5 Things You Need to be Sanitizing, Like Right Now

When I say ‘sanitize,’ you say ‘hands’…

SANITIZE!

HANDS!

SANITIZE!

HANDS!

When it comes to sanitizing, we all think hands. And that’s good! Proper washing and hand sanitizing is, perhaps, the single most important and effective way of keeping germs at bay.

Now, when I say ‘sanitize,’ you say ‘remote control’…

SANITIZE!

REMOTE CON… wait… what?

That’s right; proper sanitizing and decreasing your chances for getting sick from the transmission of nasty germs goes well beyond just your hands. Here’s a list of five things you need to go sanitize RIGHT NOW to increase your chances of staying safe and healthy.

1.  Your Phone

On average, Americans spend more than three hours on their phones every day (or seven, if you’re like me). In the bathroom, in the car, in the kitchen, at the grocery store… We take our phones EVERYWHERE. And then we hold them up to our faces! 😲

Those little germ factories need to be sanitized constantly throughout the day. For best results, remove your phone’s protective cover and wipe every little nook and cranny of both it AND your phone with a sanitizing wipe or liquid sanitizing solution that has at least 70% alcohol content. Screen, front, back, buttons… all of it. And then go back to playing Candy Crush.

2. Your Keyboard and Mouse

Your keyboard and mouse are two other spots you probably don’t associate with sanitizing. Tap, tap, tapping away all day, your fingers, thumbs and hands leave germs (and crumbs from your morning muffin) up, in, around and all over your keyboard and mouse.

A good blast from an aerosol computer duster [possible link here to an Amazon or Staples computer duster list page] and a thorough wipedown with– you guessed it– an over-70% alcohol content wipe or solution ought to have you working germ-free again in no time.

3. Your Remote Controls

Similar to your keyboard and mouse, your television and other remotes are not a place most of us think to sanitize. While you’re channel surfing, Netflixing and binge-watching Parks and Rec all day, little germies are making their homes deep under your ‘back’ and ‘volume up’ buttons. Nasty, right?

So I’m not repeating myself over and over, let’s just label the sanitizing method used for phones, keyboards and mice “The Device Method”, and apply it to remotes, as well. Pro tip: It doesn’t hurt to remove the battery shield and batteries and get all up in there, too. Just make sure everything is dry again before reinserting the batteries.

4. Door Knobs, Door Handles and Light Switch Plates

OMG, have you looked at the area around your doorknobs and light switches? DIS. GUS. TING. That off-colored, brown-tinted, nasty, ugly film there? Yeah. That’s dirt, germs, dead skin cells, and microscopic dead bug carcases caked onto your doors and handles over weeks and weeks of turning and flipping. How vomit-inducing is THAT?? Let alone the fact that, by default, these two spots are typically the first things we touch when entering our houses, rooms and apartments from the outside world.

Similar to the Device Method, you’re going to want to wipe these areas down with a >70% alcohol solution and a clean cloth or paper towel. In a pinch, you can use a household cleaner like these ones from Fantastik or Mr. Clean, but something with a higher level of alcohol is a bit better at killing those germs QUICK (and returning your door and light switch plates to their natural color).

5. Your Car

Think about all the things you touch in your car: the radio (duh), the steering wheel, the blinker and wiper controls, all those fun buttons that control the climate, your door handles, your shifter… You literally touch EVERYTHING in the ol’ station wagon, don’t you?

Do yourself a favor and keep a tube of disinfecting wipes in your car. They may be a little hard to come by (as the coronavirus panic largely cleared the shelves), but even a generic version is better than doing nothing.

Wipe. Wipe everywhere. Wipe everything. ALL THE TIME. When you get in, when you get out… just for fun. Wipe, wipe, wipe and then wipe some more. Not only will you have a cleaner, more presentable car, you’ll also live a longer, happier life (these statements have not been approved by the FDA). Oh and hey, get those stale French fries out from under your seat while you’re at it.

That’s it, kids! The key to keeping your life as safe, sanitized and healthy as possible. But all of this is worthless if you’re sanitizing with unsanitized hands. What would be the point, right? So while you’re online, go ahead and grab yourself an autoSPRITZ from Origyn. This bad boy is zero-touch, and its targeted spray is guaranteed to kill 99.99% of common germs when used as directed. This little number is lightweight, portable, and let’s just call it like it is… downright futuristic and cool-looking.

What are you waiting for? Go sanitize something. NOW, ya filthy animal!