During flu season, it’s nearly impossible not to come in contact with the virus. If you work outside the home or have kids in school, someone in the house is going to be exposed to flu at some point. There are some things you can do, though, to help combat the spread of flu in your Dundalk home.

Get vaccinated

The easiest way to keep the flu out of your home is to ensure everyone in your home has the flu vaccine. The vaccine not only protects you against the flu, but if for some reason you or a family member does get the flu virus, being vaccinated tends to lessen the severity of the illness.

Wash your hands

The best way to keep germs at bay is to wash your hands often. At a minimum, you should wash your hands after using the bathroom and before you eat or prepare food. Hand sanitizers are acceptable in a pinch, but hand washing is the gold standard.

Cover coughs and sneezes

The way the flu spreads is from droplets you expel when you cough or sneeze. The flu virus can live for quite awhile on surfaces such as countertops and door knobs. Make sure everyone in your family knows the proper way to cover a sneeze or cough — by using their sleeve or the crook of their arm.

Clean and disinfect often

Even proper covering of sneezes and coughs can’t eliminate all germs. During flu season and especially if you have a sick person in the house, it’s important to clean and disinfect surfaces every day. Use a cleaner with bleach on surfaces such as countertops, light switch plates and doorknobs.

Create a sick room or area in your home

If someone in your Dundalk home has the flu, you should do whatever you can to isolate that person. Keep him or her in a room that’s set off from the rest of the house if possible and have the person use a different bathroom from everyone else. Limit contact to the absolute minimum to care for the person, although that can be difficult with young children.For quality flu-prevention services in your Dundalk, MD home, call Reliability Home at (443) 399-8663.