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How to clean before, during and after norovirus

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Friday, January 10, 2025

Norovirus, a gastrointestinal illness so severe it has earned the evocative sobriquets “winter vomiting disease” and “two-bucket disease,” inspired by the vomiting and diarrhea (often simultaneous!) associated with the bug, is on the rise. In addition to sheer grossness, norovirus is notable for its resistance to many cleaning agents, including alcohol-based hand sanitizers.Subscribe for unlimited access to The PostYou can cancel anytime.Subscribe“It belongs to a group of small, non-enveloped viruses that can be resistant to some cleaning products,” says Callum Couser, a research and development operations manager at Reckitt, the maker of Lysol.Norovirus calls for what are known as “enhanced precautions” when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting. “This is a germ that is highly contagious, difficult to kill, and can survive for weeks on surfaces. You need to clean and disinfect surfaces to prevent reinfection, and you should wear gloves while cleaning,” says Jessica Ek, the senior director of digital communications at the American Cleaning Institute (ACI). Here’s what you need to know to keep you and your family safe from norovirus.The first thing to clean: Your handsWashing your hands is one of the absolute best ways to protect yourself against illness, and this is especially true of norovirus. Here’s how to do it the right way:Wet your hands with clean, running water of any temperature; you do not need to use painfully hot water for hand washing to be effective.Apply soap and lather your hands, including the backs, the space between your fingers, and under your fingernails, for at least 20 seconds. Humming “Happy Birthday to You” twice serves as an easy way to time out the 20 seconds.Rinse the soap off using clean, running water. Dry your hands well, either with a clean towel or an air dryer.It is important to note that hand sanitizer cannot take the place of hand-washing when it comes to this virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hand sanitizer “does not work well against norovirus.” If using hand sanitizer provides psychological comfort to you, you may use it in addition to hand washing, but the CDC says it is not a substitute.Cleaning and disinfecting are often conflated, but they are actually different things — and the distinction is particularly important when norovirus comes calling. Cleaning refers to the removal of unwanted contaminants like dirt or grease, whereas “disinfecting is irreversibly inactivating pathogens (microorganisms that may cause infections and disease) including bacteria, viruses and fungi,” Ek says. To put it another way, cleaning removes messes from surfaces, and disinfecting eliminates microorganisms, including viruses (like norovirus) and bacteria (like E. coli or salmonella), using products that are specifically labeled disinfectants.Not all disinfectants work on every type of microorganism, so it is crucial that you consult the manufacturer’s guidelines on the packaging to ensure a disinfectant is effective against norovirus. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency has an online tool, List G: EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Norovirus, that allows you to search for disinfecting products that the agency has vetted for use on norovirus; List G includes brand and product names, as well as the recommended contact time and the surface types on which the disinfectant can be used.As an alternative to commercial disinfectants, “steam cleaning can also help reduce the germs on soft surfaces,” Ek says. To disinfect mattresses, upholstered furniture, or carpet that have been exposed to norovirus, steam-clean them to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes or 212 degrees for one minute.Disinfect the right wayAfter identifying a disinfectant that is formulated for norovirus, it is also critical that you use the product correctly. The biggest mistake people make when it comes to disinfecting, Ek says, is not following directions on the products. “The label will have all the information you need to use the product effectively and safely,” she says. “When people skip reading the directions, they usually miss two key points.”The first, she says, is to clean the surface first: “Unless you are using a cleaning disinfectant, you need to clean and then disinfect so that the disinfectant can reach the germs in order to kill them.”The second is to allow enough contact or dwell time. “When disinfecting a surface, it needs to stay wet for the entire contact time noted on the label, which could be several minutes,” Ek says. If you wipe it off too early or don’t use enough product, you may think the surface is disinfected when it isn’t because the product didn’t have time to work.”Up your ‘level of laundry’If you or someone else in your household has been sick with norovirus, you will need to change the way you do laundry, incorporating “enhanced precautions” into your regular routine. These steps are outlined in the ACI’s guide to laundry levels. (Norovirus is considered the highest level; by comparison, the coronavirus is medium, calling for “extra steps” when doing laundry.)The additional precautions and steps to take when washing clothing, bedding, towels, etc. used by someone with norovirus include:Wear gloves when handling dirty laundry used by someone with norovirus and wash your hands thoroughly after removing and disposing of the gloves.Wash items as soon as possible; if you are unable to wash items immediately, bag them up in a plastic bag (rather than putting them in the hamper) until you are able to do laundry.Wash infected clothes, sheets, towels, etc. separately from other items.Avoid shaking laundry when handling it, which can spread germs.Use the hottest water and heat drying settings and cycle length that the items can tolerate. If your washer offers a sanitize setting, use it.Use a laundry sanitizer, like Lysol Laundry Sanitizer or Clorox Laundry Sanitizer, in addition to regular laundry detergent. Using a deep cleaning detergent, such as Tide Hygienic Clean, is also recommended for use against norovirus.Disinfect hampers that have had contact with a sick person’s laundry.How to clean up vomit and feces (we’re sorry)“When someone has been sick with vomiting or diarrhea, clean and disinfect the area as soon as possible,” Ek says. It is a disgusting job, but here’s how to do it the right way to keep yourself safe and to mitigate the ick factor.Don gloves. It is necessary to wear gloves while cleaning during and after a bout of norovirus, and to wash your hands after removing and disposing of the gloves. “Even if you are wearing gloves, wash your hands for a full 20 seconds with soap and water after cleaning,” Ek says.Pick up solids with paper towels, dispose of them immediately in a plastic trash bag.Cover the area with paper towels, press down to absorb as much liquid as possible, then dispose of them immediately.Once the surface has been cleaned, apply a disinfectant or use steam to kill norovirus on hard or soft non-washable surfaces; launderable items should go straight into the washer, and washed separately from non-contaminated items.Note: If the mess is semisolid, use something like a sturdy piece of cardboard or paper plate to scoop up and dispose of the matter, then use paper towels to absorb any remaining liquid mess.What to clean after norovirusOnce norovirus has passed, another round of cleaning and disinfecting is required to prevent reinfection.Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces.Clean and disinfect the bathroom, particularly the toilet and sink.Clean and disinfect the kitchen; wash dishes and/or utensils using the sanitize setting of your dishwasher if it has one; throw out any food that may have norovirus.Wash launderable items and disinfect non-washable soft surfaces with a fabric-safe disinfectant or by steam-cleaning.Clean and disinfect children’s toys.Take out the trash.“High-touch surfaces” refers to things and places we touch frequently. They include:Doorknobs, railings and handles, including appliance handles.Light switches.Faucets and toilet flushers.Hand and dish towels.Handbags, backpacks and tote bags.Car door handles and steering wheels.Eyeglasses.Remote controls.Cellphones, telephone handsets, tablets and keyboards.

The highly contagious stomach bug calls for “enhanced precautions” — the highest level of cleaning.

Norovirus, a gastrointestinal illness so severe it has earned the evocative sobriquets “winter vomiting disease” and “two-bucket disease,” inspired by the vomiting and diarrhea (often simultaneous!) associated with the bug, is on the rise. In addition to sheer grossness, norovirus is notable for its resistance to many cleaning agents, including alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

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You can cancel anytime.

Subscribe

“It belongs to a group of small, non-enveloped viruses that can be resistant to some cleaning products,” says Callum Couser, a research and development operations manager at Reckitt, the maker of Lysol.

Norovirus calls for what are known as “enhanced precautions” when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting. “This is a germ that is highly contagious, difficult to kill, and can survive for weeks on surfaces. You need to clean and disinfect surfaces to prevent reinfection, and you should wear gloves while cleaning,” says Jessica Ek, the senior director of digital communications at the American Cleaning Institute (ACI). Here’s what you need to know to keep you and your family safe from norovirus.

The first thing to clean: Your hands

Washing your hands is one of the absolute best ways to protect yourself against illness, and this is especially true of norovirus. Here’s how to do it the right way:

Wet your hands with clean, running water of any temperature; you do not need to use painfully hot water for hand washing to be effective.

Apply soap and lather your hands, including the backs, the space between your fingers, and under your fingernails, for at least 20 seconds. Humming “Happy Birthday to You” twice serves as an easy way to time out the 20 seconds.

Rinse the soap off using clean, running water. Dry your hands well, either with a clean towel or an air dryer.

It is important to note that hand sanitizer cannot take the place of hand-washing when it comes to this virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hand sanitizer “does not work well against norovirus.” If using hand sanitizer provides psychological comfort to you, you may use it in addition to hand washing, but the CDC says it is not a substitute.

Cleaning and disinfecting are often conflated, but they are actually different things — and the distinction is particularly important when norovirus comes calling. Cleaning refers to the removal of unwanted contaminants like dirt or grease, whereas “disinfecting is irreversibly inactivating pathogens (microorganisms that may cause infections and disease) including bacteria, viruses and fungi,” Ek says. To put it another way, cleaning removes messes from surfaces, and disinfecting eliminates microorganisms, including viruses (like norovirus) and bacteria (like E. coli or salmonella), using products that are specifically labeled disinfectants.

Not all disinfectants work on every type of microorganism, so it is crucial that you consult the manufacturer’s guidelines on the packaging to ensure a disinfectant is effective against norovirus. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency has an online tool, List G: EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Norovirus, that allows you to search for disinfecting products that the agency has vetted for use on norovirus; List G includes brand and product names, as well as the recommended contact time and the surface types on which the disinfectant can be used.

As an alternative to commercial disinfectants, “steam cleaning can also help reduce the germs on soft surfaces,” Ek says. To disinfect mattresses, upholstered furniture, or carpet that have been exposed to norovirus, steam-clean them to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes or 212 degrees for one minute.

Disinfect the right way

After identifying a disinfectant that is formulated for norovirus, it is also critical that you use the product correctly. The biggest mistake people make when it comes to disinfecting, Ek says, is not following directions on the products. “The label will have all the information you need to use the product effectively and safely,” she says. “When people skip reading the directions, they usually miss two key points.”

The first, she says, is to clean the surface first: “Unless you are using a cleaning disinfectant, you need to clean and then disinfect so that the disinfectant can reach the germs in order to kill them.”

The second is to allow enough contact or dwell time. “When disinfecting a surface, it needs to stay wet for the entire contact time noted on the label, which could be several minutes,” Ek says. If you wipe it off too early or don’t use enough product, you may think the surface is disinfected when it isn’t because the product didn’t have time to work.”

Up your ‘level of laundry’

If you or someone else in your household has been sick with norovirus, you will need to change the way you do laundry, incorporating “enhanced precautions” into your regular routine. These steps are outlined in the ACI’s guide to laundry levels. (Norovirus is considered the highest level; by comparison, the coronavirus is medium, calling for “extra steps” when doing laundry.)

The additional precautions and steps to take when washing clothing, bedding, towels, etc. used by someone with norovirus include:

  • Wear gloves when handling dirty laundry used by someone with norovirus and wash your hands thoroughly after removing and disposing of the gloves.
  • Wash items as soon as possible; if you are unable to wash items immediately, bag them up in a plastic bag (rather than putting them in the hamper) until you are able to do laundry.
  • Wash infected clothes, sheets, towels, etc. separately from other items.
  • Avoid shaking laundry when handling it, which can spread germs.
  • Use the hottest water and heat drying settings and cycle length that the items can tolerate. If your washer offers a sanitize setting, use it.
  • Use a laundry sanitizer, like Lysol Laundry Sanitizer or Clorox Laundry Sanitizer, in addition to regular laundry detergent. Using a deep cleaning detergent, such as Tide Hygienic Clean, is also recommended for use against norovirus.
  • Disinfect hampers that have had contact with a sick person’s laundry.

How to clean up vomit and feces (we’re sorry)

“When someone has been sick with vomiting or diarrhea, clean and disinfect the area as soon as possible,” Ek says. It is a disgusting job, but here’s how to do it the right way to keep yourself safe and to mitigate the ick factor.

Don gloves. It is necessary to wear gloves while cleaning during and after a bout of norovirus, and to wash your hands after removing and disposing of the gloves. “Even if you are wearing gloves, wash your hands for a full 20 seconds with soap and water after cleaning,” Ek says.

Pick up solids with paper towels, dispose of them immediately in a plastic trash bag.

Cover the area with paper towels, press down to absorb as much liquid as possible, then dispose of them immediately.

Once the surface has been cleaned, apply a disinfectant or use steam to kill norovirus on hard or soft non-washable surfaces; launderable items should go straight into the washer, and washed separately from non-contaminated items.

Note: If the mess is semisolid, use something like a sturdy piece of cardboard or paper plate to scoop up and dispose of the matter, then use paper towels to absorb any remaining liquid mess.

What to clean after norovirus

Once norovirus has passed, another round of cleaning and disinfecting is required to prevent reinfection.

  • Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces.
  • Clean and disinfect the bathroom, particularly the toilet and sink.
  • Clean and disinfect the kitchen; wash dishes and/or utensils using the sanitize setting of your dishwasher if it has one; throw out any food that may have norovirus.
  • Wash launderable items and disinfect non-washable soft surfaces with a fabric-safe disinfectant or by steam-cleaning.
  • Clean and disinfect children’s toys.
  • Take out the trash.

“High-touch surfaces” refers to things and places we touch frequently. They include:

  • Doorknobs, railings and handles, including appliance handles.
  • Light switches.
  • Faucets and toilet flushers.
  • Hand and dish towels.
  • Handbags, backpacks and tote bags.
  • Car door handles and steering wheels.
  • Eyeglasses.
  • Remote controls.
  • Cellphones, telephone handsets, tablets and keyboards.
Read the full story here.
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It comprised a brick-coloured concoction bubbling away in a test tube. The process is known as precision fermentation, which is like the fermentation used to make beer, but different: "precision" is a rebranding word for genetically engineered.In this case a gene has been added to yeast to produce extra vitamins, but all sorts of ingredients can be produced in this way, according to Dr Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro, Director of the Bezos Centre."We can make all the elements to make food," says Dr Ledesma-Amaro proudly."We can make proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fibres and they can be combined to make different dishes."The brick-coloured "food" is grown in a small biorector, a mini-version of which has been sent into space A much smaller, simpler version of the biorector has been sent into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the ESA mission. There is plenty of evidence that that foods can be successfully grown from cells on Earth, but can the process be repeated in the weightlessness and higher radiation of space?Drs Ledesma-Amaro and Shamsul have sent small amounts of the yeast concoction to orbit the Earth in a small cube satellite on board Europe's first commercial returnable spacecraft, Phoenix. If all goes to plan, it will orbit the Earth for around three hours before falling back to Earth off the coast of Portugal. The experiment will be retrieved by a recovery vessel and sent back to the lab in London to be examined.The data they gather will inform the construction of a larger, better bioreactor which the scientists will send into space next year, according to Dr Ledesma-Amaro.The problem, though, is that the brick-coloured goo, which is dried into a powder, looks distinctly unappetising – even less appetising than the freeze-dried fare that astronauts currently have to put up with.That is where Imperial College's master chef comes in. Jakub Radzikowski is the culinary education designer tasked with turning chemistry into cuisine.Kevin ChurchImperial College's master chef has the job of making lab-grown chemicals into delicious dishesHe isn't allowed to use lab grown ingredients to make dishes for people just yet, because regulatory approval is still pending. But he's getting a head start. For now, instead of lab-grown ingredients, Jakub is using starches and proteins from naturally occurring fungi to develop his recipes. He tells me all sorts of dishes will be possible, once he gets the go-ahead to use lab-grown ingredients."We want to create food that is familiar to astronauts who are from different parts of the world so that it can provide comfort."We can create anything from French, Chinese, Indian. It will be possible to replicate any kind of cuisine in space."Today, Jakub is trying out a new recipe of spicy dumplings and dipping sauce. He tells me that I am allowed to try it them out, but taster-in-chief is someone far more qualified: Helen Sharman, the UK's first astronaut, who also has a PhD in chemistry.Kevin Church/BBC NewsBritain's first astronaut, Helen Sharman and I taste test what might be the space food of the futureWe tasted the steaming dumplings together. My view: "They are absolutely gorgeous!"Dr Sharman's expert view, not dissimilar: "You get a really strong blast from the flavour. It is really delicious and very moreish," she beamed."I would love to have had something like this. When I was in space, I had really long-life stuff: tins, freeze dried packets, tubes of stuff. It was fine, but not tasty."Dr Sharman's more important observation was about the science. Lab-grown food, she said, could potentially be better for astronauts, as well as reduce costs to the levels required to make long-term off-world habitation viable.Research on the ISS has shown that the biochemistry of astronauts' bodies changes during long duration space missions: their hormone balance and iron levels alter, and they we lose calcium from their bones. Astronauts take supplements to compensate, but lab-grown food could in principle be tweaked with the extra ingredients already built in, says Dr Sharman."Astronauts tend to lose weight because they are not eating as much because they don't have the variety and interest in their diet," she told me."So, astronauts might be more open to having something that has been cooked from scratch and a feeling that you are really eating wholesome food."

Food
Chemicals
Energy

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