Keeping a home clean has never been on people’s minds as much as the last few months with COVID-19. The materials, surfaces, and people who enter a home can make its residents sick and infected with the virus as has been happening when a family member unknowingly brings the virus home.

So, the idea of getting takeout dinner, buying groceries, and taking care of essential errands has left everyone wondering what is exactly needed and worth life risk, until the experts develop a vaccine. To stay unaffected and healthy, folks are repeatedly asking the questions of keeping a home clean during COVID-19 as it continues to penetrate society. They have also been thinking about degrees of separation; who handled the food or groceries reaching home? Is the courier or delivery guy sick, and leaving the virus on the package? How do I handle and clean everything once I bring them home?

Fortunately, keeping a home clean and virus-free is not that hard, even without the big names people think of first for cleaning and disinfecting chemicals. With basics, one can manage everything pretty well.

The first thing to understand is the nature of the COVID-19 virus and its durability on surfaces. According to the World Economic Forum, the virus lasts longer on hard, shiny surfaces like metal and hard plastic, and shorter on fibrous and absorbent surfaces such as paper and fabric. While the virus isn’t going to jump to you on its own, people have a habit of touching their face, nose, or eye unnecessarily. This habit increases the risk of getting infected. So, between hand-washing and cleaning frequently-touched surfaces regularly is a very good idea.

Use an EPA-approved chemical disinfectant or, if not available, use an alcohol-based solution with at least 70% alcohol. When handling things from outside, until they are emptied from their outer containers, wear gloves, and wash your hands after every contact. COVID-19 does not infect the stomach, so even if ingested in food, your stomach acid will make short work of it and the food. That said, food contact surfaces such as containers can be a risk. So, when you bring anything home, clean the outer surface with disinfectant, leave it for some hours, and then transfer the contents out of the containers. Then wash your hands properly before doing anything else. To be doubly safe, you can change the clothes that you wore to the store and wash them in warm water.

When it comes to packages delivered at your door, all of the big courier services have realized infections of individuals in their facilities nationwide. So, there is always a possibility of the virus getting on the package. Remove the internal products from the package without touching, such as letting them out on a counter, and immediately throw it away and wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly. 99% of your risk has likely been eliminated by these two steps.

As for your drinking water from the city or municipal system, there is no known risk of COVID-19 spreading through water. Instead, what scientists are realizing is that the sewage system is an early indicator of which cities will realize a COVID-19 outbreak in a week or so as it shows up in waste samples leaving homes.

However, the basic steps above will go a long way in preventing the COVID-19 virus from getting into your home and spreading among your family. Your home won’t ever be 100% sterile and safe. There are thousands of forms of bacteria around a normal home. So keeping a home clean is always a plus whether there is COVID-19 or not.