Since the onset of the pandemic, homeowners have been increasingly interested in healthy home features, including germ-resistant materials, automatic faucets, smart toilets, and indoor air quality monitoring. To find out the best and smartest healthy home investments, Today’s Julie Pennell spoke with Dr. Ginny Boos, director of infection prevention at Saint Luke’s Health System in Kansas City, Missouri. Besides cleaning and disinfecting homes regularly, Dr. Boos recommends the following home additions.
1. Use a mudroom or area by the door to kick off your shoes
“I have always been one of those (people who insist) when you come into the door, you remove your shoes,” Boos told TMRW. “The less germs that you bring in, the better off your living environment is.”
The concept of the mudroom is nothing new, and it was trendy way before the pandemic even began. But now that there’s more of a focus on sanitizing and keeping germs out when you first walk in the door, it’s becoming even more of a coveted feature to have in a home.
2. Add a place to wash your hands as soon as you come inside
“The number one way to prevent infection is hand hygiene,” Boos said. “Think about how often you touch your face or hair and mouth in a day. That’s a common method of transmitting viruses.”
So, if you’ve got a mudroom already, consider adding in a hand-washing station. Or make it a rule that everyone who enters the house immediately goes to the closest sink and wash their hands.