One clever way to make sure you banish coronavirus germs

By Kim Komando

March 24, 2020

© Buddhilakshan4 | Dreamstime

Amid the outbreak of COVID-19, the CDC recommends everyone wash their hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If you can’t always access soap and water, hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can do the trick as well.

But with many people preoccupied with adapting their schedules to a new normal, it can be hard to remember to wash your hands. Plus, hands aren’t the only things you should wash. Tap or click here for 5 other things you need to sanitize regularly.

So how can you remember to regularly wash your hands throughout the day? Turns out any Android smartphone can use Google Calendar to set reminders. Here’s how.

Set reminders

You’ll need a Google account to access the Google Calendar app from your Android, PC or even iOS device. Once that’s set up, just follow these few quick steps to enable reminders:

1. If not installed, download and install the Google Calendar app from the Google Play store.
2. Open the Google Calendar app.
3. Tap Create event, then select Reminder.
4. Enter your reminder to wash your hands.
5. Select your desired date, time and frequency.
6. Tap Save.

Once a reminder is set, at your selected time and interval your reminder will appear and stay on your screen until you mark it as done. Once marked as done, the reminder will appear crossed out on the Google Calendar app.

While this is a great way to remember to wash your hands regularly, make sure to keep other things clean, too. Like your smartphone. Tap or click here to learn how to disinfect your phone.

How to Delete Google reminders

Eventually, washing your hands will become second nature and you will no longer need your phone to remind you. When that time comes, deleting a reminder is simple:

1. Open the Google Calendar app.
2. Tap the reminder you want to delete.
3. Tap More on the top right of the screen, then tap Delete.

See how easy that was?

Now that you know how to remind yourself to regularly wash up, it’s time to work on your mental health. All the fearmongering online and in the news can take its toll, so if you’re feeling stressed, tap or click here for a list of apps to help take your mind off the coronavirus pandemic.

Tags: apps, coronavirus, disinfect, Google, Google Calendar, mental health, pandemic, reminders, smartphones