While news about the coronavirus continues to spread, and the number of cases increases greatly each day, it is important to know how to protect your family against coronavirus. The best way to do this is to be well informed about the virus and how it spreads, as well as gathering the basic supplies to have on hand.
How Does COVID-19 Spread?
COVID-19 spreads from person-to-person when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or exhales releasing small particles that contain the virus. These particles can either be inhaled by a non-infected person, or they can land on surrounding surfaces and objects nearby and other people touch that surface and then touch their mouth, nose, or eyes, contracting the virus.
How To Protect Your Family Against Coronavirus
To protect your family against coronavirus, you should gather the necessary supplies required to follow safety measures.
Safety Measures to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
- Stay home!
- Wear a face mask when you must go out. We wrote a comparison of the most common face masks available.
- Practice social distancing by
- Stay 2 meters (6 feet) away from other people
- Avoid gathering in groups
- Stay out of crowded places
- Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze
- Wash hands frequently
- Use hand sanitizer
Basic Supplies You Need to Protect Your Family
- Face masks
- Soap
- Hand sanitizer
Which face masks are best for your family?
The N95 and KN95 masks are far superior to any other face masks available. They are effective at filtering out 95 percent of small particles in the air, which means that they can effectively block out COVID-19. These masks offer a snug fit and tightly cover the nose and mouth.
If you do not have access to N95 or KN95 face masks, surgical masks or homemade masks are better than nothing. Just be sure to cover your nose and mouth when you go out in public. Be advised that masks are not recommended for children under age 2.
How to properly wash your hands with soap
According to the CDC, there are five steps to follow to wash your hands properly.
- Wet your hands with clean water. Turn off the tap, and apply soap.
- Rub your hands together, and lather soap onto the back of your hands, in between your fingers, and under your nails.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
- Then rinse your hands with clean water.
- Dry your hands with a clean towel or allow them to air dry.
If you don’t have access to soap and water, use hand sanitizer instead.
How to make your own hand sanitizer
As you probably know, finding hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic is almost impossible. So why not make your own? As long as 60 percent of your solution is alcohol, it is effective against killing germs, but the stronger the better!
Basic recipes include rubbing alcohol, aloe vera, and essential oils, but to be honest, aloe vera is super sticky… So this is not the best option.
Here’s a quick recipe to make a spray hand sanitizer that works well and isn’t quite so sticky.
Homemade Hand Sanitizer Recipe
- 12 fluid ounces of isopropyl alcohol
- 2 teaspoons of glycerol or glycerin (stops the alcohol from drying out your hands)
- 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide
- 3 fluid ounces of distilled water
- Spray bottle
Mix the isopropyl alcohol with the glycerol. (If you can’t find glycerol, you can still use the recipe, just moisturize your hands after applying.)
Mix in hydrogen peroxide, then add the distilled water.
Load the solution into spray bottles and spray hands to use. You can also wet a paper towel and use that as a wipe.
While this coronavirus pandemic may seem scary, you can rest assured that you’re protecting your family against coronavirus by following these safety measures. Remember that we’re all in this together – So do your part to keep yourself and your family safe during this time.
