My Quarantine Routine – Tips to Disinfect Your Home and Self-Care

Like most countries are doing now, the Philippines is in quarantine for a week already due to COVID19. As of now, we have 230 cases and 18 deaths.

So much stress and agitation everyday as I am so obsessed in checking on the news for months now.. and for some reason I came unprepared. 😪 I think I really had high hopes 😟

Aside from what the whole world is going through right now, we have our own problem ourselves. Like you, we are also trying to live one day at a time — coping up and adjusting/adapting to this new quarantine routine.

Mostly everyday, we stay at home.. but there are those days when we order food/coffee at home or there’s a delivery (medicine/mask) we have to get from the lobby of our building. That’s like 1/3 of our week.

The other 1/3 is for the days we stay at home – no one went out to get anything. The other 1/3 is for the days when hubby has to leave the house. Like what I said, we also have our own problems that actually involves banking and opening a new BPI account. Last Tuesday, as mentioned on my recent blog, hubby has to walk an hour just to go to an open bank. One of his agendas is to enroll online banking and make sure he can transfer to other banks.

Ever since the quarantine routine started, I monitor my husband CLOSELY. Before leaving, I make sure he has his alcohol with him, an N95 mask and he ate something so he can take his vitamins. He leaves on alternate days (with enough sleep and proper meal).

I call him once in awhile to see if he follows the itinerary, doesn’t touch his face, and put alcohol anytime. I also make sure that he doesn’t miss on anything. The goal is for us to make sure that he saves time outside with my guidance.

Aside from making sure that my husband doesn’t stall or roam around anywhere, the next part of the routine is one of the “crucial.”

A few minutes before he arrives, I boil water for his bath and prepare his shampoo/soap. We have a committee ready for his arrival. We wear our mask and gloves.

As soon as hubby arrives, we give him the huge laundry basket with cover so he put all his clothes there. He just stays in the foyer as he removes all his clothes. He also leaves his things in the foyer-kitchen area as we spray/disinfect them. He doesn’t roam around anymore.

He carry his slippers with him and wash them with soap. He doesn’t walk around with slippers (from outside) anymore. He then gets the hot water prepared for him and immediately go in the restroom (no kissing or touching).

My youngest son during this time stays inside the room. Me and my older son (with mask and gloves on) will then start unpacking the items he has from outside.

The next agenda is : MAKE SURE THAT ALL ITEMS FROM OUTSIDE ARE DISINFECTED AND PROPERLY DISPOSED IF UNNECESSARY

1. All plastics/paperbags/ecobags are disinfected by spraying Lysol AND wiping them with a wet wipe with alcohol.

2. We remove everything from its container and one by one clean every item. Same way : wipe all of them with alcohol.

3. If it’s food/drinks, we immediately remove the food from its container and transfer it to a clean “home” plates/storage.

Note : The idea is to contain the things from outside and disinfect them before they are allowed to go to their respective storages. I wait for a few hours or a day to put them in.

Before the enhanced quarantine started, hubby bought some clothes. I usually spray it with Lysol and wait for 12-15 hours before I fit them and put in the laundry basket for washing/in the paperbag for return.

We put the laundry basket where sunlight hits it. The clothes from outside are contaminated so we put a cover on it.

4. All the ecobag/plastics used to carry everything will stay in the foyer area where it will be disinfected once in awhile for a few days. They are the ones more exposed so I give them more time before I pack them completely or use them as a trash can.

Note : The virus lives on things for HOURS and DAYS (for other things). We should make sure that the virus won’t stay in our house or at least scattered everywhere. It should be contained. This is why we are blind and clean EVERYWHERE. Because we keep on putting things inside our home unsanitized.

5. While hubby is taking a bath, we remind him to make sure that soap and shampoo should be on his body for at least a minute before he rinses everything off.

Note : We need at least 20 seconds for the virus to disintegerate.

As soon as hubby comes out from the restroom, we give him water and prepare his meal. Then he puts alcohol. We disinfect the restroom, kitchen and the floor where we put the things (from outside) by spraying Lysol or cleaning the floor.

It is important that me and my eldest won’t walk around the house while doing this. After we secure hubby, we wash our arms, legs, feet, face, neck (almost a bath without shampooing) and change our clothes.

Same goes with any delivery, everything that goes in will be disinfected. Even if he leaves for a few minutes only, he will take a bath BY ALL MEANS.

Note : COVID19 virus can actually stay in the strands of our hair. 💁‍♀️

Now for self-care.. this is the toughest part for most of us to do while on quarantine because others may be lazy to do anything or too stressed to do something. I’m on the stressed part. Hubby is the lazy one. ✌ Here are my tips in making sure you are in a healthy state of body, mind and soul while staying at home :

I should know. I’ve been working from home, homeschooling and staying 24/6 at home for years!

1. Sleep well. A good sleep allows you to think well and also boosts your immune system. Self-explanatory, I hate to burst your bubble, watching series and spending so much time on non-sense things (news, games, social media) instead of resting is not okay. You quarantine to make sure you are healthy and okay, not to binge watch, binge social media and binge eat. 🙊 When to sleep? Once you start yawning 🥱

2. Eat fruits or take Vitamin C. Vitamins are helpful but if you are trying to lose weight and already taking a lot of meds, you may want to tone down on adding Vit C on your daily diet. Hubby takes Vit C only if he leaves the house but we eat fruits everyday. I don’t take any vitamins anymore – but I do take ferrous sulfate daily.

3. Accept that this is the new normal, at least for now. Unless you accept that this is the new normal, you will have a hard time adjusting to it. Make a new routine fitting to your liking and lifestyle. You don’t have to absorb everything but you have to accept this new norm.

4. Enjoy life in your own way. Do your skincare routine, wear nice clothes, order food from outside or cook something nice. Your space and your location shouldn’t stop you from enjoying and appreciating life.

5. It’s okay to feel bad and unmotivated.. but don’t dwell on it. We are in a crisis, we should be resilient and learn to deal with it.. or else COVID19 will just trample us down. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord! Pray, watch LIVE worship services and read the Bible. Trust God’s bigger plan for everyone.

I know this is hard for everyone at the moment. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not a positive person. I’m paranoid and scared as much as you are.. but please understand that if fear and worry get the best out of us, who will win? Shouldn’t we be grateful for the opportunity to still live and experience life? We owe it to those who didn’t make it and wish to switch lives with us. Love life. Live life one day at a time.

I’m no expert and I’m not saying this is 100% correct. I’m saying that this routine is foolproof and one of the ways to help us adapt to this new lifestyle as we wait on the cure and for the virus to subside. Hugs everyone all over the world. We can do it… together!

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31