How to Disinfect Your Home After a Cold or Flu

If someone in your household has just recovered from a cold, flu or another virus, you’re probably eager to reset your house with a thorough cleaning. That can be a big task, so where should you start? You’ll want to focus on the rooms your sick housemate visited and disinfect surfaces and objects they may have touched. The flu virus can survive up to 48 hours on some surfaces!¹

It’s important to open any available windows, use fans to increase airflow when using cleaning solutions, and always follow the instructions on the labels. For extra protection against viruses, you can wear gloves and a mask when disinfecting.

Gather any stray dishes and get them into the sink or dishwasher. After washing, you can sanitize them with a diluted bleach solution. You can determine how much bleach you’ll need to make your sanitizing solution here. Then drain and air dry.

Bag up all dirty clothing, linens and bedding and wash as directed. You can also sanitize clothes, towels and bedsheets using detergent and Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach.

Doorknobs, window latches, light switches, tabletops, countertops, bathroom sinks, the kitchen sink, toilets and faucet handles are all notoriously germy. Give them all a good once-over with Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes as directed, and learn more about disinfecting high-touch surfaces.

You can disinfect bathroom surfaces like counters, faucets and the toilet using Clorox® Clean-Up® Cleaner + Bleach as directed. You can also make your own solution by mixing 1/3 cup of Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach and 1 gallon of water. Get the full rundown here.

To disinfect high-touch surfaces in your kitchen like counters and tabletops, spray cabinets and appliances with Clorox® Disinfectng All Purpose Cleaner as directed. All the product to stand for 10 minutes before rinsing or wiping.

Using Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, wipe down any hard, nonporous surfaces that may have been touched, including mirrors, drawers, bed frames and end tables.

Some items can be trickier to clean, including upholstered furniture. Now you can sanitize your sofa and other hard-to-clean fabrics with Clorox® Disinfecting Mist. Just spray, leave the surface visibly wet for 5 minutes and let air dry.

Disinfect hard, nonporous surfaces in your car with Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, including cup holders, steering wheel, door handles, seat buckles and radio knobs as permitted by the manufacturer’s instructions. Always follow manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and disinfecting of electronics.