Halloween celebrations are marked by werewolves, witches, tombstones, and giant spider webs in the back and front yards.

However, as Covid-19 continues to decimate special events, it is clear that 2020’s Halloween in Illinois won’t be spooky business as usual.

Expect fewer haunted houses, no macabre parties, and far less trick-or-treating. 

So what are you to do? Can you make Halloween events in Illinois extra hair-raising amidst the pandemic? 

Well, experts have answers for you. 

Experts’ Guidelines for Celebrating Halloween in Illinois

Nothing stops you from donning a costume, viewing horror films at home or in a drive-in theater, or carving a jack o’ lantern. 

What matters is how you do it. 

According to Dr. Mark Loafman, chair of family and community medicine at Cook County Health: “It’s small groups keeping distance, it’s wearing masks and these things can absolutely happen and getting outdoors is, you know, safe and able to do when it’s done in those constructs.” 

He says, “We want to avoid people getting into a situation where they don’t have control of their surroundings and people that maybe are lax about their mask use and their hygiene are going to contaminate others. I think the best way to take care of our families is to not get ourselves in those situations where we lose control, and it becomes a spreading event.”

Loafman adds, “Watch your distance, wash your hands and then wearing masks, those are the big three things for any kind of public activity, and you know whatever is done needs to be done in that way when those three things can be maintained.”

“And when we do that, we have very good luck controlling the spread of this virus and when we don’t do those things we get spread and when it’s a congregate event where there’s a lot of people coming we get super spread. And that’s what’s really, really killing us right now is the fact that we don’t just have low-level one-to-one transmission but we get events where one person infects five and they infect 20 and then you get 100 before you know it. That’s what we have to stop if we ever want to get through this.”

According to him, maintaining hygiene and engaging small groups can help families celebrate the day safely. 

He says, “What we recommend is you know families get together, so it’s safe houses where we know who’s going to be going where and we know people are following the protocols and is celebrating, dressing up and the other occasions that would be useful, and good family traditions and that sort of thing,” 

It’s also wise to partake healthy snacks as you uphold health principles, especially now that we are majorly relying on our immune system to fight the pandemic.

According to Loafman: “We try to focus on healthy snacks, try to focus on teaching children safe ways to communicate and how to enforce public health principles. I think we anticipate living with this virus for quite a while and maybe indefinitely and we really have to learn how to retrain all occasions and all events to be able to do it in a safe way so this is an opportunity to do that.”

When dishing candy, Loafman advises, “It would be good to know that the people that are preparing the candy are doing it in a way that’s hygiene-related and then safe for the kids so I think having a container out that we feel confident was prepared appropriately and then letting kids pick it up, but again, the issue then is that they’re all putting their hands in this bowl.” He adds, “So, you know, individual would be safer, individual handouts in some way so that there wasn’t a common bowl everybody’s reaching into- I think that’s probably a risky scenario.”

His insights are seconded by Dr. Arwady, a health expert based in Chicago, as she urges people to educate their kids on all matters Halloween celebrations amid Covid-19. 

She said there would be more specific guidelines coming up closer to Halloween.

The said guidelines will mainly depend on Covid-19 prevalence per community and incorporate the CDC’s new policies.

The CDC did, however, recommend safe ways to celebrate the holiday. Among them a Halloween scavenger hunt, virtual costume parades, and parties. 

Have you checked Halloween festivals near me? This isn’t just a day posted on the calendar, it’s a bona fide routine!

Also, remember to keep your home clean and disinfected, with or without any small parties or Halloween events. COVID-19 is still out there and it’s going to come back for another wave before it goes away forever. So, contact the Illinois Valley Clean Team to give you peace of mind and a fresh fall home. 

Fall is the time you start spending the most hours indoors. That’s why it’s important to implement fall cleaning. But tidying up your home can be challenging, especially if you don’t know where to start. 

Fortunately, we’ve prepared a simple fall cleaning checklist for you. 

Shampoo your carpet

With the beginning of the fall season, you can start your cleaning by scrubbing your carpet. You can rent a carpet cleaner, or decide to save some bucks by implementing popular DIY cleaning tricks. 

Clean all windows

For the best results, use glass cleaners or dishwashing liquid. Fill a spray bottle with clean water and add a few squirts of the dishwasher liquid. Gently wipe the windows using a clean microfiber cloth. Washing your windows on a cloudy day can help you spot the streaks easily. 

Clean bedding and curtains

Even though you might replace your beddings regularly, your bed might still be home to a lot of dust and dirt thanks to your unchanged mattress. And it’s not only dirt that might be a challenge to you – bedbugs might also set up shop in your beloved bed, threatening your peaceful night sleeps. Cleaning your mattress regularly can help you get rid of the dirt and bed bugs. 

A vacuum cleaner allows you to cleanse your mattress thoroughly. Steam cleaners do an even better job, considering they eliminate 99% of germs. The heat from the steam cleaner get rids of bedbugs and their eggs on your mattress. Better yet, the tool doesn’t release any chemicals, meaning you won’t be at risk of consuming any harmful products.

The steam cleaner can also come in handy when you’re cleansing furniture and curtains. It gives such surfaces a thorough clean.

Freshening up the bathroom 

Your bathroom should always be tidy, regardless of the season. Given it’s the room that gets you ready for the day, the bathroom needs a thorough and deep cleaning. Ensure you’ve cleaned the toilet, counters, and sink, and wipe the walls thoroughly. 

You can use a disinfected toilet brush to get rid of all the stains quickly. Also, regularly replace the towels, using the older towel to wipe your toilet’s sink. 

Organize the garage

The garage is one of the most difficult places to clean, so most homeowners put it aside, promising to declutter it one day. When you realize your car doesn’t even fit well anymore in your cluttered garage space, then it’s time to tidy up. 

To ensure the cleaning process is as smooth as possible, note all your garage’s belongings, taking into account how you’d like to carry out the cleaning. You can decide to give some things you no longer use away – it will help in creating some space. 

Use a wet-dry vacuum to remove dust and install any bins. You can then put away any of the stuff you’re considering keeping. 

Deep cleaning your garage can take a few days, but after you’re done, you’ll be surprised how easy it will be to clean the space afterward. 

Book a cleaning with us 

Having a tidy home, clear of any clutter, requires a lot of long hours. Illinois Valley Clean Team can help you clean every inch of your home, leaving you with a house you can be proud of. You can call us today and we can arrange a date and time for our visit.