Two questions run through your mind when your kid starts throwing up from a stomach bug. Number one: What’s the best way to clean and contain the mess? And number two: Am I going to be puking tomorrow, too? Turns out, the second question depends on how you answer the first. In other words, learning what kills the norovirus can help you avoid catching it yourself.

Norovirus, also known as the stomach flu or stomach bug, is basically spread through close contact with a sick person. More specifically, when tiny germ particles inside vomit or feces are transmitted into someone else’s mouth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Gross as that sounds, if you’ve ever been around someone with a stomach bug, you know how easily that transmission can happen.

“Norovirus is very contagious. And for parents, taking care of a child lends itself to this kind of close contact, so it’s likely that parents will also contract the virus,” says Carla Garcia Carreno, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at Children’s Medical Center Plano in Plano, Texas. Even worse? The virus can spread up to two days before a person (in this case, your kid) even starts showing symptoms, she adds. So…brace yourself.

That said, it’s not completely hopeless. You might be able to avoid getting sick if you’re super careful (and super lucky). “Just because your child is displaying symptoms of norovirus or you may have been exposed doesn’t guarantee you’ll get sick yourself,” says Brynna Connor, MD, a board-certified family medicine physician with Northwest Pharmacy in Austin, Texas.

Read on to see what the experts say to do.

First: Is it definitely a stomach bug?

Because vomiting can happen for other reasons (hello, food poisoning), first confirm that norovirus is actually the thing that’s making your child sick. Both foodborne illness and stomach bugs can cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, and body aches. But food poisoning tends to hit a lot faster.

“Norovirus symptoms usually appear 24 to 48 hours after exposure,” Dr. Carreno says. Food poisoning, on the other hand, usually hits within a couple hours of eating something contaminated with some nasty germs, per the Mayo Clinic. “Timing can be the biggest indicator, as food poisoning symptoms usually appear sooner than with a norovirus infection.”

So if your child mentioned that a classmate threw up all over her desk earlier in the week, that’s probably norovirus. If their symptoms seem to flare up a couple hours after eating some leftover rice, it’s almost definitely food poisoning.

How to avoid getting sick when someone brings home the bug

Ultimately, it’s about doing everything you can to minimize your chances for coming in contact with the offending germs— which, again, are in your child’s vomit and/or poop. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Wash your hands often (but *don’t* rely on hand sanitizer)

As with other illnesses, washing your hands properly and frequently (especially after cleaning up messes) with soap and water (for at least 20 seconds, please) is a must, because it keeps any germs that may be on your hands from getting into your system via your mouth, nose, or eyes, Dr. Carreno says.

As for hand sanitizer? It’s not that effective against norovirus, per the Mayo Clinic, so don’t count on it to de-germ when you’re dealing with the stomach bug.

2. Clean contaminated surfaces with a bleach solution

“Thorough cleaning is critical, as the norovirus can survive for long periods of time if the surface is not properly disinfected,” Dr. Carreno says. Your go-to disinfectant: A homemade solution of 1 1/2 cups of bleach and 1 gallon of water, the Mayo Clinic recommends. Without bleach, “norovirus is notoriously difficult to remove because it’s resistant to many common household disinfectants,” Dr. Connor says.

While wearing disposable gloves, wipe or spray the bleach solution on any hard surfaces that may have come in contact with your child’s vomit or diarrhea, let it sit for at least five minutes, then wash the area with soap and hot water. If you wiped with paper towels, bag them (and your gloves) up in their own trash bag and toss them. If you used reusable rags or kitchen towels, put them in the wash immediately, the Mayo Clinic says.

You can also use your bleach mixture to clean “high-touch” surfaces (think: countertops, eating surfaces, door handles, light switches) and to sanitize toys (especially bath toys) too. Submerge the toys in the bleach solution for at least five minutes, then submerge them in soap and water, rinse, and lay on a towel to dry. If a toy can’t be submerged, wipe it down with bleach disinfecting wipes, according to experts at Michigan State University.

3. Wash everything that can be washed

If there’s any chance that vomit or poop has gotten onto your child’s clothes, sheets, towels, or stuffies, wash them ASAP, the CDC recommends. Use the hottest water you can and set the dryer to the highest setting. “Heat is one of the best ways of rendering the virus inactive,” Dr. Carreno says.

4. Give your child their own towel

Take communal hand or face towels out of rotation until everyone is feeling healthy again. “Do not share towels, as it’s one of the easiest ways to spread germs from person to person,” says Dr. Carreno.

If you’re worried your child might forget about the no-sharing rule, have them keep their own towels in their room and bring the towels into the bathroom only when they need them.

If you’re fortunate enough to have more than one bathroom in your home, consider designating one bathroom for sick people to use and a different bathroom for healthy folks, to further avoid accidental germ-sharing.

5. If you can’t clean it, toss it

Norovirus can survive on surfaces at room temperature for days, according to the CDC. So if there’s any chance germs have gotten onto items that would be tough to clean, like toothbrushes or hairbrushes, play it safe and just throw them out, Dr. Connor recommends.

6. Avoid sharing food, plates, and utensils

Don’t pick at your child’s leftover food, and make sure they have a dedicated cup or water bottle that no one else will drink from. If it’s been on or near their mouth, there’s a good chance it’s contaminated with norovirus, the CDC warns.

Pro tip: At meals, consider serving your child their food rather than having them touch the serving utensils that everyone else is using.

7. Close the toilet lid when flushing

A flushing toilet can potentially spray tiny norovirus droplets onto nearby surfaces, like the bathroom counter, faucet, or even toothbrushes, found a December 2021 study in Scientific Reports¹. Closing the lid every time a member of your household flushes is an easy way to keep those droplets contained.

8. Be extra careful with diapers

If you have a young one who’s still in diapers, be extra careful when you’re changing them. “Consider wearing disposable gloves and sealing soiled diapers in bags,” Dr. Carreno recommends. “After, wipe down or wash the changing surface frequently.”

9. Don’t stress about masking

Masks are a great tool for limiting the spread of respiratory viruses. But they’re not effective for the stomach bug, because norovirus isn’t spread through coughing, sneezing, or talking, Dr. Carreno explains. “Much more important is avoiding contact with stool or vomit of a sick person, handwashing with soap and water, and proper disinfection of surfaces, including meal preparation boards,” she says.

How long is norovirus contagious?

Norovirus can be contagious for a while. It’s recommended that people stay home from school or work for at least 48 hours after symptoms have ended. But that’s sort of the bare minimum for how long your kid might be contagious for. People can keep spreading the norovirus for two weeks or longer after they feel better, per the CDC. (Seriously!)

While staying in full-on disinfecting mode for two weeks probably isn’t realistic, it’s still a good idea to stay vigilant about hand-washing, diaper-changing, and not sharing towels, food, cups, or utensils.

—medically reviewed by Jennifer Logan, MD, MPH