This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Clorox for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Completely avoiding colds during the winter is nearly impossible when you have three kids and some attend school. I do a lot for our family when it comes to boosting our immune system, but there is no doubt that they will eventually catch a cold during the winter months and bring it come to the rest of us. Colds are hard to stop, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t practice ways to stop colds from spreading in your family. I have put together five great tips that when practiced within your home, will help to break the cycle of infection if someone comes home with a cold.

Wash Your Hands

Washing your hands is the single most important way to stop the spread of colds in your home. According to the CDC, about 80% of infectious diseases are spread by touch! All it takes if for one person to cough on their hand (allowing the cold germs to get on the hands) and from there they will spread the germs on anything they touch after that. Making sure to remind your loved ones to wash their hands after coughing is important. When teaching your children to wash their hands, make sure to show them how to do it thoroughly. You will want to use soap and water and then scrub your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds. When you’re not near a sink or ouot in public, you can also use a hand sanitizer that’s at least 60% alcohol.

Cover Your Nose and Mouth

I often tell my children to cough into their arm (on the inside where there elbow bends) and this seems to work out well. We use our hands for so much and it’s the single most common way to spread cold germ. So if we can break that habit of coughing into our hands, your family will be spending less time spreading germs throughout the house.

Disinfect

Did you know that cold germs can live on surfaces for hours? This is why you should consider disinfecting common areas of the home like tabletops, doorknobs, remote controls, and toys. One of my favorite products to use are disinfecting wipes. They’re convenient and make cleaning around the house extremely easy. One brand I have been using for many years is Clorox® and I swear by them! Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes with Micro-Scrubbers not only wipe out germs, dirt and grease, but they’re textured to scour away stubborn messes other wipes leave behind. Now I can clean and disinfect tough messes in the home with just one easy step. A few facts that I would like to point out about these wipes is that they can kill 99.9% of germs that live on surfaces for up to 48 hours, kill 99.9% of viruses (Staph†, E.Coli‡, Salmonella§, Strep) as well as bacteria. Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes with Micro-Scrubbers are currently available at Target

Go Disposable

Colds can be spread by simply sharing common household items such as towels and cups. When someone in the house is sick, you should highly consider switching to paper products for the week. Think of it this way… not only will you be preventing the spread of germs, but you won’t have to do the dishes either!

Take Care of Yourself

Taking care of yourself to ensure your immune system is strong enough to fight off the cold is extremely important. You can do this by eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress. Such products as orange juice with plus vitamin c is something we always consume in our home during cold season. We also take probiotics, eat lots of fruits and veggies, and open up all the shades to let in as much sun as possible.

Being cooped up in the house during the winter months can be tough, especially if when there is a cold in the house! I hope these five tips were helpful to you and will come in use next time someone in the home has a cold.