WE HAD COVID: THIS IS HOW WE DISINFECT OUR HOME NOW
The virus has a way of making anyone paranoid. I can picture our house swarming with cartoon versions of germs hiding in the dark corners, waiting to make us sick again
Disinfecting our house became a big concern after our entire household tested positive for COVID-19. We didn’t do much cleaning when we were sick. The most we did during that period was sweep the floor, wash the dishes and open doors and windows to allow fresh air in.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a detailed list of how to clean and disinfect the house during and after COVID exposure. Noteworthy on the list is that it suggests to wait longer before cleaning an area. It’s because disinfection is no longer needed if the person who was in it is no longer sick for at least 24 hours. On the fourth day, no special care in cleaning is even needed.
But COVID has a way of making anyone paranoid. I could picture our house swarming with cartoon versions of germs hiding in the dark corners, waiting to make us sick again. So while I was taking my bed rest, I turned to my phone to begin an online buying spree.
Air purifiers and UV-C lamps
Firefly air purifiers were my first purchase. I bought one for every room that had a sick person in it. We use it at night when we turn the air conditioning on.
My favorite version was the FYP302 because it has a PM2.5 data which shows air quality. It turns blue when it’s good, yellow when moderate and red when heavily polluted. PM2.5 (or fine particulate matter, like dust, pollen and spores) is an air pollutant that makes people sick.
All the Firefly purifiers we bought have Hepa filters and an ultraviolet C (UV-C) bulb inside as a way of filtration and disinThe UV-C is secured infection. side the purifier, thus users are not exposed to it. But if you still feel uncomfortable about it, you can opt to turn it off.
I also got a hospital-grade lamp from Lasco. The comUV-C pany sells several versions, but I went for the big guns—
60 watts with ozone sterilizer.
The United States’ and Drug AdminFood istration (FDA) says that the lamps are effective in disinfecting air, water and nonporous surfaces, hence they’re called germicidal lamps. The US FDA added that they may also be effective in inactivating the COVID virus. But it has its risks.
Our lamp is thrice the price of a regular UV-C because of its ozone feature. The ozone sterilizer is supposed to reach areas which the UV-C cannot. The ozone is also supposed to remove any bad smell in the room. But inhaling it can also be irritating to the lungs.
This is why we only enter a disinfected room an hour after the light bath. Humans and pets should not be in the same room when it is operating.
We noticed that there is a distinct burnt smell after we use it. However, nothing is burnt or damaged in any of the items in the room. Our lamp has a setting for 15, 30 minutes and 1 hour, which can be adjusted depending on the size of the room.
A remote control is included as a safety feature. It will also beep several times to warn you to leave the room.
The lamp was an impulse buy, given that we have enough windows that allow the sun and air in. It was also rendered useless after the first week of our disinfection. We didn’t have the patience to keep using it—it’s hard having to vacate a room for two hours when there’s nowhere else to go.
It is something good to have for future use, but it is not necessary. In hindsight, I realized that a cheaper version of the lamp would do just fine. Hotel and resort owners can invest in them to disinfect guest rooms after checkout.
Powerful vacuum cleaner
The biggest purchase I made was the Dyson V11 Absolute Plus. The name sounds haughty for a handheld cordless vacuum cleaner but with 125k rpm, Dyson says it is their most powerful yet. I wanted to have a cordless vacuum since I saw Son Ye-jin use an earlier version in a K-drama she starred in.
Ours was shipped from Hong Kong and purchased during the 9.9 sale that gave us a huge discount. There is also a two-year warranty.
V11 came with a stand that also served as its docking port. Everything was easy to assemble that I didn’t have to check the manuals when I put it together. It came with seven suction heads. One has a sensor that detects if you are vacuuming on carpet or hard floors and it adjusts automatically if you set the device on Auto mode.
It has an LCD that allows you to choose from Eco, Auto and Boost for deep cleaning. It also tells you if the filter needs washing. The point-and-shoot system allows you to empty the dirt container directly into the trash can.
But you will need a pair of tongs to get hair and fur out. But what we love about it the most is that it can suck in dog fur and human hair. One of the effects of COVID is hair loss. There was hair everywhere in our house—the strands had taken a life of their own. They escape the classic walis tambo and dustpan all the time. It takes more than three sweeps to get all of them. I swear, I heard angels sing when I used my vacuum on them.
The first thing I noticed is that the device is heavy. But we’ve quickly adjusted to it and learned how to distribute the weight so we won’t be carrying it all the time. One review online said that if you do not like the weight, the cheaper but still powerful V8 would do just as fine.
While the stand can hold the extra three accessories, you have to find a spot for the wall mount to keep the rest of the accessories.
There are also independent vendors that sell another stand for the accessories, but this is another add-on to the cost.
Overall, I think the V11 is worth its price. Especially if it lives up to its expected life span. Some users of Dyson vacuum cleaners say that theirs lasted for seven to eight years before they needed replacement.
Another item used to disinfect which we didn’t buy is the fog disinfectant machine which sells for as low as P2,000. The CDC warns that it has to be applied by a trained professional because of the disinfectants needed to use them properly. This is why if you want to go this route, it’s probably best to check on professional cleaners who offer them.