‘You don’t know what they’re touching’: how to properly disinfect your home after a bout of flu

Germs can stay on hard surfaces for up to two days, and a proper clean down can prevent the spread to others

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Recently, I suffered from a nasty bout of the flu. As I emerged from my sickness-induced haze, I made a to-do list: restock my fridge, catch up on emails and most importantly, disinfect my apartment.

There’s nothing worse than getting sick only to infect your entire household. While the flu viruses stay on hands for only five minutes, they have been found to stay contagious anywhere from a few hours to two days on hard surfaces.