Your home serves as a sanctuary during the cold winter months. But it can also be a breeding ground for germs, bacteria, and viruses if proper precautions aren't taken. By implementing a few simple preventive measures within your living space, you can create a healthier environment for yourself and your loved ones.

Let's explore some practical steps you can take at home to prevent cold and flu this season.

Promote Good Hygiene: Start with the basics. Encourage everyone in your household to wash their hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Teach young children to cover their mouths and noses with a tissue or their elbow when coughing or sneezing to prevent the spread of respiratory droplets. And provide ample tissue supplies throughout your home and encourage proper disposal of used tissues.

Encourage Healthy Habits: A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins provides essential nutrients to support a healthy immune system. Emphasize the importance of getting enough sleep, staying physically active, and managing stress to support overall health and immunity.

Stay Hydrated: Drinking an adequate amount of water helps keep your respiratory tract moist, making it more difficult for viruses to take hold. Aim to drink at least eight glasses of water per day and consider consuming hydrating beverages like herbal teas and clear broths.​

Disinfect High-Touch Surfaces: Identify commonly touched surfaces in your home, such as doorknobs, light switches, countertops, and remote controls, and disinfect them regularly using EPA-approved disinfectants. Pay extra attention to areas that are frequently overlooked, like drawer handles and appliance buttons.

Clean Bedding and Linens Frequently: Regularly launder bedding, towels, and other linens in hot water to kill germs and remove allergens. Consider using a hot dryer cycle (if the material allows it) to further sanitize these items and prevent the spread of germs.

Improve Indoor Air Quality: Maintain good indoor air quality by regularly dusting and vacuuming to remove dust, pollen, and other airborne particles. Consider using an air purifier with a HEPA filter to capture airborne viruses and bacteria. And don’t forget to change your HVAC filter every 8 to 10 weeks or as recommended by the manufacturer.

Humidify the Air: Dry indoor air can exacerbate respiratory symptoms and make you more susceptible to infections. Use a humidifier to add moisture to the air, especially during the winter months when indoor heating systems can dry out the air.

At Blau Sudden Service, we offer numerous indoor air quality solutions that can help you win the fight against colds and flu. For example, a whole-house, combined humidification and dehumidification system allow you to control and maintain the proper levels of relative humidity no matter the season. A whole-house air filtration system is your ultimate defense against indoor pollutants, removing up to 99% of contaminants, ensuring that you and your family breathe clean, fresh air. So say farewell to allergens, dust, bacteria and other irritants and say hello to cleaner air with Blau Sudden Service.