When your child gets gastro, you may just accept that the entire family is doomed. But there is hope!
Cleaning is an important part of fighting the good fight and stopping the spread… but how do you safely dispose of and clean up vomit/faeces? Or clean cloth nappies? What about bedding that is soiled?
When somebody has gastro symptoms, particular attention must be paid to cleaning surfaces such as toilet seats and handles, taps, and nappy change tables.
To give yourself the best fighting chance, you must ensure that all potentially contaminated areas are regularly cleaned and disinfected using a hypochlorite solution with a strength of about 1,000 ppm. (250 ml or one cup of household bleach diluted in 10 litres or one bucket of water).
When cleaning up vomit or faeces, to prevent the transmission of the virus it is important that you:
Wear rubber gloves.
Cover the vomit or faeces with 1,000 ppm hypochlorite solution (diluted as above) and leave for 10 minutes.
Clean up vomit or faeces with paper towels or toilet paper, being careful not to spread it.
Flush paper and vomit/faeces down the toilet.
Wash area with warm water and detergent and bundle soiled cleaning cloths in a plastic bag.
Disinfect area with 1,000 ppm hypochlorite solution (diluted as above) and leave for 10 minutes, then rinse area with clean water.
Dispose of cleaning cloths in the sealed plastic bag.
Remove gloves and wash and disinfect them in a hypochlorite solution.
Wash hands with soap under warm running water.
If cleaning up vomit/faeces on a carpet, carry out the above procedure but do not disinfect with the hypochlorite solution, as this will bleach the carpet.
Carpeted areas should instead be steam cleaned to destroy the virus particles.
Cloth nappies, clothing and bedding which have been soiled by faeces or vomit should be cleaned in the following manner:
Wear rubber gloves.
Remove as much faeces or vomit as possible using paper towels or toilet paper and flush down the toilet.
Soak the articles in 50 ppm hypochlorite solution (12.5 ml of household bleach diluted in 10 litres or one bucket of water) for half an hour if washing directions permit this, otherwise dry clean the articles.
Remove gloves and wash and disinfect them in a hypochlorite solution.
Wash hands with soap under warm running water.
Wash articles in the washing machine on the hot cycle if washing directions permit this, otherwise dry clean the articles.
Everyone in the household should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and warm running water for at least 15 seconds before preparing food (don’t let those affected handle food at all), before eating, after going to the toilet or after changing nappies, after cleaning up when someone has been sick.
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