfect every wall and floor. Spend your effort on what hands touch:

• Door handles, especially the sick room, bathroom and front door
• Light switches and thermostat buttons
• Faucet handles, the toilet handle, the toilet seat and the sink edge
• Fridge, microwave and cabinet handles
• Remotes, phones, tablets, keyboards and game controllers
• Kitchen counters, the dining table and the bedside table
• Stair rails and anything else the sick person handled often

Hard, non-porous surfaces take disinfectant well. Soft things such as bedding, towels, throw blankets and stuffed toys are better washed.

How to do it so it works

Clean first. Wash dirty surfaces with soap or detergent and water, then rinse them.^[3] Pre-clean with soap and water whenever the label calls for it or the surface looks dirty.^[4]

Keep it wet for the contact time. Spread the disinfectant evenly and leave it for the time on the label, with no rinsing or wiping dry in between.^[3] The surface needs to stay wet for that whole time.^[4] On a large surface one wipe may dry out before the contact time is up, so use another.^[3] Some labels call for a water rinse on food-contact surfaces after disinfecting,^[3] so check before you wipe down the counters or cutting boards.

One product at a time. Mixing chemicals, such as bleach and ammonia, does not make a stronger cleaner and can cause serious harm.^[3] Combine products only when a label tells you to.^[8] If you think a child or pet has got into a product, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.^[3]

Mind the lungs. Ventilate as you go: opening a window for fresh air is one of the steps the Virginia Department of Health lists for cleaner air.^[1] If anyone in the house has asthma, wipes or dampened towels put far less product into the air you breathe than sprays do.^[6]

Keep kids out of it. Children should not be the ones applying disinfectants, wipes included.^[8] Store the products with the lids closed and out of children's reach.^[4]

Wash your hands. Wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and when there is no water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.^[1]

Laundry, dishes and the sick room

Wash the sick person's sheets, pillowcases and towels with your usual detergent and dry them completely. Carry the laundry basket rather than hugging dirty linens, and wash your hands afterwards. Run their dishes and cups through the dishwasher, or wash them in hot soapy water. Empty the tissue bin in the sick room every day. When the person is well, strip the bed and wash the bedding one more time.

Stop and call a pro if

• No one in the house is well enough to clean, or the person who would do it is at high risk from flu or from disinfectant fumes.
• The illness left vomit, diarrhea or blood on carpet, upholstery or a mattress that you cannot clean safely. That is a job for a cleaning company with the right products, and heavy contamination is biohazard cleanup.
• You find mold, a musty smell or water damage while cleaning; that needs the moisture fixed, not more disinfectant.

This page is about the house, not the patient. If the sick person gets worse, seek medical care right away for an emergency warning sign such as trouble breathing or chest pain.^[2]

Getting help

For a sense of how often to keep it up once everyone is well, see how often to disinfect high-touch surfaces, and for when a service is worth paying for, see when you need a professional disinfecting service. You can browse disinfecting and sanitizing businesses, look up cleaning services around Blacksburg, or read more cleaning answers. To get quotes, describe the job on Loclis.