Home Treatment Era with 1.7 Million Patients... How to Disinfect Your Home After Isolation Ends?

The Principle of Wiping with Diluted Disinfectant Solution... Ventilation and Mask Wearing Required Before Disinfection

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] As the isolation and treatment of COVID-19 confirmed cases have shifted to home care management, the number of home-treated patients nationwide has reached 1.7 million. As of midnight on the 2nd, there are 1,687,714 home-treated patients nationwide. When confirmed cases were isolated in living treatment centers, public health centers transported the confirmed patients and even took charge of disinfecting the households. However, now that home treatment has become routine, more people are disinfecting their homes themselves after the isolation period ends.

Before disinfecting the house, it is essential to create an environment where windows can be opened for ventilation. Wearing health masks and gloves is also mandatory. During cleaning, you must not touch your face, including eyes, nose, and mouth.

The recommended disinfection method is "wiping down." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that disinfection methods using ultrasound or high-intensity UV irradiation have not been proven effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19. The Ministry of Health and Welfare also advises preparing disinfectants made according to the manufacturer's instructions or household bleach solutions diluted to 1000 ppm sodium hypochlorite for disinfection.

Once the disinfectant is prepared, first clean the floors of the disinfection area. Then, wipe frequently touched areas such as bathrooms, doorknobs, armrests, desks, chairs, keyboards, mice, switches, blinds, and windows with a cloth soaked in the disinfectant.

Bedding such as bed sheets, pillow covers, and blankets should be washed using detergent or disinfectant. When washing with hot water, use regular detergent and wash at 70°C or higher for at least 25 minutes. When washing at temperatures below 70°C, select detergents or disinfectants suitable for low-temperature washing. Laundry disinfectants approved by the Ministry of Environment contain sodium hypochlorite, ethanol, etc., which may produce harmful gases or damage fabrics when washed at high temperatures. When using these, follow the manufacturer's instructions and wash at temperatures below 60°C.

After washing, the laundry must be completely dried. If a dryer is available, drying at 80°C for 2 hours is recommended.

Meanwhile, the CDC recommends disinfecting within 24 hours after COVID-19 recovery (symptoms disappear). If you need to use spaces used by confirmed patients within 24 hours to 3 days after recovery, cleaning without disinfection is sufficient. According to the CDC, after 3 days post-recovery, there is no need for additional disinfection or cleaning beyond routine and regular cleaning.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.