You may not have heard lately, but it’s still cold and flu season. This means as concerned as you are about the coronavirus, there are other germs galore equally intent on making you ill. The good news: most of them, including COVID-19, can be effectively dealt with by simple cleanliness, especially around the home. And while that has predictably created mass shortages of sanitizing products, it also requires more than a simple wipe-down. Here are a few ways to help keep your house a healthier place as you hunker down for the long haul.

WIPE SMART

Possessing the precious sanitizing wipe isn’t enough – you also need to wield it correctly. First, after cleaning, surfaces should stay wet for a few minutes, then be allowed to air dry. Second, the wipe should be discarded (no matter how diminished your supply is) as studies have shown reusing it will only spread germs rather than eliminate them. If you don’t have sanitizing wipes, try mixing five tablespoons of bleach in a gallon of water as a make-ready disinfectant. Using a vinegar solution isn’t potent enough, especially against COVID-19. 

Wipe your fEET

There’s little point to assiduously scrubbing your house down if you’re tracking in dirt and who-knows-what into the place every time you enter. Slap down a fresh doormat at every entryway and remove your shoes whenever you come inside. Better still, wash the soles frequently because, again, who knows what you stepped in out there.

WASH TOWELS AND LINENS

Linens and towels, which viruses and bacteria cling to, should be washed frequently in hot water. If someone in your home has been sick, a few extra steps are recommended, such as introducing bleach to your laundry – always follow the instructions on the label – and then sterilizing the washing machine itself. This can be done by adding bleach to an empty cycle of hot water, then running it a second time just to make sure the bleach has been drained away.

SANITIZE YOUR CLEANING TOOLS

After you’ve scrubbed and disinfected from one corner to the other, you aren’t finished cleaning until you’ve sanitized the mops, rags and any other items you may have used. Otherwise, you run the risk of having only captured the germs in your home – which you will then distribute around the next time you “clean.” Wash them with hot water and soap as well as a touch of bleach. And if possible, ditch your mops and brooms altogether for disposable cloth refills.

HUMIDIFY YOUR HOME

From cutting down on static electricity to keeping wood from splitting, there are many reasons to keep humidifiers around, especially during winter. But most importantly, a humidifier, like the Vicks mist humidifier pictured here on Amazon, can help eliminate flu viruses. And if you are suffering symptoms, a higher humidity level can soothe sore throats and sinus congestion.

Whether you’re thrilled to send them off to college and financial self-stability or crestfallen your babies are gone, you’re still left with an empty nest. So what better time to reassess not only your goals – like heading out on that long-belated road trip – but also your surroundings? Here are a few tips to help you adjust after your family has downsized, leaving you – and your home – teenager-free.

DECLUTTER

It’s not just the memories that have been building over time. So have the clothes, the toys, the photographs and every other memento connected to those cherished moments in time. Besides, as people grow older, they tend to cling to items more stubbornly. One place to start: the belongings you acquired that don’t have sentimental value. The toasters you picked up along the way, for example, or that cheap lamp you never liked. If all of this sounds like too much to bear, you can always hire a professional to comb through your closets and shelves.

REDECORATE

After two decades of your living room furniture being spilled on, jumped on, slept on and sprawled on, it might be time for something new. The same could be said of almost everything else in your home, including the walls. Maybe you didn’t want to paint with fingerprint-staining kids around. Or you couldn’t cope with covering over every precious mark they made as they matured. Now, however, it is the perfect opportunity to head to the paint store. Plus, you can make whatever changes you want without a teenager telling you your taste sucks.

DON’T STORE EVERYTHING

For an empty nester, it seems like the best of both worlds: hang onto everything, even if you’re not living with it. But while renting a storage unit can be useful for things you will need again – like holiday decorations or ski equipment – it’s probably not for the decades-old baby chair you fed your now-grown children in. In other words, control your storage habit.

RENT OUT A ROOM

Nothing fills the cold void left by your absent children than a little extra cash. But if you do decide to rent out a room in your home, it doesn’t mean it needs to be a permanent arrangement. Many empty nesters rely on such sharing services as Airbnb to generate some side income (in addition to paying fewer expenses taking care of their kids). Use the money to pay for the trips you always talked about going on – or toward purchasing another house.

THINK ABOUT RIGHT SIZING

The hardest thing to get rid of, of course, is the house itself. After all, this is where you raised your family, watched your children grow, cultivated a lifetime of triumphs and challenges. No surprise then that a lot of empty nesters refuse to leave, choosing instead to renovate their homes with elevators or other ways to make their homes accessible as they age. But try to make choices based on how you envision the next few decades. Downsizing to a condo, for example, may allow for more travel while also eliminating such chores as landscaping. Just because one chapter has ended doesn’t mean it’s too early to plan for the next one.

It’s like your parents and teachers always told you: sit up straight. Bad posture can strain your neck and back, leading to headaches and other chronic issues. So when you set up your home office, make sure it includes an ergonomic chair designed for lumbar support. It won’t only help your body, but it will boost your productivity (by close to 20%, according to some studies). And don’t stop with the chair either. Look for the right keyboard and mouse. Just because you aren’t working at a traditional office doesn’t mean Carpal Tunnel Syndrome won’t follow you home.

BRING THE MUSIC

Bluetooth speakers and wireless headphones may not be welcome in most offices, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid cranking music at home. In fact, studies have shown people who worked while listening to music were more productive than workers who toiled away in silence. The genre of music is a personal choice, of course, but studies have revealed that classical music, ambient soundtracks and nature music are the most beneficial.

REMEMBER TO STRETCH

One of the downsides of remote work is that, with no one to talk to, there’s not much reason to get up and move around. On the flip side, there’s also no one to watch you pose like a tree on your yoga mat. Another good thing about working remotely: if you want to attempt some yoga, there are video tutorials online you can watch and learn from – in complete privacy.

EMBRACE THE DESK

Whether you’re at home or in a traditional office, you will be sitting at your desk for several hours every day. The difference is: you can choose your desk at home. Beware of too much clutter and keep it clean, but otherwise, find a desk you adore and personalize it with prized possessions, professional accolades and items with sentimental value. For a time, standing desks were hyped as a healthy alternative to sitting all day, but more recent studies have suggested extended periods of standing can create their own health (and productivity) issues.

BOOST YOUR POWER

If life is too short to wait for your decade-old computer to boot up, so is your workday. There is nothing like upgrading your Mac or PC to current specs to make you feel like a high-powered professional. Of course, whatever top-of-the-line machine you choose should suit your daily tasks, whether you’re coding or editing video. And while you are focusing on horsepower, don’t forget to treat yourself with a monitor to match. Your eyes will thank you for it.

GO GREEN

If you’re reluctant to add plants to your work environment because they require too much care, give a low-maintenance succulent, cactus or fig tree a chance. If they survive, you can branch out from there. The benefits of greening your home (office or otherwise) are well-documented: they naturally cleanse the air, relieve stress and even boost productivity.

The advice columnist Ann Landers once noted, “All marriages are happy, it’s the living together that’s tough.” Or to quote Bill Murray in Ghostbusters, “Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!” Of course, every relationship has its own dynamics. The challenges two people face when combining lives and households are uniquely theirs. That said, here are a few general tips for when the big move-in day comes. Shockingly, they might even end up bringing you closer together.

EMBRACE THE DOWNSIZING

Just accept it: some things are going to have to go. How to make that a positive experience? First, you can involve your partner in the decision-making process. Who knows? They might agree to put some things in storage if you are super-nice about it. As for the things that have to go? Donate them to charity, where they can do some good. But don’t be a push-over either. Decide on “must-haves” that are staying, no matter what. Make your stand.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER THE CLOSET

A little inventiveness can help defuse the potential conflicts that come with a shared closet. That’s especially important in small quarters. Divide the space equally, then use such organizational hacks as boxes and riders to store your clothes.

PLAN YOUR ESCAPE

Whether you call it a “man cave” or a “she shed,” we all need a place where we can decompress and escape the world – and everyone else in it. So plant your flag in the unfinished basement or the overgrown backyard or even in that spot by the window in the home office. Just don’t resent it when your partner tells you they want a corner to call their own, too.

MAXIMIZE SPACE

If you’re still feeling crammed after your mutual purging, deploy any number of tricks to make your living space seem more spacious than it is. These include hanging window treatments higher than the window frame, even to the ceiling. Decorate in light colors. And invest in furniture – ottomans, and benches, for example – that can double as clutter-concealing storage containers.

BUY STUFF TOGETHER

After you have both settled into your new living arrangements, take time to shop. Decide on items that appeal to both of you. Even small household items like blenders, toasters, and microwaves can define a shared personal style. For big-ticket items like appliances and living room furniture, go exploring online first before making any decision. The last thing you want to do is buy something you both (or worse, one of you) regrets later.