Skip to page navigationA-Z Site Map | A-Z Diseases & Topics Disease Laws & Rules Food-Borne Illnesses & Food Poisoning Outbreak Management - Disinfecting Your Home Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis in humans. The symptoms of norovirus infection include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramping and low-grade fever. Noroviruses are transmitted through the fecal-oral route—either by consumption of fecally contaminated food or water, direct person-to-person spread, or environmental contamination. Norovirus is very contagious and can also be spread through tiny droplets of material in the air (aerosols). If you or someone in your home has been exposed to and has symptoms of a norovirus, it is important to thoroughly clean and disinfect your living environment to prevent others from becoming ill.Be sure to use disposable gloves, a mask, a form of eye protection and protective clothing while thoroughly cleaning. Keep children away from the area before cleaning and as you clean.
It is best to use chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite-NaOCl) as the main disinfecting agent (other types of disinfectants are not effective at killing the virus). Use a new, unopened bottle of chlorine bleach and prepare the cleaning solution as indicated below under "Concentrations," using fresh bleach each day. (Open bottles of chlorine bleach will lose effectiveness after 30 days, so use a new bottle of bleach every 30 days for accurate concentrations.) Warning: chlorine bleach may damage fabrics and other surfaces. Please spot-test the area before applying to visible surfaces. For stainless steel, food/mouth contact items: 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water. For non-porous surfaces such as tile floors, counter-tops, sinks, etc.: one-third (1/3) cup of chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water. For porous surfaces such as wooden floors: one and two-thirds (1 2/3) cups of chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water. Leave the bleach solution on the surface for 10 to 20 minutes, and then rinse the area well with clean water.
After the disinfection process is complete, close off the area, if possible, for at least one hour. If there are windows, air out the area. Wash and sanitize hands thoroughly immediately after cleaning. Cleaning Procedures for Special Cases and Areas For areas exposed to vomiting or feces (poop) contamination: Use paper towels to soak up as much of the vomit or feces as possible, being careful not to drip or splash the material. Clean and disinfect the entire area with disposable cloths. Dispose of all waste material in sealed plastic bags. Remove all visible contamination with paper towels or other absorbent material. Discard in a plastic bag to minimize aerosols; seal the bag and put in a garbage can. Steam-clean the carpet to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes or 212 degrees Fahrenheit for one minute to completely inactivate the virus. For linens, clothing or textiles: Carefully remove any vomit or feces (poop) to minimize aerosols.
Keep contaminated and uncontaminated clothes separate. Handle soiled linens and laundry as little as possible. Wash contaminated items in a pre-wash cycle. Then, use a regular wash cycle—using detergent—and dry separately from uncontaminated clothing at high temperature (greater than 170 degrees Fahrenheit). Make sure that all soiled linens, clothing or textiles are kept away from clean items. For surfaces corrodible or damageable by bleach: The Environmental Protection Agency recommends phenolic solutions (such as concentrated Lysol® or concentrated Pinesol®), mixed at two to four times the manufacturer's recommended concentration, as best for surfaces that could be damaged by bleach. Source: Division of Environmental Health, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Dec. 2008. Reviewed and adapted by Division of Public Health, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Oct. 2011. NC DHHS: Personal Health Measures for the Prevention and Control of Norovirus (PDF, 61KB) - Updated October 2015
Now that you’ve invited Ashley HomeStore into your home, you’ll want to enjoy the furnishings for years to come. To ensure that you do, we encourage you to follow through with proper care and cleaning. This useful guide covers all types of furniture—from upholstered to painted—and mattresses and rugs. We offer countless options in upholstery—from fine leather and skillfully matched manmade alternatives (faux leather), to cotton, nylon, polyester, rayon and wool blends. For your reference, our upholstered products have a tag either under one of the seat cushions or beneath the unit itself. The tag provides a universal cleaning code indicating best cleaning practices. Leather isn’t perfect and that’s the beauty of it. All leather or “genuine” leather has natural markings, including variations of shade and tone, as well as nicks, scratches and wrinkles—characteristics that distinguish it from manmade materials. Expect that some marks will appear on the surface of your leather.
Their origin might be anything from healed scars and barbed wire scratches, to skin “stretch marks” and insect bites. By no means should they be considered a defect; nor will they affect the durability or construction of your piece. Such “imperfections” are your assurance that you have a true leather hide. Also keep in mind, grain patterns and coloring of leather will vary from hide to hide and also within the same hide, making leather all the more interesting and unique. A water spot can be removed by wiping the entire area seam to seam with a damp cloth so there is no “demarcation point” on the leather and the leather can dry uniformly. We recommend “Natures Miracle" available in pet stores for removing pet urine stains and neutralizing the area. Follow product directions on the product. Please note that anytime you are “washing” or cleaning leather you must do the entire cushion, seam to seam, edge to edge, so as not to end up with a water stain. If leather can dry evenly there is no "demarcation point.”
Ink remover sticks are effective in removing or reducing noticeable ink markings from most leathers. Small oil stains can be treated and successfully removed if addressed immediately. Rub corn starch briskly into the stain with your fingers until the heat from the friction is felt. That heat loosens the oil and allows the corn starch to absorb the oil before the leather can. Vacuum or brush the powder off. Repeat until the stain is gone. What does it take to clean water stains? Should you have a “ring” or demarcation from glass condensation from a glass, soak a new sponge with room temperature water; wring sponge as much as possible. Starting at the spot, dampen the leather and move the sponge to the edges of the cushion. Allow moisture to become less and less as you get further from the spot. Don’t scrub, just wipe. Whether you have an all-wood piece of furniture or a furnishing made of a mix of wood, manmade wood and wood veneer, you want to protect it from damage, maintain its perfect finish and keep it looking beautiful for years to come.
Here are some tips to help you do that. Nothing opens up a room like the beauty and transparency of glass. Of course, you’re so careful not to break it. But you don’t want to dull it or scratch it, either. A few simple steps can clearly go a long way. Whether to inject a rustic element or give a piece of furniture a modern, industrial flair, at Ashley HomeStore, we incorporate metal in our furniture in so many ways. Much of the metal you’ll find is powdercoated, resulting in a smooth, even surface. Colorful and unique, hand-painted furniture is a great way to express your individual style. It’s important to place these furnishings out of direct sunlight so the color and vibrancy of the painted finish remains fresh and crisp. Natural stone such as marble and slate brings an earthy, organic element into a space. They’re universally loved for their one-of-a-kind quality. From piece to piece, and even on a single quarried slab, there will be certain color variations.
Stone surfaces will have pits and fissures that appear as cracks. They result from immense heat and pressure, which formed the stone eons ago. These characteristics do not impair function or durability; rather they add to the beauty. And while marble, slate and natural stone are certainly quite durable, by no means should be treated as indestructible. Liquid Spills: Blot away the excess liquid with a clean, dry, white cloth; turning the cloth frequently. Spray the area with a marble cleaner or warm water and wipe. Food Spills: Remove food with a non-abrasive item such as a plastic spoon. Blot with dry, white cloth. Spray the area with a marble cleaner and wipe. How to care for your Ashley HomeStore rug? That depends on what it’s made of. Some rugs are fine to spot clean. Others, such as our polypropylene or wool rugs, should be dry cleaned only. So please check the cleaning instructions on the corner tag located beneath your rug for best results. Rest easy with the fact that your Ashley-Sleep® mattress doesn’t require much care and maintenance.