COVID-19 Your Family, Your Home, Your Health→

Watch for symptoms

Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure (based on the incubation period of MERS-CoV viruses).

• Fever

• Cough

• Shortness of breath

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:

• Trouble breathing

• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest

• New confusion or inability to arouse

• Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

Know How it Spreads

• There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

• The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

• The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.

  • Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).

  • Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.

  • These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

  • Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.

Everyone Should

Clean your hands often

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick

• Stay home as much as possible.pdf iconexternal icon

• Put distance between yourself and other people.

• Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread virus.

• Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others

• You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick.

• Everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.

  • Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

• The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.

• Do NOT use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker.

• Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.

More details: Cloth Face Covers

Cover coughs and sneezes

• If you are in a private setting and do not have on your cloth face covering, remember to always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.

• Throw used tissues in the trash.

• Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Clean and disinfect

• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.

• If surfaces are dirty, clean them: Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.

To disinfect:
Most common EPA-registered household disinfectants will work. Use disinfectants appropriate for the surface.

Options include:

• Diluting your household bleach.
  To make a bleach solution, mix:

  • 5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) bleach per gallon of water
    OR

  • 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water

  Follow manufacturer’s instructions for application and proper ventilation. Check to ensure the product is not past its expiration date. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted.

• Alcohol solutions.Ensure solution has at least 70% alcohol.

• Other common EPA-registered household disinfectants.
  Products with EPA-approved emerging viral pathogens pdf icon[7 pages]external icon claims are expected to be effective against COVID-19 based on data for harder to kill viruses. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for all cleaning and disinfection products (e.g., concentration, application method and contact time, etc.).

Spring Cleaning Checklist

There are few rites of spring more satisfying than the annual clean. For many people, however, the pleasure comes only after the work is finished. Your spring cleaning may never become effortless, but you can make the project more manageable --  and even enjoyable. This printable checklist offers an overview of everything you need to know -- including information on cleansers, stain removal, fabric care, and storage -- to zip through the process and arrive at a happy end.

After you read through the tips and techniques, tailor the list to your home and yard. Create a realistic schedule, keeping in mind that a single weekend won't suffice, as you'll need several days for more involved projects, such as shampooing carpets and organizing closets. Whether you prefer to proceed from the attic to the basement or start outdoors and wind your way inside, focus on one task at a time. And be sure to enlist the help of family members.

The information on this checklist was excerpted from "Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook" (Clarkson Potter/Publishers; 2006).

Source: Martha Stewart

If You Could Renovate One Room Only... Which would it be? Which would have the best return on investment?

According to Cathy Morrissey, of The Reno Chick, the answer is a no-brainer.

“If I had to say what gets people in the door, it is the front yard, your outdoor room,” says Morrissey, who has managed seven renovations since 2012. Each has returned a six-figure sum.

“That’s because if you can’t get them (prospective buyers) in the first 10 seconds, if you can’t make a good impression, you will never have a chance.”

If I had to say what gets people in the door, it’s the front yard.

Morrissey says her own daughter is currently looking to buy a home and already has decided not to stop and inspect 20 houses because she hasn’t liked the front yard.

“Investors don’t care so much because they are thinking about what they can do to improve it themselves but for owner occupants it’s their home so spend a little if that is all you have and it will bring the best return on your outlay.

“Make that positive first impression and you don’t need to spend a lot of money to do it.”

If you have less than $500, Morrissey suggests you:

• Buy some new plants and flowers
• Mow the lawn
• Clean the concrete
• Remove rubbish
• Prune existing foliage
• Add some fresh mulch
• Paint the front fence

She recently spent $6,000 cosmetically refreshing the front of an investment property in Sydney. She says the 35-day paint-and-gardens project made her $105,000 profit.

“Paint the fence if you can and get the front yard looking really neat because that will get people in your front door.”

 

Kitchen a sure winner

The kitchen of almost any property will return the best bang-for-your-renovation bucks when it comes time to sell, he says.

“I would say it is probably one of the most expensive (rooms) to do but for returns I would have to say the kitchen,” Hall says.

“If a buyer comes in, it really looks like a lot of money has been spent and a lot of hard work when they are confronted with a new kitchen but it actually doesn’t have to be expensive.”

Hall’s tips for saving money on your kitchen include:

• Shopping for a package of appliances including range-hood, oven and cook-top
• Buy flat packed kitchens and install yourself if you can
• Buy a mainstream brand of appliances suitable to your target market
• Don’t over-capitalise

“If you do have a bit of cash to spend, while it is the bigger ticket investment it will bring the biggest return on spend because it is your home’s highest traffic area and everyone really wants that open-plan flow to an impressive-looking kitchen.

“You will pay $15K-$20K for a top end kitchen, $10K-$15K for a very good kitchen but you could expect a return of three times minimum on that spend.

“In this current market you can sometimes get up to five times your investment on your kitchen reflected in your post-renovation valuation price.”

Cherie Barber of Renovating for Profit also thinks a kitchen is the most important room as “buyers love a smartly renovated, modern kitchen and, done well, you’ll always get a good return on investment.”

“Between $7,500 to $12,500 is a reasonable ballpark to budget for an average kitchen reno; obviously a lot more for a luxury fit out,” Barber says.

“I always say your kitchen reno budget should be no more than 2% of your property’s current value.

“The other really important room, for the same reasons, is the bathroom …”

Don’t forget the wet areas

Experts, including Justin Lilburne from JPP Buyers Advocates who renovates in his spare time, say updating a bathroom can potentially add sizeable value provided its bath, shower and toilet remain in their original locations.

If you don’t have to move these fixtures’ pipes you could save a lot of money and get maximum return on your renovation.

“A quick update could be done for $5,000-$10,000 and the return on investment would be$30,000-$40,000,” Lilburne says.

“However, adding an additional bathroom will increase the number of potential buyers and this will increase the gain; keeping mind it will depend on the type of dwelling and location of the existing plumbing along with ease of access.”

Source: Real Estate Australia (Caroline James)