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Step 1
Wash your hands regularly--after using the restroom, before and after preparing food, before and after eating and whenever you come in from the outside. Have all family members follow the same practice.
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Step 2
Disinfect everything that gets touched regularly. Frequently clean telephones, light switches, doorknobs, cabinet handles, computer keyboards and kitchen surfaces. Keep kitchen and bathrooms clean and dry--a clean up after each use is ideal.
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Step 3
Avoid germ mingling. Keep each family member's toothbrush in a separate spot rather than letting them all sit together, swapping germs, in one toothbrush rack in the bathroom. Use disposable guest napkins in the bathrooms instead of hand towels--or at the very least, change hand towels often. Serve food on separate plates instead of family-style dinners where everyone grabs from one big serving plate.
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Step 4
Go barefoot or in socks at home and ask guests to remove their shoes at your doorway, also. Shoes bring in all of the germs from the outside into your home, so taking them off is a great way to reduce germs.
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Step 5
Clean your cleaning equipment--especially your vacuum. Otherwise you'll be spreading around those same germs you vacuumed the last time you cleaned. The same rule applies to the most basic source of cleaning--the water source, otherwise known as your sink faucet. Once a week, reduce grime and germs with disinfectant.
