Preventing Infection at Home

Reviewed by Ylmard Grimaldi, LVN
Last reviewed: October 19, 2026

An infection happens when germs get into the body and make you sick. After a hospital stay or surgery, your body may have a harder time fighting germs. A few simple habits can help keep germs away. This page shares easy steps for you and your family. Always follow your doctor's and nurse's orders first.

Wash your hands

Clean hands are one of the best ways to stop germs.

• Wet your hands with clean, running water. Add soap.
• Rub your hands together. Scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
• Scrub for at least 20 seconds. That is about as long as singing "Happy Birthday" two times.
• Rinse well. Dry with a clean towel.
• No soap and water? Use a hand gel with at least 60% alcohol. Rub it in until your hands are dry.

Wash your hands:

• Before and after you touch a wound, bandage, catheter, or IV line.
• Before you make food or eat.
• After you use the toilet or help someone else use it.
• After you cough, sneeze, or blow your nose.
• After you touch trash, pets, or dirty laundry.

Ask everyone who visits or helps with care to wash their hands, too. It is OK to ask your nurse or doctor, "Did you wash your hands?"

Wounds and cuts

• Keep the wound clean and covered until it heals.
• Change the bandage only the way your nurse or doctor showed you.
• Keep the bandage dry. Ask before you shower or bathe.
• Do not pick at scabs, stitches, or staples.
• Put used bandages in a plastic bag, tie it shut, and put it in the trash.
• To learn more, see our Wound Care at Home page.

Urinary catheters

A urinary catheter is a soft tube that drains pee from the bladder into a bag. Germs can travel up the tube.

• Wash your hands before and after you touch the catheter or bag.
• Clean the skin around the tube every day, the way your nurse showed you.
• Keep the bag lower than your bladder. This keeps pee from flowing back.
• Keep the tube free of kinks and twists.
• Do not let the bag touch the floor.
• Empty the bag as often as you were told.
• Drink fluids, unless your doctor told you to limit them.

IV lines, PICC lines, and ports

An IV line is a thin tube that goes into a vein. A PICC line or port can stay in for weeks. Germs can get into the blood through the line.

• Wash your hands before anyone touches the line, caps, or bandage.
• Keep the bandage clean, dry, and stuck down. Cover it when you shower, as your nurse showed you.
• Do not swim or soak in a bath or hot tub with a line in.
• Only flush the line or change the bandage if your nurse taught you how.
• Do not let anyone touch the line who has not been trained.
• Call your nurse right away if the line leaks, cracks, or moves, or if the bandage gets wet or loose.

Vaccines

Vaccines help your body fight some germs before they make you sick.

• Ask your doctor which vaccines are right for you.
• Vaccines often talked about for older adults include flu, COVID-19, pneumonia, RSV, shingles, and tetanus.
• The flu shot is given every year.
• Family members and caregivers can ask their own doctors about vaccines, too. This helps protect you.

Keep your home clean

• Clean things people touch a lot, like door handles, light switches, faucets, phones, TV remotes, and counters.
• Soap and water remove most germs. If someone in the home is sick, you may also use a disinfecting product.
• Follow the label on every cleaning product. Never mix bleach with other cleaners.
• Clean the bathroom and kitchen often.
• Wash sheets and towels often. Wash them right away if they get soiled.
• Do not share towels, razors, cups, or toothbrushes.
• Store medical supplies in a clean, dry place. Keep packages closed until you use them.

Tips for caregivers

• Wash your hands before and after you help with care.
• Wear gloves when you might touch blood, pee, stool, or wound fluid. Wash your hands after you take the gloves off.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow.
• If you are sick, stay away if you can, or wear a mask. Ask someone else to help.
• Ask visitors who are sick to stay home.
• Put used needles in a hard, closed container, as your nurse shows you.
• Take care of yourself, too. Rest, eat well, and get the vaccines your doctor suggests.

Healthy habits that help

• Take antibiotics just as your doctor says. Do not stop early or skip doses unless your doctor tells you to.
• Do not share or save antibiotics.
• Eat well and drink enough fluids, unless your doctor tells you to limit them.
• If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar in the range your doctor gave you.
• If you smoke, ask your doctor for help to quit.
• Keep your skin clean and dry.

Signs of infection

Call your doctor or nurse if you see:

• A fever of 100.4°F or higher, or chills. Use the number your doctor gave you, if it is different.
• More redness, warmth, swelling, or pain around a wound or a line.
• Pus, more fluid, or a bad smell from a wound or line.
• Red streaks spreading out from a wound.
• Pee that burns, smells bad, or looks cloudy, dark, or bloody.
• Pain in the lower back or side.
• A catheter that leaks or stops draining.
• A new cough, or a cough with colored mucus.
• Feeling more tired or weak than usual.
• Throwing up or loose stools that will not stop.
• An infection that is not getting better, or is getting worse.

Know the signs of sepsis

Sepsis is the body's extreme reaction to an infection. It is a medical emergency. It can start from an infection in the lungs, skin, gut, or bladder. Older adults are at higher risk.

A person with sepsis may have one or more of these signs:

• Confusion, or being hard to wake up.
• A fast heartbeat, or a weak pulse.
• Fast breathing, or being short of breath.
• Fever, shaking, or feeling very cold.
• Clammy or sweaty skin.
• Very bad pain or discomfort.

If you think it may be sepsis, act fast. Ask, "Could this be sepsis?"

Call 911 if

• You see signs of sepsis, especially with an infection or recent illness.
• The person has trouble breathing or chest pain.
• The person is suddenly very confused, very sleepy, or hard to wake up.
• The person faints or cannot stand.
• Bleeding from a wound or line will not stop with firm pressure.
• Redness or swelling spreads very fast.

Questions to ask your doctor or nurse

• What signs of infection should I watch for?
• What fever number means I should call you?
• How do I care for my wound, catheter, or IV line?
• When can I shower?
• Which vaccines do I need?
• How long should I take my antibiotic?
• Should my caregivers wear gloves?
• Who do I call after hours?

How Newstart helps prevent infection

• Home health care brings skilled care, like nursing and therapy, to you at home. It follows a care plan from your doctor.
• Our skilled nurses can care for wounds, catheters, and IV lines, as your doctor orders.
• They can teach you and your family how to wash hands, change bandages, and keep supplies clean.
• They can watch for signs of infection and tell your doctor about changes.
• Ask your doctor if home health care is right for you.
• We accept Medicare and Medi-Cal. Coverage rules can be different for each person and health plan.
• Newstart Home Health Inc is licensed in 7 Southern California counties. We are currently serving Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange Counties. We are also Medicare-certified.
• We provide skilled home health care only.

FAQ

Related pages

• Infection Control
• Skilled Nursing
• Peripheral Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) & Midline Care
• Genitourinary Care
• Wound Care at Home
• Request Care

Sources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "About Handwashing." https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "When and How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home." https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/about/when-and-how-to-clean-and-disinfect-your-home.html (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Healthy Habits: Coughing and Sneezing." https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/about/coughing-and-sneezing.html (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "About Sepsis." https://www.cdc.gov/sepsis/about/index.html (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Preventing Infections That Can Lead to Sepsis." https://www.cdc.gov/sepsis/prevention/index.html (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Vaccines by Age." https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/by-age/index.html (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)
7. MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine (NIH). "Infection Control." https://medlineplus.gov/infectioncontrol.html (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)
8. MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine (NIH). "Indwelling catheter care." https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000140.htm (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)
9. MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine (NIH). "Peripherally inserted central catheter - dressing change." https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000462.htm (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)
10. MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine (NIH). "Central venous catheters - ports." https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000491.htm (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)
11. MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine (NIH). "Sepsis." https://medlineplus.gov/sepsis.html (checked Oct 19, 2026, PT)

Last reviewed: October 19, 2026