Defend Yourself Against Sick Roommates

It’s not a hopeless cause, you can stay healthy!Every year flu season rolls around throwing anyone who lives with roommates into a panic. “I’m bound to get it any day now because my roommate has it.” This really isn’t the case if both of you make some effort to protect each other. There are simple ways to keep the sickness away and maintain a germ-free home. All it takes is a little effort and some simple tools you can find at a pharmacy nearby.

Things you’ll need:

• Hand sanitizers (Get familiar with the Purell pump!)
• Tissues
• Extra bed sheets
• Surgical masks
• Small trash bins
• Airborne

The first thing to do, even if your roommate just “thinks” they may be getting sick, is to take Airborne. Airborne is a tablet that you drop into a glass of water and it keeps illness away. Originally developed for airborne sicknesses, the vitamins and minerals in it give your immune system a quick an effective boost.

Now onto your home. The trick is to target the areas of the house that have the most traffic coming through and therefore will collect the most germs. Starting with the most commonly touched doorknobs in the home, you should place a box of tissues and a hand sanitizer nearby each one: the front door, bathroom doors, refrigerators, etc.

Next you should protect the areas in which people spend lots of time. Living room couches and computer room desks are two examples in my home that I would target by taking extra bed sheets and covering the seats and tables. If you know your sick roommate has spent time in either of these rooms, washing the sheets every few days makes it easy to cleanse the area.

Some effort on the ill roommate’s behalf is also required. If they are affected with a cough urge them to wear a surgical mask. This keeps them from shooting out harmful bacteria directly into the air for others to breathe. Also, ask him or her to throw out their tissues, napkins, or any other trash right away after use. Keeping small trash bins in central parts of a room will remind them to do this.

I have lived with the type of person that lets their garbage sit on the table before throwing it out. When he got sick, I placed a trash bin directly in front of the TV in the living room making it impossible to avoid. Although it wasn’t the most esthetically pleasing location, there weren’t tissues sitting on the coffee table.

Staying healthy is not a hopeless cause. It is a matter of being enthusiastic about your health and encouraging anyone who passes through to follow the rules. Guests and roommates are usually glad to do so and thankful for your effort. After all, nobody likes being sick.