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I have a guest who has been here for 3 weeks and leaves in a week. At the end of a crazy, stressful week I found out last night that the poor guy has the flu.
So I quickly used a bathroom/Lysol-ish spray to wipe down ALL the kitchen cupboard doors, door knobs, fridge doors, light switches, toilet flusher thingy (technical term), faucets etc. in hopes of preventing the other guests (and myself) from getting sick. I’ve changed all of the hand towels and dish towels (I do so every couple of days regardless) also asked him to be extra mindful of washing his hands a lot (and of course to let me know if he need anything).
What are some things that you’ve done in the past - think are useful tips for around the house when a guest is ill? More for preventing the spread of illness (there’s Kleenex in the room, and he knows he can ask me if he needs anything)…
This is not good. You might call Airbnb and ask if they have any advice. No matter what you do, the flu is contagious and I would not want to risk catching it or spreading it. I recommend you get a flu shot, I do every year.
Yeah, I’ve had the flu shot before and as it’s only good for some strains, still ended up getting the flu…(I’m also an ESL teacher and haven’t touch wood gotten the flu from students - thankfully)
Other years I haven’t gotten the shot and was fine. But you’re all right. Prevention, prevention, compassion!
i would suggest that kitchen and bathroom hand towels be changed daily as a routine. If someone has a cold/flu, then they should be provided with their own bathroom hand towel and told to use this and not the communal one. Other guests should be advised and told best prevention is diligent hand washing. I’m assuming the bathroom hand soap is a liquid in pump dispenser, bar soap is unhygienic unless you live alone.
Wiping surfaces such as door knobs, light switches should be done weekly as routine in a group living situation.
Have hand sanitizer availble at entry/exit doors & kitchen. This is from the Purcell website FAQs: + Are PURELL® Hand Sanitizer products effective against the flu?
The FDA (USA-Federal Drug Administration) does not allow hand sanitizer brands to make viral claims, but from a scientific perspective, influenza is an enveloped virus. Enveloped viruses in general are easily killed or inactivated by alcohol. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are recommending the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer as a preventive measure for flu prevention.
Hand sanitizer doesn’t kill all bacteria, C-difficile is one that isn’t affected, but it’s better than nothing. A damp towel is a haven for bacteria, my mum changed them daily, if anyone was sick, they had a different colour hand towel to use.
A bit extreme but effective options: Unless you are using a high temperature dishwasher, you may wish to have the guest use dedicated glass, utensils, plates, & cup or switch to disposable. If hand washing guest dishes etc. wash them separately & last. The dedicated hand towel is good or that guest could use paper towels.
I agree with the comments about compassion goes a long way…a tiny token could be when you guest gets better gift your guest a new toothbrush. (Flu germs can continue to thrive on the toothbrush…)
So now, he’s apparently feeling well enough to leave the house to do his work on campus…He said he’s feeling a little better today and I asked (despite thinking “Yaay! Sicky germs out of the house!”) if he was sure he was up to it. He said that he had to or he’d get behind. So I gave him his own hand towels and another box of Kleenex (and once again wiped everything down).
