Flu Season is Here, Merry Maids Helps #TackleFluSeason

MEMPHIS, TN--(Marketwired - January 17, 2017) - We all know that eating right and exercising are great habits to help you live a healthy life, but did you know that cleaning your home can also play a big role? With cold and flu season in full swing, Merry Maids, the nation's largest home cleaning company and a ServiceMaster (NYSE: SERV) company, is sharing helpful cleaning tips that will help protect you and your family as the flu virus ramps up around the nation.

"We come into contact with many different people every day, and during cold and flu season, it's so easy to bring viruses into the home," said Debra Johnson, Merry Maids home cleaning expert. "The flu shot is an important layer of protection for people who can take it, but even then, you can still do more. No one wants to go through the misery of the flu, and that's why it's important to do everything you can to avoid bringing it home to your family."

Here are four tips that can help create a healthy environment year-round, but especially during cold and flu season:

Clean Contact Points
The first step to preventing germs from spreading is to know the main contact points in your home and office. These are going to be areas that are frequently touched or handled by multiple people such as door knobs, railings and light switches -- to name a few.

During cold and flu season, you'll want to clean these surfaces more often than the rest of the year. You can use a handheld steamer to kill germs if you have one, or you can clean these surfaces using disinfectant wipes.

As for the office, ask the office manager to speak with the cleaning staff about paying extra attention to these common points of contact during cold and flu season. It also never hurts to keep an extra pack of disinfectant wipes at your desk to clean it yourself at the beginning or end of each week.

Wash Your Cleaning Supplies
This might seem obvious, but as you clean, the microfiber cloths you use are going to get dirty. If you continue to use these cloths without washing them, you'll just end up spreading more germs around.

One easy way to clean microfiber cloths is to soak them in hot soapy water for two to three minutes. Afterwards, rinse the cloth in warm water until there's no more soap. Lay the cloth flat to dry or pop it in the dryer. Once the cloth has dried, you can use it to clean again.

Be Mindful of Shared Items at Home
You can't exactly quarantine family members if they happen to get sick. However, you can figure out how to prevent germs from spreading in your home. You'll need to be extra vigilant when it comes to washing shared things like blankets and towels, which should be washed weekly during cold and flu season. If someone in your family is actually sick, you should wash their bedding daily, and always remember to have tissues on hand, that way germs from coughing and sneezing are contained as much as possible.

Teach Your Children Well
If you have kids or have ever worked in a school, you know that little ones are great at passing around germs. Educate your children on the extra steps they need to take during cold and flu season, so that they know how to prevent germs from spreading. Some general guidelines you might want to share (and use yourself) include:

• Keep your hands clean by washing often. The CDC recommends scrubbing your hands for 20 seconds. Teach children to time this by having them sing the entirety of the "Happy Birthday" song twice.
• Don't share food or drinks.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.

Need help getting started? Don't be afraid to call a local Merry Maids for help. Merry Maids is happy to create a customized cleaning plan for your home, ensuring a consistent, reliable and thorough cleaning process every time especially during cold and flu season. To find the nearest Merry Maids location, visit merrymaids.com.

About Merry Maids
Merry Maids is the largest home cleaning franchise network in the United States. Merry Maids provides services in 48 states and the District of Columbia through more than 470 company-owned locations and franchised outlets. The company also provides home cleaning services in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom and has licensing arrangements whereby licensees provide these services in Hong Kong, Japan, South America, South Korea, Southeast Asia and Australia. Through its company-owned and franchise locations, Merry Maids employs more than 8,000 home cleaning professionals that service homes on four continents, including more than 200,000 homes in North America every month. Merry Maids is a business unit of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV), a leading provider of essential residential and commercial services. Go to www.merrymaids.com for more information about Merry Maids or follow us at twitter.com/MerryMaids and facebook.com/MerryMaids.

About ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster (NYSE: SERV) solves the homeowner's dilemma. Every day, we visit more than 75,000 homes and businesses through our extensive service network of expert professionals. Technology powers our trusted experts to engage with customers so they can order, buy and receive services when, where and how they want them. Our well-recognized brands include American Home Shield (home warranties), AmeriSpec (home inspections), Furniture Medic (furniture repair), Merry Maids (residential cleaning), ServiceMaster Clean (janitorial and residential floor cleaning), ServiceMaster Restore (disaster restoration) and Terminix (termite and pest control). Like, follow or visit us at facebook.com/ServiceMaster, linkedin.com/ServiceMaster, twitter.com/ServiceMaster, or servicemaster.com.

Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/1/17/11G127605/MM-How_To_Stop_The_Spread_of_Germs_During_Flu_Seas-dd1f8a6517509d95a84c1b7cfa221c93.pdf