Springtime is finally here – you know what that means - time for a bit of spring cleaning!
It is important to stay clean and healthy in the current circumstances, we understand it can be a concerning time, so a brilliant way to keep positive and productive is to give your kitchen some tender, loving care.

Here at SQ Professional, we’re constantly working to deliver the best services possible for our customers, therefore we thought we’d take the time to put together some handy tips to help you keep your kitchen and favourite SQ products sparkling clean during the lockdown.

It goes without saying that effective hand washing is a top priority when ensuring the cleanliness of your home. Next to this, it is important to clean down high-traffic areas such as kitchen worktops, cupboard handles and those intricate details often missed like switches, buttons and knobs on common kitchen appliances.
For these areas, it is essential that they are cleaned regularly - on a daily basis if you or others in your house have any symptoms, or cleaned a few times a week for healthy households. As a general note, this post is intended for adults only. For good measure, always use disposable gloves when cleaning; however, if reusable gloves are the only option available, ensure they are only used for cleaning purposes in the designated area. Before cleaning anything down in your kitchen, you should unplug all of the electrical appliances for your own safety. It is recommended that both cleaning and disinfection are important processes to carry out when minimising the spread of COVID-19 in your home. For general, eco-friendly cleaning: simply dampen a solution of water and plant-based soap onto a microfibre cloth and wipe down the surfaces thoroughly. Using microfibre cloths helps to ensure you reach those hard to get to areas and helps prevent puddles of liquid when cleaning. The friction alone from scrubbing a surface with any kind of soap and water can break the coronavirus’s protective envelope. As Richard Sachleben, an organic chemist and a member of the American Chemical Society says: “Scrub like you’ve got sticky stuff on the surface and you really need to get it off,”.
For a decontaminating version, swap the water in the solution for alcohol. The alcohol used for the solution must be undiluted and must be at least 70% alcoholic (this means typical spirits such as vodka – commonly only 40% - can’t be used) as others with less alcohol content will be ineffective at destroying the virus. If you prefer, you can use supermarket cleaning sprays on the microfibre cloth as they are also effective here but not as eco-friendly and may not be readily available. Whichever method you choose, ensure that the cleaning solution has contact with the surface for at least two minutes.

When it comes to disinfecting your home, there’s no need to fear if your local supermarkets are running low on common household cleaning products, like wipes and soaps, as you can easily make your own home cleaning supplies. – Be cautious to follow guided quantities strictly to avoid substances becoming harmful. To ensure your safety, it is good practice to always wear gloves and ventilate the rooms well when using chemical-based products. Always be sure to keep your products out of reach of children and thoroughly wipe away any spillages of harsh chemicals.

To create your own home disinfectant, simply add 4 teaspoons of bleach to 4 cups (950ml approx.) of water. For best results, always wipe down the surface with a water and soap-based solution first -as several materials can react with bleach and deactivate it.

Next, dry the surface and apply your homemade bleach solution, then allow it to sit on the surface for at least 10 minutes before wiping it off.

A respected professor of infectious diseases at the University of Washington Medical Center states: “Bleach is very effective at killing the coronavirus, as well as virtually every other germ on the face of the planet” said Dr. Paul Pottinger.

However, as bleach can corrode metal over time, it is important not to make a habit of using a bleach solution often and only use it where essential.

Above all, please be sure to follow the manufacturer's guidelines provided when cleaning your SQ Professional products.

And of course, remember to wash your hands, thoroughly, before and after cleaning areas.

From all of our team here at SQ Professional, we hope these tips will come in handy for you and look forward to hearing from you soon!

STAY SAFE & STAY AT HOME.


SOURCES: cdc.gov, consumerreports.org, nbcnews.com