Why You Should Clean Your Door Handles Regularly

You might not think about cleaning your door handles regularly. In fact, some people only clean door handles when they are visibly dirty or feel grimy to the touch. However, door handles are among the filthier areas of your home and should be cleaned and sanitized frequently. So, how do you clean door handles properly?

Door Handles Are Germ Hotspots

Each time someone walks in or out of your home, they touch the doorknob. Inside your home, your pantry door handle might be touched after you handle raw meat, eggs or unwashed produce. Bedroom, bathroom and closet doors are also used frequently touched throughout the day.

Even if you think your hands are clean, they are likely covered in tiny germs. These germs transfer to the door handles each time you touch them. Then, they transfer onto other people who touch them after you.

High-Touch, High-Risk Areas in the Home

While all door handles can get filthy, some high-touch areas are higher risk and require more frequent cleaning. For example, handles and knobs in the kitchen and bathroom are likely to have more germs than those for closets and bedrooms. These places are more likely to have more harmful germs, such as E. coli or salmonella.

In addition, the door handles for your exterior doors are likely covered in germs from outside your home. You can pick up nasty germs in the backyard, at the grocery store, in the kids’ school and more. These germs will transfer onto your exterior doorknobs before being tracked inside your home.

Health Benefits of Regular Wiping

Regularly wiping off your doorknobs and handles directly minimizes the risk of illness for you and your loved ones. By cleaning these key features in your home, you reduce the number of germs that enter your home.

You also minimize the transfer of germs from one person to another. While some of these germs may cause a runny nose and a mild cough, others can cause nausea, vomiting, high fevers and many other serious symptoms.

How Often Should You Clean Door Handles?

High-traffic areas of your home are typically common areas where everyone goes. These include the living room, kitchen and entryway. Door handles and knobs in these areas should be cleaned daily. Bathroom door handles also need daily cleaning. For bedrooms, closets and other low-traffic areas, weekly cleaning is typically sufficient.

While the location of the door handles and knobs in your home will affect the recommended cleaning frequency, be aware that the germs that your family is exposed to also should be considered.

For example, if flu is going around your child’s school, extra precautions are needed until the outbreak subsides. Consider sanitizing all doorknobs daily with a disinfectant in this type of situation.

What to Use When Cleaning Handles

Before cleaning your door handles, be aware of special cleaning instructions for the material. Some finishes can be damaged by harsh abrasives and chemicals. Typically, a mild soap, warm water and friction will suffice. However, if someone in your home is ill or has been around others who are ill, extra measures are beneficial.

Disinfectant spray and wipes can kill most germs on contact. Vinegar and baking soda can also be used to make a cleaning paste. The acetic acid in vinegar is an effective germ-fighter.

In addition to cleaning your doorknobs and handles regularly to fight germs and prevent illness, personal hygiene is important. Regular handwashing is one of the best steps that you can take to reduce the risk of illness and the spread of germs. Wash your hands as soon as you arrive back home, after using the bathroom and frequently while cooking and preparing food. While you are out in public, wash your hands whenever possible, and use hand sanitizer after touching high-touch surfaces.

Your door handles may be just some of the many areas of your home that should be cleaned often and aren’t. It’s hard to keep up with all of the cleaning recommendations for the many surfaces in your home, but the good news is that you don’t have to memorize and stay on top of everything. Instead, let our cleaners at Cleanzen Boston do the work for you.