At home
What can you do to prevent and control infection
in your home?
- Clean, disinfect and air-dry your respiratory equipment
after each use. This would include any equipment that touches your mouth and
therefore may have germs on it from your secretions. Your nebulizer, PEP
device and spacer all need to be cared for according to the manufacturer's
directions. Please review cleaning and disinfecting instructions with your
healthcare team.
- Wash your hands prior to preparing your medications.
- Prepare your inhaled medications in a clean area in order to prevent
contamination of the medication and of the nebulizer.
- If there are other family members with CF, be careful
not to spread your germs to one another. Do your treatments separately if
possible.
- Cough into a tissue and dispose of the tissue in the
trash can, especially when you are doing your airway clearance therapy.
- Do not share any of your personal items, such as your
eating/drinking items, your toothbrush or your respiratory equipment.
- Keep your home clean and dry; excessive moisture in the home may breed
bacteria, molds, and fungi. Do not use a vaporizer.
Remember: Do not feel guilty if your child
becomes infected with a CF-related germ. We do not understand how germs come
into the CF lung from the environment. Simply do the best you
can.