Staying Healthy in Your Home Away from Home

Moving into your new home at college is fun, exciting, and sometimes scary. Between all the craziness, it’s important to look after yourself and your space. Keep your college home healthy by following these tips and tricks.

How to Build Your First Aid Kit

Basic first aid kits are a great purchase when living in your new space, but they don’t include all of the necessities. Here are some great additions you'll be thanking yourself for getting:

Burn Gel

Whether it’s a curling iron or the pot that you were making dinner in, burns are bound to happen. A soothing burn gel will heal those mishaps with ease.

New Skin

Cut on your hand? No waterproof bandages? No problem! New skin is a clear liquid resembling clear nail polish that allows you to paint over wounds. It dries on and creates a completely waterproof bandage. Unlike fabric bandages, new skin stays in perfect shape until you are fully healed.

Ginger Pills / Antacid Tablets

These two are absolutely essential for stomach aches and heartburn. Ginger pills are a natural solution to an upset stomach perhaps resulting from a questionable dining hall experience. Antacids are great to have on standby for a day filled with too many cups of coffee.

Emergency Phone Numbers

It’s a great idea to let your roommate or trusted friend know you wrote down contact information for your family, local emergency services, emergency road service providers, and the poison help line in your trusty first aid kit. It takes five seconds, and it can and will save lives in the event of an emergency.

Printed Copy of Medical History, Allergies, and Insurance Provider Info

These are awesome to have on hand in the case of an emergency, especially if Kent State is far away from your hometown. Put these papers in an envelope and tell your roommate or a trusted friend where it is in case of an emergency.

Keeping your college living spaces clean is essential to your health, but it can be difficult. These cleaning supplies can help you accomplish a clean space and make the process a breeze!

Small Vacuum

Disinfecting Wipes

All Purpose Cleaner

Reusable Sponges

Air Freshener Spray

Air Freshener Plug-In

Fabric Freshener Spray

Toilet Plunger and Brush

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Shoe Deodorizer

Cleaning Cloths

Pro-Tip: The Don’t Mix List

Bleach + Vinegar = Chlorine Gas

Bleach + Ammonia (Lysol Products) = Chloramine (Avoid mixing different brands of drain cleaners and toilet bowl cleaners!)

Bleach + Rubbing Alcohol = Chloroform

Hydrogen Peroxide + Vinegar = Peracetic / Peroxyacetic acid

What You’re Missing When You Clean

You might be surprised with how dirty your living space can be even if you’re a tidy person. Here are some spots in your living space that need a deep -cleaning- dive.

Light Switches / All Handles

As you know, commonly touched surfaces harbor tons of bacteria. These are commonly overlooked so make sure to give them a good wipe down a few times a week.

Inside of your Toothbrush Holder

These can be easily scrubbed with some all purpose cleaner and a spare toothbrush, or placed in the top rack of a dishwasher once a month. Having this holder clean will help prevent you from becoming sick or reinfection.

Your Keurig

Your Keurig is bound to be covered in all sorts of coffee splatters and spills. Wiping down the outside is a great way to freshen it up, but the best way to disinfect the inside is by running diluted white vinegar through the machine. White vinegar is safe to eat when diluted and a great natural cleaner. This makes it the perfect disinfectant to use every two months. Make sure to run regular water through the machine after cleaning so your coffee doesn't taste like vinegar!

Your Washing Machine / Dishwasher

These machines can become breeding grounds for mold and bacteria without proper maintenance. Look up your machine’s model online and find the filters in them. Take these out and give them a good scrub about 4 times a year. If you have trouble or share these machines with others, send out a maintenance request.