One Cleaning Solution For The Flu Season

The fall season brings changing leaves and cooler weather.  It’s one of the most enjoyable times of the year.  Even if mother nature is bracing us for the winter season.  The cooler temperatures require packing away summer garments and pulling out cozy winter fashions, sweaters, scarfs, boots and anything soft and furry.  Men wear stylish beards and women search for the perfect fall color pallets.

However, with rapid changes to the climate, it’s not uncommon to walk out the door unprepared.  In the wonderful state of Colorado, we are lucky enough to experience all four seasons in one day.  The sudden temperature drops can wreak havoc on your immune system.  In addition, Colorado is a dry state so if you’re not staying hydrated, your chances of catching a bug may increase.  So today we want to share some helpful tips for preparing yourself for the flu season.  Now is when you want to become infected with the Clean Freak bug.  Its common symptom is compulsive cleaning, which is experienced with your initial exposure to experiencing the cleaning efficacy of Powerizer Complete as a multipurpose cleaner.

Putting on a Suit of Armor

In researching the flu, we've learned it doesn’t just affect humans it can also affect, horses, cats, and dogs.  The next question is how to prevent catching and spreading it to our loved ones.  The number one suggestion came from the Centers for Disease Control which was to get vaccinated.  Now Powerizer isn’t endorsing nor speaking against the flu vaccination. Getting vaccinated is a decision you must make amongst yourselves.  The CDC recommends getting the vaccination before the end of October because it takes two weeks to start working.  Well, obviously that date has come and gone, so, if you missed the recommended vaccination period it’s even more important to take extra precautions to combat the height of the flu season. 

Reducing Exposure to the Flu

The CDC reports the highest number of patients in Colorado that were hospitalized while suffering from flu-like symptoms during last year's 2018-2019 flu season occurred in late December and early March.  One can only wonder if these infections were attributed to increased exposure.  We're out spending time participating in holiday activities and catching up with loved ones. Exposure is as easy as touching the mall escalator after someone touched their nose.  The kids are home from school, one kid gets sick and passes it on to the next person.  Soon the entire family is battling the flu. 

The virus can stay alive for hours so let’s talk about how easy it is to clean surfaces with Powerizer Complete to help keep the flu at bay.

• Wipe down all your countertops regularly and especially after bringing things in from the outside. Make a wash solution using one(1) scoop of Powerizer to one (1) gallon of hot water and wipe down all your surfaces.
• Cleaning your pet areas is also important too. Here is a link to our blog on Cleaning up after your pets.
• With holiday shopping in full bloom. You can be sure to have swiped your card, touched the keypad to finalize payment. As soon as you complete your transaction reach for hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes or just simply carry your own.  For daily upkeep of your vehicle, consider making a Powerizer cleaning solution using a water bottle and one (1) scoop of Powerizer to wipe down surfaces inside your vehicle.  Here are some helpful tips for cleaning the surfaces of your vehicle.    
• Strategically place a concentrated mixture of Powerizer in a squeeze bottle near the most touched and visited areas in your home such as the kitchen and bathroom. Place one (1) bottle under the kitchen sink and then place another underneath the bathroom sink.  Although Powerizer has never been tested as a disinfectant, it does contain Sodium Percarbonate and a supercharged bleach activator mixed together create Peracetic Acid which is known to have disinfectant properties, also known as a supercharged vinegar.  Use a clean Microfiber cloth and Powerizer to wipe surfaces.  The benefits of using our quality Ultra Plush Microfiber Cloth is explained in more detail in a blog found in our cleaning tools blog

We all have heard stories where our parents dropped us off at our cousin’s house and learned cousin Jason had the chickenpox.  It wasn’t a coincidence an outbreak happened in your home soon after. Our parents somehow decided maybe now was the best time to get it out of the way. It wasn’t a coincidence that your chickenpox was over summer break or fall break and no school was missed.  Well, catching the flu has no benefits.

This article written by Sarah O’Brien of CNBC Personal Finance explains “Getting the flu can wreak havoc on your finances. Lost time at work means lost pay, and “in 2015 the annual direct cost for hospitalizations and outpatient visits was an estimated $10.4 billion”.  If you’re sick, stay home, avoid being around others to prevent spreading the flu.  Sometimes avoidance is not an option.  You may become exposed to others who are sick and may not know it.  Here are some recommendations to avoid being exposed to others during the flu season.

• Consider having your groceries delivered or picked up at the door and shop online when possible.
• Set routine service appointments such as the barbershop and nail salon and arrive at the exact scheduled time.
• Sit in your vehicle until it’s time for your appointment to avoid sitting in the waiting areas.
• Take the extra steps to wash your produce immediately and toss out any unwanted packaging that has been handled by many different hands.
• Pick up a disinfectant wipe on your way in and on your way out of the stores.
• Avoid touching handrails, buttons and using someone else’s cell phone.
• Wash and moisturize your hands often.

Boost your Immunity

• One of the simplest steps in boosting your immunity is to drink lots of water. The body, muscles and brain are made up of mostly water.  This article shares nine (9) tips on how the body is affected when you increase your water intake and tips for consuming water responsibly like avoiding drinking water from plastic containers.  Also, skip flavoring your water unless your using natural sweeteners such as melons or berries.
• Get plenty of rest. Studies have shown lack of sleep affects your ability to fight a virus once exposed to it as well as how quickly you recover from the virus.  Check out this article from the Mayo Clinic written by Eric J. Olson, M.D.
• Limit your sugar intake. This WebMD article explains That too much sugar intake can affect your immune system.   “Drinking beverages high in sugar curbs your immune system cells that attack bacteria.”
• Wear a neck scarf and dress for the changing weather to help ward off catching a bug. This article explains How colder temperature affects your body's immune response to viruses.  If you haven’t pulled out your winter scarf collections just yet, you may want to start a load in the washing machine.  Most can easily be washed in the washer using one (1) scoop to one (1) medium size load otherwise two (2) scoops for a large more heavily soiled load of laundry.  For washing scarfs that are made more of wool or sweater fabrics check out this blog we wrote for cleaning sweaters at home.