This article was originally published by Tess Pennington on her website Ready Nutrition. 

It’s important to keep surfaces clean and disinfected – especially during a pandemic emergency. Because the coronavirus can live on surfaces for up to a few days, keeping up your cleaning regimen is essential to your health and the continued sanitation of the home.

The CDC recommends disinfecting areas where there can be large numbers of household germs — and where there is a possibility that these germs could be spread to others. Here are some hotspots to hit: doorknobs, faucet handles, toilet flushers, bathrooms, phones, keyboards, remote controls, countertops, and tables. Keeping your hard surfaces clean is essential during the flu season. Here is an easy way to keep the cleaning as convenient as possible.

Moreover, they suggest the best way to keep a home clean is by using these guidelines:

• Cleaning refers to the removal of germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces. Cleaning does not kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.
• Disinfecting refers to using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.

Since we all love the convenience of cleaning wipes, here’s an easy way to make them.

• 1 roll of paper towels
• Clorox
• Water
• Plastic cleaning container for wipes (I like to reuse old Clorox wipes containers)

Homemade Disinfecting Surface Wipes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 roll paper towels
• 1/2 cup Clorox (or any bleach) – SOLD OUT online and in most stores. Bleach alternatives are available. 
• 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap
• 1-gallon water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add bleach and dish soap to water; stir well.
2. Cut paper towel roll to fit into the desired container.*
3. Pour enough solution over paper towel roll to fully absorb (2-4 cups).
4. Remove the cardboard center from paper towel roll.
5. Pull pieces of paper towel (wipes) from the center hole of the roll.
6. Cover surface; allow to sit for 5 full minutes.
7. Wipe with a wet cloth; air dry.

NOTES

There is always some of the disinfecting solution left over. Add it to a spray bottle for another use. Cotton towels can also be placed in the solution, used, laundered and reused.

This is a simple way to repurpose your old Clorox wipes containers and save a few dollars by making your own.

Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster. Across the ages, in every survival story, a disaster of some sort plays a prominent role. Sometimes the part is played by the government, sometimes it is played by Mother Nature, and other times, the role is taken on by a random mishap. If we have learned one thing studying the history of disasters, it is this: those who are prepared have a better chance at survival than those who are not. A crisis rarely stops with a triggering event. The aftermath can spiral, having the capacity to cripple our normal ways of life. Because of this, it’s important to have a well-rounded approach to our preparedness efforts. Due to the overwhelming nature of preparedness, we have created the Prepper’s Blueprint to help get you and your family ready for life’s unexpected emergencies. To make a more comprehensive, easy-to-follow program, The Prepper’s Blueprint has been simplified and divided up in a way to help you make sense of all the preparedness concepts and supply lists provided