January has a way of turning everyday life into a relay race: work deadlines, school calendars, packed weekends. And then the sniffles start circulating. Cold and flu season typically ramps up in fall, peaks between December and February, and can linger well into spring.
When everyone’s coming and going, your home should feel like the safest place to land. Thankfully, a few smart shifts in your healthy home cleaning routine can help reduce germ spread and support better indoor air. But there’s some not so good news, too: cleaning the wrong way (or with the wrong products) can irritate lungs, leave residues behind, and create a “clean” that doesn’t actually feel healthy.
Let’s walk through what matters most during cold and flu season, where germs tend to linger, and how green cleaning products and thoughtful habits can help you breathe easier (literally).
The Big Mindset Shift: Clean and Disinfect (In the Right Order)
One of the most common cleaning mistakes this time of year is skipping straight to “disinfect everything” without actually removing the dirt and grime first.
The CDC is clear: cleaning is the first step. Soap or detergent removes dirt and reduces the number of germs on surfaces. Then, if needed, you can sanitize or disinfect because grime can block disinfectants from doing their job.
Think of it like this:
- Cleaning = lifts and removes germs + dirt from a surface
- Disinfecting = uses a product to kill remaining germs on hard, non-porous surfaces
That order matters most on the surfaces everyone touches all day.
Where Germs Lurk During Cold and Flu Season (It’s Not Just the Bathroom)
We tend to focus on the obvious places: sinks, toilets, countertops. But during cold and flu season, the most important targets are the high-touch surfaces your household taps dozens of times a day.
Health experts note that cold and flu viruses can remain infectious on surfaces for hours to days. While most spread happens through close contact and respiratory droplets, touching contaminated surfaces and then your face can also contribute to illness.
Start with these high-priority surfaces:
- Doorknobs (inside and out)
- Light switches
- Remote controls + gaming controllers
- Phones and tablets
- Refrigerator handles
- Cabinet pulls
- Faucet handles
- Bathroom vanity + toilet handle
- Entryway surfaces (keys bowl, mailbox area, mudroom hooks)
Additional guidance emphasizes wiping down doorknobs, switches, counters, and remotes daily if someone is sick or you’ve had visitors.
A Simple Routine That Helps: The “Daily 5”
If you’re time-strapped (and if it’s January, you probably are), your best friend is a small routine you can actually keep.
Here’s a daily 5-minute healthy home cleaning reset you can easily incorporate into even the busiest of schedules:
- Wipe high-touch points (doorknobs, switches, remotes)
- Kitchen touch zone (fridge handle, counter where lunches land)
- Bathroom quick pass (faucet handles + vanity surface)
- Trash + tissues (clear used tissues; replace liners if someone’s sick)
- Fresh air moment (crack windows 5-10 minutes when weather allows)
Don’t worry about perfection. This is about reducing the “germ handoff” points that keep illness circulating through your house.
Weekly Healthy Home Cleaning
Once a week (or twice, if someone’s actively sick), add a deeper reset:
- Bedding refresh: wash sheets + pillowcases (especially if anyone has symptoms)
- Bathroom disinfection: toilet, sink, faucet handles, and the “splash zone” around the vanity
- Kitchen sink + sponge/cloth swap: sinks and cleaning cloths can harbor germs
- Floors: especially entryways and kitchens
- Soft surfaces: vacuum upholstered areas and rugs (where dust and irritants collect)
And don’t forget the simplest illness-fighting habit of all: handwashing. Mayo Clinic recommends scrubbing with soap for at least 20 seconds, including between fingers and under nails.
What to Do if Someone is Sick
When a cold or flu hits your house, aim for “contain and clean,” not panic-cleaning everything at once. You can tighten the routine without turning your home into a lab.
Helpful steps include:
- If you have more than one bathroom, reserve one for the sick person when possible.
- Use separate cleaning supplies for the sick area (or disinfect tools after use).
- Wear gloves (and a mask if needed) while cleaning high-risk areas.
- Prioritize high-touch disinfection daily (switches, knobs, remotes).
If you’re disinfecting with bleach, follow product directions. The CDC notes that when directions aren’t available, you can make a bleach solution by mixing 4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of room temperature water. When cleaning, the diluted bleach solution should remain visibly wet for at least one minute (contact time) before wiping away.
Don’t Let “Cleaning” Make Your Air Feel Worse
Here’s the part busy homeowners often feel but don’t always name: sometimes cleaning leaves the house smelling “strong” and your head, throat, or chest feeling tight.
Indoor air matters. The EPA notes that VOCs (volatile organic compounds) can be emitted by many household products — including some cleaning products — and concentrations can be higher indoors than outdoors.
A few smart protections:
- Choose green cleaning products when possible, especially in frequently used areas.
- Avoid heavy fragrances if your household is sensitive.
- Ventilate during and after cleaning (even a short window crack helps).
- Never mix chemicals, especially bleach + ammonia, which can create toxic chloramine gases.
A healthy home should feel fresh, not harsh.
Where Maid Brigade Fits In: Health-Forward Cleaning You Can Trust
During cold and flu season, reliability matters just as much as thoroughness. You don’t want a surface-level clean or a cleaner who’s improvising with whatever product is under the sink. You want a consistent system that supports a safe, healthy home.
That’s exactly why we built PUREcleaning®, a three-step process designed for real healthy home cleaning:
- Step 1: Remove dirt and irritants using color-coded cloths to reduce cross-contamination and HEPA-filtration vacuums aimed at improving air quality.
- Step 2: Clean and sanitize with electrolyzed water: a gentle, non-toxic cleanser/disinfectant without dyes, fragrances, or phosphates.
- Step 3: Disinfect high-touch surfaces using an electrostatic spray approach for broader coverage on the places that matter most (like switches and doorknobs).
We offer green house cleaning services as a holistic approach, pairing safer solutions with air-quality-conscious equipment and consistent protocols, not just a “green” label on a bottle.
Key Takeaways
- During cold and flu season, prioritize high-touch surfaces and a routine you can sustain.
- Clean first, then disinfect when it makes sense, especially when someone is sick.
- Your products matter; indoor air can be more polluted than you think, so green cleaning products can be a smart, health-forward choice.
- If you want a thorough clean without the chemical fog, Maid Brigade’s PUREcleaning® is designed to support a cleaner, healthier home.
Ready for a Healthier Clean When You Need It Most?
If January has your household running at full speed, you don’t need one more thing on your plate. Maid Brigade helps busy homeowners protect their time, their standards, and the health of the people they love with detailed, reliable cleaning built for real life in the thick of cold and flu season.When you’re ready, reach out for a free estimate and let’s make cleaning day the best day of the week!
