Dr Rhazes

Pick up tips from these amazing everyday heroes and get inspired!

“Come what may, I make sure I make my bed first thing when I get up – this sets the tone for the rest of my ‘home workout’. With no helps – I live with ailing in laws so it’s too risky – I have a ‘70% & happy’ rule.This means I try to be happy with 70% of the cleaning achieved in my day. Instead of sweeping and mopping the house daily, I do so on alternate days; dusting I do twice a week. One load of laundry gets done every day while I leave bedsheets and the heavier clothes for the weekends.

My house-clean routine is now incomplete without ensuring that there is a full bottle of sanitizer in the living room; and the bathroom has an antiseptic handwash. Also, when we have a visitor, I make sure to wipe down surfaces they may have touched with a disinfectant and spray the air with it too.”

– Renu Singla, Designer, homemaker, and mom to Arnav, 12

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“Home hygiene and cleaning has never been so regular and thorough as it has been ever since COVID-19 descended on India. I have been manicabout cleaning the floors, doorknobs and other surfaces due to my 18-month-old twins who are all over the place. Mopping the floor with a strong antiseptic liquid happens twice a day – we do it ourselves since I am too scared to have my precious babies exposed to outsiders.

Disinfecting veggies, fruits and other buys takes over an hour each day – this includes resting the purchases and wiping down with a sanitizer; for fruits and veggies, it’s washing with water and then soaking in soda water for at least two hours. Other than that, almirah handles, shelves and even windowsills where my kids can reach are wiped with antiseptic liquid every day.”

– Meenakshi Rao, Lecturer and mother of 18-month-old twins, Veer & Veni

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“My day-to-day home cleaning routine hasn’t varied much during the pandemic. It involves sweeping, mopping with a disinfectant, and wiping down surfaceswith a cleaner. What I have added to this routine is the sanitising of all handles and doorknobs, especially after we’ve had visitors. This is done mainly with an alcohol-based sanitizer. However, if the area is large, we disinfect it using steam from our handheld, portable iron.”

– Vandana Malhotra, Artist and mother of Urja, 18

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“I have incorporated a few new things into my cleaning routine because of the COVID-19 situation. My children have online classes so they’re always touching the laptop and then say, going to the fridge for snacks and touching the door handles, so with these high-touch areas I disinfect them thoroughly every day.

When it comes to fruits and vegetables, I only order enough for 1-2 days so that it doesn’t have to go in the fridge. That way if there are any germs, it won’t infect other things in the fridge. Before cooking, I also soak them in salt water for a while.

We are also doing yoga every day to improve our health and immunity to protect ourselves.”

– Madhuri, MNC employee and mother of Pranav, 14 and Lalitha, 9

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“I follow a very strict cleaning schedule every day. It helps me stay on top of everything. Since I’m mostly at home these days, as soon as I wake up, I dust the mattress and put the bed linen out to sun. I alwaysbegin my day by sweeping and mopping the house with a disinfectant before cooking breakfast. Once that is done, I wash everyone’s clothes from the previous night.

All the furniture is thoroughly dustedwith a wet cloth, and I wipe down the upholsterytoo. If there are any stains, I use a stain remover or vinegar. I deep-clean the kitchen twice daily. Before making lunch, once when I wash the breakfast dishesand again after dinner – this includes cleaning the floor and counter tops thoroughly using a cleaner. At night, Ilaundrythe clothes we have worn during the day.I keep things like cleaning the cupboards, fridge or shelves for the weekends.”

– Julie Kerobin, teacher and mother of three