Spring might have officially started on March 19, but as Calgarians know, “spring” in this city is an elastic concept. Now that temperatures are rising and nature is showing new signs of life, it’s time to give your home the spring-cleaning treatment.

Thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, keeping your living space clean (and sanitized) is more important than ever. Due to social distancing measures, people are spending the bulk of their time at home, and the novel coronavirus can live on surfaces there for several hours.

Health Canada recommends regular cleaning and disinfecting of hard surfaces with either household cleaning products or diluted bleach (created using a ratio of one teaspoon of bleach for every 250 millilitres of water). A list of hard-surface disinfectants and hand sanitizers that meet Health Canada’s requirements for COVID-19 is available here.

Focus on high-traffic areas of the home first, as these are the places where viral buildup is most likely to occur. Also, stick to a few all-purpose cleaning products to save money and simplify the process.

Depending on the size of your home, the number of people in your household you recruit to help and how thorough you want to be, your spring-cleaning routine could take anywhere from a couple hours to a few days. So, assess the situation and plan accordingly.