What Everyone in the Household Can Do

• Wash hands with soap and water (for minimum of 20 seconds) or, if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand cleanser (like Purell® or other brand) after each contact with an  influenza patient or with objects in the area where the patient is located. Cleaning your hands is the single best preventive measure for everyone in the household.
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth  without first washing your hands . Wash hands before and after using the bathroom.
• Wash soiled dishes and eating utensils either in a dishwasher or by hand with warm water and soap. It’s not necessary to separate eating utensils used by a patient with influenza.
• Laundry can be washed in a standard  washing machine with warm or cold water and detergent. It is not necessary to separate soiled linen and laundry used by a patient with influenza from other household laundry. Do not grasp the laundry close to your body or face, in order to avoid contamination. Wash hands with soap and water after handling soiled laundry.
• Place tissues used by the ill patient in a bag and throw them away immediately with other household waste. Consider placing a bag at the bedside for this purpose.
• Clean counters, surfaces and other areas in the home regularly using everyday cleaning products. (Influenza viruses can live on  surfaces up to 8 hours.)