clean

Oct

2020

How to Take Care of Your Skin While Wearing Mask

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Masks are now part of our everyday lives. It is a fashion essential in the new normal because it protects ourselves and other people from COVID-19. Masks reduces the risk of exposure to an infected person and at the same time prevents transmission, if worn by an infected person. Unfortunately, wearing masks is very uncomfortable because it creates an occlusive on the airflow making it difficult to breathe. It also traps moisture in the enclosed space causing skin irritation. In addition, bacterias thrive on sticky and humid environments casing acnes and breakouts. So, how to take care of your skin while wearing mask?

1. Select the Material of the Mask

The material of the mask is important. Choose a material that will protect you from the virus and at the same time, protect your skin too.

Not all masks are created equal, according to a research done by University of Arizona. The researchers tested a variety of mask materials during a 20-minute and 30-seconds exposure to the virus. They found out that the level of risks varies depending on the kind of mask used:

Materials	Efficiency
N99	most efficient at 94% to 99%
N95	94% to 99%
Vacuum Cleaner Filters (inserted in filter pockets in cloth masks)	58% to 83%
Cotton-blend fabrics and antimicrobial pillowcases	24% to 44%
Scarves made of nylon, polyester or silk	24% to 44%

Reserve the N99 and N95 masks to healthcare workers. For the rest of us, opt for soft and natural fabrics. Dermatologists suggest a 100% cotton because it allows the skin to breathe. Avoid synthetic fabrics like nylon, polyester and rayon. They can cause skin irritation.

2. Fit Matters

To allow your skin to breathe, make sure the mask fits your face perfectly. Masks should be snuggly. It should be comfortable. It should not be too loose nor constricting.

3. Clean and Moisturize Your Face Daily

Learn to adapt to the basic skin care routine. Just wash your face gently with a mild fragrance-free soap before putting on your mask and before going to sleep. The moisturizer will reduce dryness. No need to put on too many beauty products. Other beauty products such as those peels, exfoliants, acids and retinol can only cause more skin irritation. If you need to treat spot or a break-out, then just put medication on the specific spot not on the whole face.

4. Don’t Wear Make-up

Your face is going to be covered anyway so there is no point in wearing make-up. Make-up can only clog your pores and can cause break-outs. If you really need to wear make-up, wear non-comedogenic products or products that won’t clog or block the pores of your skin. You can also use an oil-free make-up primer or a sunblock instead to reduce the friction between the mask and the face.

5. Take a Break From Wearing the Mask

Every now and then, take a break from wearing the mask so you and your skin can breathe properly. But remember before you remove it, make sure you go to a place where it is safe to do so; when you are away from the crowd or inside your car for example.

6. Make sure Mask is Clean

Masks should be treated like underwear. Wash them after using them once. Change them right away after sweating or exercising. Masks should always be clean. Wash them with a mild fragrance-free detergent and dry them. If you are using disposable masks, dispose them after one use. Do not recycle.

7. Refrain from Touching Your Face and Mask

As a precaution, refrain from touching your face and mask. It is a way to not only protect your skin but yourself as well from the virus for your hands might be dirty or contaminated.

8. Put Lip Balm

Trapped heat and humidity inside the masks can cause dryness. Just like the skin, it can also cause irritation to the lips. It is difficult to keep on drinking water just to keep the lips moisturize. Thus, it is better to apply lip balm to avoid dry or chapped lips.

Even if it is covered, it is still important to take care of your face. Keep in clean, clear and glowing so that when the time comes when there is no longer a need to cover our faces with a mask, you are ready to show a nice, healthy looking skin to the world.

Beautiful skin requires commitment not a miracle.
– Erno Lazlo

Feature Image by Anna Shvets from Pexels

Jul

2020

Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Home in The New Normal

Reading Time: 4 minutes

The corona virus pandemic has drastically changed how we go about our daily lives. The issue of health and safety has been a major highlight in all of this. Cleaning and disinfecting protocols are being implemented in hospitals, commercial establishments and public spaces. Cleaning and disinfecting your home in the new normal is an important part of your household routine too.

While we prepare our household essentials to deal with an emergency; we also need to modify our way of keeping our homes clean and safe. We suggest that you try to declutter your home first. This would help you get rid of old stuff that you don’t use anymore so you end up with having less things to clean. Then, use these helpful guidelines to keep you on track in cleaning and disinfecting your home in the new normal.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

Cleaning and disinfecting may seem the same but they are 2 different processes. It is recommended that you disinfect after cleaning your home.

Cleaning means removing germs, dirt and impurities from surfaces. It only removes germs but it does not kill germs. It still lowers the number of germs, thereby lowering the chances of spreading them.

Disinfecting is usually done after cleaning. This is the process of using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces.

Be sure to wear disposable gloves when cleaning and disinfecting. Observe proper hand-washing right after.

Target High-Touch Surfaces

The corona virus can live on cardboard for 24 hours and 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel. Make high-touch surfaces in your home a priority when cleaning and disinfecting to limit the possibility of exposure. You should be cleaning and disinfecting these daily or after every use.

High-touch surfaces include the following:

Door knobs
Table tops
Dining chars (seat, back, arms)
Light switches
Refrigerator, microwave and oven doors
Drawer pulls
Kitchen counters
Bathroom counters
Faucets and faucet knobs
Toilets (seat and handle)
Light switches
TV remote controls
Game controllers
Personal computers (monitor, CPU)
Laptops
Mouse and mouse pads
Keyboards
Mobile phones and tablets
Toys

Clean the surfaces by wiping them with a wet hand towel or the appropriate cleaning spray. Then apply the designated disinfectant. This can be a disinfecting wipe or spray. Alcohol-based wipes or sprays with 70% alcohol can also be used for disinfecting. Leave on for a few minutes and wipe with a dry towel. Dry surfaces thoroughly to avoid pooling of stagnant liquid.

Hard (Non-porous) Surfaces

Common hard surface materials include stainless steel, laminate, porcelain, tile, granite and various types of plastic materials.

Clean the surface with water and soap or detergent. Disinfect by wiping the surface with the appropriate household disinfectant. Leave on for a few minutes and wipe with a dry towel.

Soft (Porous) Surfaces

Soft surfaces include carpets, rugs and drapes. Wash these items according to their instructions using designated cleaners for each material. Use the warm setting on the washing machine if possible and dry them completely.

If having these washed in a laundry shop, make sure to disinfect the room and floor where you unpack these items before storing them away or using them again.

Laundry Items

Don’t forget to wear disposable gloves when handling dirty laundry. As much as possible, do not shake dirty laundry to minimize the risk of dispersing the virus through the air.

Curtains, linens, bed sheets and pillow cases should be changed and washed regularly.

Curtains – every 3 to 6 months
Pillows – at least once a week
Bed sheets – once every 1-2 weeks
Hand towels – every 2 uses
Bathroom towels – every 3-4 uses or once a week
Kitchen towels – every day

Wash items according to manufacturer instructions. Use the warmest possible setting if possible. Dry them completely. Clean and disinfect clothes hampers and hangers afterwards. You can also place a disposable bag liner or a washable one on your clothes hamper.

In the Kitchen

The kitchen is where we unpack our grocery items and where we stay to prepare food. Make sure to wipe the counters clean after every use. Wash utensils with soapy water and soak in hot water if appropriate. Soak the dish sponge in hot water after use and dry completely.

Throw grocery bags coming from outside or soak them in soapy water and dry in the sun if you want to reuse them. Empty your trash can daily to keep your kitchen and your whole house clean.

How and Where to Clean

Ideally, you should clean the areas with the least foot traffic first. You can start from the bedroom and tackle the bathroom last.

When wiping surfaces, do so in an “S” motion so you cover the whole area without much overlap. Use disposable gloves as you clean and disinfect and wash your hands afterwards.

You can also designate an area near your front door where the whole family can leave their shoes, bags, keys and other items that they need to carry with them whenever they need to go out to work or run errands. This way, you can limit spreading the virus to other parts of the house.

Cleaning and disinfecting your home in the new normal isn’t as difficult as it sounds. It does require consistency and vigilance so we can keep our homes the safest and healthiest place for our loved ones to be. A clean home helps keep you healthy in mind and body too so you can keep pursuing your goals and transforming your life for the better.

Feature Image: Original Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash.

Mar

2020

Things To Get Rid Of To Improve Your Home

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Feeling bored? If you are one of the millions of people out there who are in a lockdown because of the coronavirus, now is the perfect time to clean and organize your home. A clean house is good for you and your overall wellbeing. Just look around you, for sure, there are things to get rid of to improve your home.

When your environment is clean you feel happy, motivated and healthy.
– Lailah Gifty Akita

According to a study by Nicole R. Keith, PhD, associate professor of Indiana University; people who live in cleaner houses are healthier and more active. On the contrary, another study reveals that people who live in cluttered areas are more likely to be depressed. Clutter affects people’s feelings and satisfaction about life.

Normally, people are so busy that they don’t have enough time to clean and declutter the house. That is the reason why things just accumulate over time. If you want a better and healthier life, take advantage of this time to get rid of things or clutter in your house. Here are top 10 things that you need to get rid of as starters:

1. Expired Food

Go through your refrigerator and your pantry. Avoid health risks by getting rid of anything that is already expired! If there are foods that you don’t eat, it is much better to give them away so that someone else can enjoy them.

2. Expired Medicine

Do you have any unused or expired medicines in your cabinet? You really have no use for expired medicine. It is best that you throw them away. Check the dates on the labels of each box or bottle. The ones that you will still keep should be properly labeled. Take inventory of those that you no longer need such as pain relievers or antibiotics. It is recommended that you throw them away also. Remember, they are prescribed specifically for you. It is not wise to let others take the medicines that was originally intended for you.

3. Expired Beauty Products

So, you can’t bear to part with an half-consumed expensive beauty product that you bought a year ago. Unfortunately, hanging on to expired beauty products might be doing your skin more harm than good. They might even become the cause of a skin problem.

In a study published by the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, results showed that about 70% of women in the study used expired beauty products and that 67% of the make-up samples used by these women were contaminated. If you use expired beauty product, there is a big probability that it is contaminated.

4. Clothes You Don’t Use

You might have shoes or clothes that you don’t wear anymore that are just taking up space in your closet. If you do, this is the best time to get rid of them. They may be outdated or do not fit anymore. Whatever the reason is, if you have not used them for over a year now, that’s a clear sign that you should get rid of them already.

5. Old Magazines

Let’s face it, you are not going to re-read old magazines or subscriptions. Before they even pile up and start cluttering your home, why not donate them instead to local charities, schools, libraries or free clinics?

6. Unused Plastic or Bottle Containers

It is always best to recycle plastic and bottle containers. However, if you have kept them for so long and they are still unused up to this time, it is best that you dispose of them already. Just may sure to dispose of them properly so that they can be recycle elsewhere. There are companies that buy unused plastic and bottle containers for recycling.

7. Outdated or Broken Technology

If you have old or outdated technology, that is considered an eWaste, short for electronic waste. These kind of waste can be extremely harmful to the environment because of the materials used in its production such as lead, mercury and arsenic. So, if you have old technology at home such us gadgets, TV remotes, cords, chargers and many others; it is best that you dispose of them properly. Include used and old batteries that are just lying around.

8. Old Toys

Throw away broken toys. Donate old toys that are no longer in used but are in still good condition so that you can make other children who are less fortunate a little happy. With the new toys that the children received over the years, they won’t notice if some of the old toys went missing.

9. Paper Clutter

Even in this digital day and age, you have probably still accumulated a lot of paper clutter in the house. Sort them out and throw away old newspapers, receipts, pamphlets, brochures, old bills, your children’s test papers and scribbled notepads.

10. Other Broken Items

Do you have any other broken furniture or items like chipped mugs, pens that are not working or broken jewelries in the house? Now is the best time to get rid of those. Remove clutter and get rid of items that are useless, broken and can no longer be repaired nor be given as gifts.

Edited Version. First published in Pinoy Smart Living 01.07.2019.
Feature Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay Images.