Keeping Your Shared Surfaces Clean to Protect the Immunocompromised People You Love

For most of us, our immune system exists as a first-level wall of defense against any environmental pathogens that could make us very sick. This complex system consists of many different organs, proteins and cells throughout our bodies that work together in a smart, seamless way to serve as a shield from microscopic, illness-spreading invaders.

Usually, that shield is enough to keep most of us safe from the majority of environmental toxins we encounter.

For others, that innate shield isn’t as strong as it could be. An increasing percent of the population has a naturally lower defense system. Their immune response is compromised. This can be a permanent result of an immune disease, or it could be a temporary effect of another condition.

If you or a loved one is immunocompromised, there’s no need to panic, but you do need to take practical steps to protect them in place of a more typical immune response. Let’s start by focusing on sanitizing shared surfaces thoroughly and well.

Here’s what you need to know.

Acting as an Artificial Immune System: Cleaning Constantly to Disinfect and Sanitize

The thing is, most cleaning routines do nothing more than move problematic pathogens from one surface to another. You need to do more than that. You need to kill microbes entirely — and make it much more difficult for them to come back to a surface after you’ve treated it.

What Cleaning (and Cleaning Well) Does for Your Shared Surfaces

Today’s cleaning experts recommend that you select products that provide both disinfecting and antimicrobial action. Disinfecting provides a mechanical kill that targets germs such as viruses and bacteria in an immediate, short-term way. By pairing that with an antimicrobial agent that provides a longer-lasting chemical kill, you’ll be able to remove microbes from a shared surface and create a surface coating that keeps killing germs and viruses for an extended period.

Typical cleaning routines include a mechanical kill and nothing more. If you’re protecting someone who has a lowered innate defense system, you need to go above and beyond typical.

What You Need to Do: Your Guidelines for an Effective Cleaning Routine

Fortunately, modern technology and the latest research have given us solutions that make keeping your spaces safe simple. You need to select intelligent products that can work hard for you as part of a strategic cleaning routine. Thanks to these highly effective products, you’ll find that your new cleaning regimen only takes a few minutes out of your day.

First, use a multi-action disinfectant antimicrobial to provide those all-important mechanical and chemical kills. Allow the solution to sit on the surface as directed to ensure complete disinfection.

Then, take action to reduce the ease of spreading germs from one surface to another within your home. The best way to do this is to establish a habit of effectively cleaning and reducing the bacteria you carry on your hands. With a waterless hand soap that includes an antibacterial ingredient, you’ll be able to accomplish this and moisturize your hands simultaneously.

Protect Your People Efficiently and Effectively with the MicroGold® Suite of Products

To keep your surfaces clean and your loved ones safe, it’s time to consider what your cleaning routine is actually accomplishing. Instead of simply moving microbes around or reducing their numbers for a matter of seconds, invest in products that remove soil, kill viruses and bacteria, and make it more difficult for pathogens to populate your surfaces even after you’re done cleaning.

This spring, as you’re re-setting your spaces and creating a clean environment in your home, stock your shelves with science-backed products that do their jobs well. We recommend sourcing a multi-action disinfectant antimicrobial that targets viruses and bacteria with both mechanical and chemical kills, and a moisturizing, antibacterial hand soap to extend the efficacy of your cleaning routine. This will help you keep you and yours safe and sound within the coziness of your home.