Keeping It Clean And Healthy During Cold & Flu Season

I remember very clearly where I was when I heard about Lysol Disinfecting Spray and Lysol Wipes for the first time. I was in an ambulance with my 3-year-old daughter and we were racing to the hospital after she had a febrile seizure. By that point in the trip, she was awake and my panic register had dropped slightly from a near state of hysteria to merely severely freaked out.

The ambulance driver was trying to calm me down by telling me that febrile seizures are really common, and her seizure was the result of a fever that spiked too high. He recommended I wipe down or spray all of the light switches, toys, door knobs, and handles in the house with Lysol Wipes once a week to prevent further illness in our house, and I’m pretty sure I ran out the next day and picked up 2 bags full of Lysol supplies.

Turns out it was pneumococcal bacteria that caused her fever, and she probably picked it up at preschool. One day she was fine, the next she was in the hospital, and I count my lucky stars every day she ended up having that seizure because she was treated for the bacteria with antibiotics and she came home the next day.

When something like that happens, it can really make you feel like your world is a bit out of control. She was my first baby, and I’d never had an experience like that before, so what the ambulance driver said to me hit home. From that day on, spring, summer, fall, and especially in the winter when cold & flu season has hit full force, I have wiped down all the surfaces in my house once a week with Lysol Wipes. They kill 99.9% of all bacteria and viruses, and wiping all surfaces gives me peace of mind.

Lysol Disinfecting Spray became my best friend this summer when one of my kids picked up head lice. Suddenly, your entire house looks like it has the potential to sprout legs and walk away, and I knew the kids had been sitting on the couches, my favourite Pier One chair, and even rolling around on the carpet. You can’t throw your couch in the washing machine set to hot like I did with every piece of linen, every stuffed animal, and towel in the house, but you can spray them with Lysol Disinfecting Spray and resume sitting on furniture again because you know you killed whatever could have been living there.

I’ve been such a fan of Lysol products that when I was given the Lysol Hand Soap Dispenser to try out, I was instantly smitten. I put it in my kitchen beside my sink because that’s my favourite place to wash my hands, and all you have to do is wave your hand underneath it and you’ve got soap. It’s super handy for the kids too. They get a kick out of how the soap comes out automatically, just like at the mall.

With four kids, we see all sorts of crazy viruses and yearly flus, so I credit Lysol products with stopping the spread of everything from the stomach flu to hand, foot, and mouth (that one was a treat, let me tell you). If you want to stop the spread of germs in your house, you can find tips right on Lysol’s web site . Here are a few of my favourite tips:

• Air out your house – Open the windows once in awhile, even in the winter. I like to do this as much as I can, and that fresh air really seems to rejuvenate everything inside.
• Wipe down all surfaces on a regular basis – I use Lysol wipes to wipe down everything from the cords on our blinds to the counter tops.
• Go disposable when someone is sick – This is such a great idea, I wish I knew about it when the kids were toddlers. When someone is sick in your house, use disposable cups and paper towels instead of hand towels in the bathroom. Whenever the sick person uses the bathroom, wipe it down right after or spray with Lysol.

Check out the Lysol site for the rest of their great tips, including tips for helping ease allergies and travel tips that will come in handy this busy holiday season. You’ll also find a great coupon for $1.00 off any two Lysol products.

It’s winter, the holidays are coming, and my kitchen cupboards are stocked with Lysol products. I’m ready for cold and flu season – are you?

This post was brought to you by Lysol, but the images and opinions are my own. For more information, please visit Lysol.ca