This article is sponsored by Lysol. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Motherly and mamas.

Maintaining a cleaner home might be easier than you think

It’s a pandemic parent’s ultimate catch-22: We’ve spent months (and months) waiting to get together with friends and family safely only to stress over every cough and surface touched when we’re together. To make matters more stressful, COVID variants and cold and flu season are also upon us and we must be more vigilant than ever to keep our loved ones protected.

But stopping germs doesn’t have to mean stopping life. Lysol has been a leader in germ kill and pandemic preparedness for 130 years as outlined in their documentary below. Now they’re using their germ-fighting prowess to help prevent the spread of germs in homes and schools by encouraging regular hand washing, wearing masks and disinfecting surfaces, among other healthy habits. They’ve even partnered with about 30,000 schools nationwide as part of the Lysol HERE for Healthy Schools Program–an initiative that aims to help kids miss less school so they are able to learn, grow and thrive through education, funding research, and working with partners – donating 230,000 Kinsa smart thermometers and over 15 million Lysol disinfecting products to schools in need.

Click here to learn what Lysol is doing to help keep schools protected this cold and flu season, and sign up for their newsletter here for more information, tips and tricks from a leader in germ-kill.

Fortunately, when it comes to helping stop germs at home and at school, there’s plenty you can do with ease and little time commitment for a big germ-kill impact. Here are a few of Lysol’s tips for helping to protect your loved ones this cold and flu season.

Start with a good defense.

If you’re planning a playdate or small gathering (or even just navigating a busier than usual home with more people staying indoors), set your home up as a clean slate. Not only will your home sparkle, but cleaning and disinfecting will also help prevent the spread of germs on surfaces to your family or guests. Look for a disinfecting spray that kills viruses (including the cold, flu, and COVID-19 viruses) on surfaces, including soft ones—like the area rug your toddler loves to roll all over. We love Lysol® Disinfectant Spray, which kills 99.9% of viruses, bacteria and fungi when used as directed, and can be used in virtually every room of your home.

Plan your maintenance strategy.

Sanitizing stations in heavily trafficked areas can help cut down on germs passed in a busy home or classroom (especially with kids spending more time indoors lately). Keep bottles of hand sanitizer in each room, and make sure the bathrooms and kitchens are stocked with easy-to-access disinfecting wipes to make it easy for you—and adults around you—to sanitize surfaces throughout the day. Lysol ® Disinfecting Wipes can even be used to clean smart devices and remote controls, and they’re three times stronger than a paper towel to clean more with less. While you’re at it, you may want to grab a few to-go Lysol Disinfecting Wipes packs to keep in your car, purse or diaper bag, too.

Take some of the dirty work off your hands.

Look for cleaning options that make less work for you. We love Lysol® Click Gel Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner for a messy hot-spot—the bathroom. These clever cleaners attach to the inside of your toilet bowl with one click and last for up to two weeks, which equates to a cleaner bathroom with zero extra effort. While you’re cleaning the bathroom, you should probably tuck a Lysol Neutra Air 2 in 1 in there, too—it disinfects surfaces while also deodorizing and freshening the air.

Wash away what’s left.

As we pay extra attention to cleaning surfaces throughout cold and flu season, we often forget a sneaky germ hideout: our own bed linens! Make sure you don’t have germs trying to overstay their welcome by using a good laundry sanitizer for linens. Lysol® Laundry Sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria that other detergents leave behind (and kills the COVID-19 virus in pre-soak) without the use of bleach. Add to your rinse cycle to sterilize your laundry in one load.

Equip your kids with great hygiene hacks. It’s understandable for parents to have concerns about sending their kids off to school amidst cold and flu season and a pandemic. After all, their health is any parent’s top priority, and kids are known to bring more than artwork and homework home from the classroom. Giving your kids good hygiene hacks like washing their hands thoroughly and often with soapy water, wearing their mask, and even sending them to school with Lysol® Disinfecting Wipes for teachers to use on their desks can help cut down their exposure to illness-causing germs.