How can you keep germs away from your hotel room? We used to travel, stay in a motel, wallow on the bedspread, walk around barefoot on the carpet, and never give it a thought. Now we are more aware- especially since we’ve seen reports of high class hotels with the nightmare of bed bugs, as reported recently on MSNBC, tales of guests taking home athlete’s foot from the pool, or bedspreads full of romantic history. All this can really fuel a paranoia that can take some of the fun out of a few nights away from home – and our own familiar germs.
What can you do – once you slide that plastic key into the lock and open the door on ‘your home away from home – where they left the light on for you’ -to keep the germs at bay? There are quite a few things you can do to keep from coming in contact with E.Coli, salmonella, rhinovirus which causes cold, hepatitis A or C, H1N1 virus, herpes simplex, or the fungus that causes Athlete’s foot, plus a lot of other unfriendly germs.
First, follow that old Boy Scout motto– “Be Prepared!”
Take plenty of hand sanitizer – like Purell on your trip. The 8 ounce dispenser size is more practical but do tuck the smaller size bottles into the kids’ backpacks and your purse. They WILL come in handy.
Wipe off commonly touched items in the room like:
Door knobs and locks
Light switches
Desk and drawer pull knobs or handles
Pull handle for the room drapes
Bathroom faucets
Toilet flush handle
Toilet seat
Shower knobs
Bathroom counter
Handle on room refrigerator, if there is one
Microwave door handle, surface, interior
TV remote control
Telephone handle and mouthpiece
Remove bedspread and put it away
The previous guest may have lain down with his shoes on, tracking in germs, dirt and anything else he walked on; now it’s all on that bedspread. Maybe his messy Pomeranian puppy slept on the spread.
Only use glassware that is sealed in plastic
Did housekeeping touch the rim of your glass with the same fingers that she just used to clean the toilet?
Put your ice into a plastic bag – then into the ice bucket -not directly into an ice bucket.
That same ice bucket might have served as the last guest’s water dish for his dog.
Don’t walk around barefoot in the room. Make the kids wear flip-flops or slippers.
You do not know when the carpet was last shampooed and you do not know if that Pomeranian puppy was really house-broken. Besides, who wants to take home a foot fungus?
Keep your tooth brush off that counter!
Even though you wipe it off, put the toothbrushes on a clean wash cloth or keep them in your overnight bag
Put your luggage on the rack or bench that is in the room.
Keep your bags off the floor – don’t make it easy for unwanted little critters to jump in for a trip back to your house.
Check out the coffee pot
Coffee fiends really want that first cup of coffee NOW and don’t want to trek to the lobby for the free cup. So if you are one of these folks, just wash out the pot before you use it. You can bring a little bottle of detergent along or the Purell sanitizer will do just fine. Be sure to rinse the pot thoroughly before making your java.
Look over the pillows and blankets
Hotels change the sheets but it’s likely that the blankets are not laundered between guests – the same goes for the pillows. Ask for new blankets if there is any soil visible or if it will make you feel more comfortable. Some people bring their own pillows from home. This is easy when traveling by car but planes present another problem.
Take the time to follow these simple little steps as they will ease your mind and will also decrease your chances of getting ill. Children can be enlisted to help and ‘cleaning up the room’ can become a fun task that teaches the kids about germs – and a bit of self-reliance.
Don’t Let Desk Dining Make You Sick
Many months ago, when it became clear that we were entering into a deep global recession, my friend Jill started eating lunch at her desk. She could work while she dined, which meant she was able to increase her productivity and thus demonstrate to her boss that she was valuable.
She didn’t realize how dirty those working meals had made her work station until someone from the IT department pointed it out. He politely refused to work on her computer, which had frozen up, until she cleaned up the remnants of lunches past.
If, like Jill, you eat lunch at your desk, you may be doing more than grossing-out your IT colleagues. You may also be making yourself sick.
In 2006, research by Charles Gerba, Ph.D., a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, revealed that the typical work station is swarming with unhealthy bacteria—due in part because people are turning their desks into kitchen tables. In fact, his study found that a person’s desk contains about 400 times more germs than a toilet seat. The phone is the dirtiest, followed by the desktop, the computer mouse and keyboard, the fax machine and the photocopier.
It’s a problem at home, too, where computers are typically shared by several people. If your teenage daughter is eating a ham sandwich while she updates her Facebook status, bacteria from the food can linger on the keyboard and infect the next person. Some viruses can survive on surfaces for up to 72 hours.
Lots of people who work desk jobs eat lunch at their work stations. About three-quarters do so at least two times a week, according to a survey by the American Dietetic Association and the ConAgra Foods Foundation.
But not many clean their work areas, the same survey showed. More than three out of four workers only occasionally clean their desktops before eating, and 20 percent never do. Furthermore, only 5 percent of workers clean their keyboard and computer mouse daily, and 11 percent never clean them.
Here are some hygiene tips for people who dine at their desks:
Taking time to keep your work station clean is essential to boosting your productivity. Getting sick and missing work won’t help you impress the boss.
Cleaning Up After a Flood
It’s hard to imagine having your home—for many people, their sanctuary—destroyed or damaged by a severe weather event. Unfortunately, that was the reality for multitudes of people after the recent flooding in Nashville and surrounding areas.
The term “natural disaster” appropriately describes the devastation that resulted. After more than 13 inches of rain fell over the weekend of May 1-2, 2010, the Associated Press reported that at least 29 people died in Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi as a result of the storms. In Nashville, water damage to The Grand Ole Opry House was so severe that the legendary venue had to close temporarily.
Thousands of residents are now returning to their waterlogged homes to begin cleanup efforts, which are reportedly expected to cost $1 billion. Even though the rain has long since stopped, dangers still exist for people involved in flood cleanup activities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers the following safety and hygiene tips:
People affected by the floods in and around Nashville likely want to return to their homes as soon as possible. Following these safety and hygiene precautions during cleanup activities can help them to do so.
A recent Toronto Sun article reports that hand sanitizers are more effective at eliminating germs than hand washing with soap and water.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Dial Corporation, analyzed sanitizers that contain both ethanol and organic acids and concluded that they prevent the return of the rhinovirus—the virus responsible for roughly one-third of common colds in adults–for up to four hours after being applied to hands, a significant improvement over soap’s effectiveness at fighting germs.
According to the researchers, ethanol hand sanitizers removed 80-percent of the rhinovirus from hands, compared to soap and water, which removed just 31-percent.
“Ethanol hand sanitizers were significantly more effective than hand washing with soap and water,” the study concluded.
Dial’s involvement with a study involving two of its lines would seem to taint the findings as biased. However, with an academic institution lending its name to the report, the findings are far less suspect than studies that have relied solely on the work of private corporations.
The Dial Corporation, which is owned by the German CPG company Henkel, produces Coast, Tone, and Dial products, along with their multiple lines of bar soaps, body washes, liquid hand soaps, and hand sanitizers. Accordingly, it might seem odd that Dial has matched two brands against one another, a strategy more commonly seen between rival companies (i.e. McDonald’s vs. Burger King, Coke vs. Pepsi, etc.). However, in light of recent reports that questioned the effectiveness of hand sanitizers at fighting germs, combating the flu, as well as, others that analyzed myths and facts associated with their performance, the motive behind the study becomes more apparent.
The study lends instant credibility to hand sanitizers, but it then goes on to recognize the merits of soap, noting its role as part of a proper hand washing regimen. The report said that while hand sanitizers are more effective at fighting germs, soap and water is still a preferred method at removing soil and stains. The detour somewhat diminishes the primary message regarding hand sanitizers, though it is understandable in light of a parent company not wanting to cast either of its interests in a negative light. The final point aside, the study persuasively establishes hand sanitizers as a preferred germ fighting agent while reaffirming the virtues of hand washing with soap and water in the cleansing process.
More information on hand cleaning can be found at http://www.u-need-it.com/supplies-blog/2009/08/12/good-hand-washing-can-prevent-disease/
(link:http://www.meatinfo.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/10370/Foodservice_sector_needs_to_toughen_up_on_hygiene,_claims_expert.html) MeatInfo, a website devoted to Britain’s meat industry, reports that a food safety consultant has determined that UK foodservice facilities need to strengthen their hygiene and sanitation practices.
Speaking at a trade forum last month, Dr. Lisa Ackerley addressed how food facilities can “Stay Off TV and Out of Court,” a reference to the increasing media coverage of lax hygiene and sanitation practices among restaurants. Specifically, the UK’s Watchdog and Rogue Restaurants are reality-based TV shows that feature eye-opening misdeeds in British restaurants.
Ackerley cited several areas contributing to restaurants’ sanitation and hygiene failures: hand washing facilities; employee changing areas; restrooms; materials used in food preparation; and a common trade-specific practice known as the “30-second rule,” whereby restaurants reintroduce dropped food into the supply chain unless it has remained floor-bound for more than 30 seconds.
As a means for redressing the restaurants’ deficiencies, Ackerley proposed beefing up training for restaurant employees as well as introducing incentives that reward those facilities found to be in compliance.
The latter seems misdirected and sets a poor precedent. Rather than reward those who abide by the law, we prefer an approach that penalizes transgressors. Ackerley points to the success of Scores on Doors, a recently introduced program in Britain that identifies the cleanliness of restaurants with a star rating system (a similar grade-based system is used in California), as evidence that an incentive program—in this case, the receipt of a finite number of accolades—is working. However, we feel a better characterization of the program is one that penalizes poor performers.
When we were visiting California recently, it was accepted among our party that only those establishments bearing the “A” classification (California awards letter grades to reflect cleanliness) would be worthy dining destinations. We simply ignored those that received anything less. Such a system in effect therefore penalizes those who do not merit the more favorable assessment; it doesn’t reward those with higher stars.
Even putting aside what for some is a semantical debate, such a system still has its shortcomings. We would prefer that there be fixed minimal standards of compliance that merit either on-premise public consumption or not (in the same way that a physician is either licensed or not). Those that do not meet acceptable levels of hygiene and sanitation are therefore shuttered, an ascertainable level of compliance that ensures the public consumes food that was prepared in an environment that meets acceptable hygiene and sanitation levels.
As for redressing the common failures that Ackerley cites, the majority are situations where restaurants lacked adequate facilities that would allow employees to sanitize their environment (personal and surrounding). Of course, training programs that introduces proper cleaning techniques are also necessary, but the latter could not occur without the tools necessary for conformity.
The sanitation and hygiene practices of restaurants are notable public concerns, especially in light of H1N1 and seasonal flu epidemics. No doubt, the spotlight will continue to expose those whose practices are substandard, illustrating the importance of making sure that all food establishments are “up to code.”
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching reality TV shows like “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Top Chef Masters,” it’s that working in a restaurant is chaotic, fast-paced and filled with drama—which is why it’s so important for restaurants and restaurant employees to follow certain safety procedures.
The restaurant industry employs about 12.7 million people, or 9% of the U.S. workforce, according to the National Restaurant Association. About one-third of restaurant employees are teens. For this reason, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a web site devoted to educating restaurants and their teenage employees on safety measures. The tips can apply to adult workers as well.
According to the OSHA web site, common restaurant safety concerns include:
Burns. Whenever a server brings me my meal and says, “Be careful, the plate is hot,” I think, “How hot can it be?” The answer is: hot enough to burn you. Restaurant employees can also suffer burns while preparing hot foods or drinks, unloading hot dishes and utensils from the dishwasher, and reaching over candles on tables. While preventive measures such as using oven mitts and potholders can help, they can’t eliminate the chance for injury. There’s always a possibility that an employee will get splashed with hot grease or oil, for instance. So, part of restaurant safety involves having accessible first aid kits and providing basic first aid training to employees.
Cuts. First aid kits and first aid training can also help in treating cuts. Employees can accidentally cut themselves while cleaning up broken glass or handling knives and other sharp utensils.
Repetitive motion injuries. Prolonged standing on hard work surfaces such as concrete can create contact trauma and pain in the feet. Anti-fatigue mats are helpful for employees who stand for long periods of time, such as cooks. These mats help contract and expand the muscles of the person standing on them, increasing blood flow and reducing fatigue.
Slips, trips and falls. Even though you may feel like the service is slow when you go out to eat, I can assure you the restaurant employees feel otherwise. Servers rushing to take customer orders, fulfill patron requests and clear dirty tables—and dodging other servers who are doing the same—may be moving so quickly that they don’t notice hazards they normally would, causing them to slip, trip or fall. Restaurants may not be able to slow down the pace of the job, but they can remove many of the hazards. In fact, OSHA requires employers to “keep all places of employment clean and orderly and in a sanitary condition.” This means keeping floors free of debris, mopping up spills immediately and keeping floors dry. When the floor is wet, make sure to put up wet floor signs. Another way to prevent slips and falls on wet surfaces is to use non-slip matting in areas that tend to be wet, such as around the ice machine.
Improper attire and gear. Restaurants can encourage and even require employees to wear certain attire and gear as part of their safety procedures. For example, slip-resistant shoes prevent slips and falls, gloves protect hands from sharp objects and chemicals such as dishwashing detergents, and aprons prevent loose clothing from getting caught in kitchen equipment.
Working in a restaurant will always be chaotic, but it doesn’t have to be dangerous. By taking the safety precautions mentioned above, employers can leave the drama to reality show divas.
Several years ago when I was living and working in the Washington, D.C., area, it rained for something like 35 days straight one spring. This turned my daily commute into a newfangled triathlon: First there was the sprint to catch the train (which, if I’m being honest, was a result of my running late and not the weather), followed by a full-body-contact swim up the sidewalk to my office building, and concluding with a skate across the wet, marble floor from the entrance to the elevator.
And while that last event could be downright embarrassing at times (Scott Hamilton would have cringed at my performance), at least it didn’t result in injury. Not all workers are so lucky.
According to the web site of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), slips, trips and falls make up the majority of general industry accidents. While falls from ladders and other heights can be disabling and even fatal, such accidents are rare and are usually limited to certain industries, such as construction. Falls on same-level walking surfaces, or slips and trips, are much more common—and they can result in serious injuries, and even death, as well.
In my case, it was a wet floor that threatened to take my feet out from under me. Other causes of slips and trips include oily or polished floors, cluttered work environments, and loose carpeting or mats.
When falls occur in the workplace, it’s not just employees who get hurt. The company may experience increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, higher health care costs and more workers’ compensation claims.
In addition to having a compelling business reason for preventing slips and trips in the office, employers also have a legal obligation. The Occupational Safety and Health Act’s General Duty Clause requires employers to furnish a place of employment that is free from recognized hazards.
The good news is that slips and trips generally can be prevented. Sometimes the remedy is as simple as keeping aisles and hallways clear, providing adequate lighting, or smoothing carpets and mats that have become bunched. OSHA and others offer these additional housekeeping tips:
Businesses that follow these tips and use these products help to ensure their employees’ safety. Because let’s face it: Not many people can land a triple Lutz.
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Keeping dust under control in the workplace helps create a cleaner, safer and healthier environment for employees and customers. But it’s important to use the right equipment and techniques.
Certainly, a business’s reputation will suffer if it has giant dust bunnies multiplying in the corners of the room. But less visible airborne dust can also be a problem because dust harbors allergens and pathogens such as dust mites, fungal molds and fiber particles. Employees who are inside the building for hours at a time, for example, may suffer allergic or respiratory reactions, which could result in unscheduled absences. Even a customer who is browsing for just a few minutes but who has heightened sensitivities to dust may feel compelled to leave—and may not come back.
In its April 2003 publication “Airborne Allergens: Something in the Air,” the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases said dust mites are perhaps the most common cause of perennial allergic rhinitis. (Dust allergies are considered perennial because dust mites thrive in the summer and tend to die in the winter. But a hot or humid interior acts as a breeding ground for dust mites even in colder months.)
Allergic rhinitis is estimated to affect approximately 60 million people in the United States, and its prevalence is increasing, according to statistics published on the website of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Symptoms include sneezing, itchy watery eyes, nasal stuffiness, runny nose, stuffy ears and respiratory problems.
On its website, the Textile Rental Services Association of America (TRSAA) states that approximately 70% of dust inside a building is brought in from the outdoors. Floor mats placed inside entrances can capture 70% of this debris, according to TRSAA, which prevents dirt and dust from being tracked farther inside the building.
Of course, this means floor mats can get very dirty very quickly and therefore must be cleaned regularly. In addition to presenting a neater appearance, a clean mat will pick up dirt better than a dirty one.
Vacuuming floor mats is only minimally effective. According to the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, “Water is often the secret to effective dust removal.” The institute recommends cleaning washable mats with water hotter than 130 degrees Fahrenheit, as lower temperatures will not kill dust mites.
Other benefits of entry floor mats: They can protect floors in high-traffic areas and can prevent slips. Mats made with Nitrile rubber backings are generally considered the most durable. Many mats have a built-in static dissipative feature to protect against harmful static electricity.
No matter how well-made or well-placed your floor mats are, some dirt and dust will get tracked onto the floor. To remove this debris, dry mops are more effective than brooms, which can scratch floors and often just push dust around or up into the air. Dry mops, usually made of soft fibers such as cotton, pick up and hold dust. Dry mops can also be used on walls, ceilings and other flat surfaces.
Don’t stop there. Again, water is the key. Use a wet mop to scrub away any lingering dirt or grime that the dry mop can’t pick up.
Finally, launder dry mops and wet mops in accordance with the product’s care instructions.
U-NEED-IT.com sells a variety of dust control products, including floor mats, dry mops, wet mops and mop buckets.
Millions and even billions of bacteria can be found in the average kitchen. If you don’t keep this area clean, you’re serving up a veritable feast for viruses, bacteria and germs, not to mention exposing your family and friends to food poisoning and other illnesses.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to eliminate every single germ from your kitchen. What you can do—and should do—is keep bacteria under control. The first step is knowing where they may be lurking.
Dish towels, dish rags and sponges are notorious for hosting bacteria. What’s more, when you use these items for multiple purposes, you may be making matters worse through cross-contamination. For example, if you used a sponge to clean a cutting board for meat and then use the same sponge to wipe down a countertop, you’re spreading bacteria. Likewise if you wiped your hands on a dish towel after cracking open an egg and then use that dish towel to dry your favorite coffee mug.
Other breeding grounds for bacteria in the kitchen include cutting boards, the sink, cabinet and drawer pulls, can openers, rubber gloves, and appliance handles. Timers, salt and pepper shakers, bottles of oil, spice jars, and other items you touch during food prep may also be contaminated.
Now that we’ve identified the prime hiding places, let’s discuss how to keep the kitchen clean on a daily basis.
Before beginning any meal prep, wash your hands with warm, soapy water. Spend at least 20 seconds scrubbing your hands, your lower arms and under your fingernails. Then rinse off the soap under warm water.
Next, clean and disinfect kitchen surfaces. To prevent cross-contamination, use disinfectant spray or disposable disinfectant wipes instead of sponges or dish rags, and dry the surfaces with disposable paper towels instead of dish towels. It’s important to keep the kitchen dry as well as clean because bacteria thrive in moist areas.
Clean surfaces after every stage of meal prep. This is especially important when raw meats, poultry, seafood and eggs are part of the recipe, as they carry nasty bacteria such as e. coli and salmonella. Clean up spills immediately. Don’t give bacteria a chance to find a home.
After you’re done cooking, clean food prep items such as meat tenderizers and can openers in hot, soapy water immediately. Clean, disinfect and dry kitchen surfaces once more. Also clean and disinfect other items you may have touched while cooking, such as spice jars and drawer pulls.
At the end of the day, clean and disinfect the sink, including the faucet and the drain, and take out the trash.
Now what about the Big Three—dish towels, dish rags and sponges? If you must use them, wash dish towels and dish rags with soap and hot water between uses. To disinfect sponges, run them through the dishwasher or microwave them while wet for about 2 minutes (but keep an eye on them; if they get too hot, they could catch fire). Replace sponges every two to three weeks.
You should also deep-clean your kitchen several times a year. Clean the insides of your appliances—especially the refrigerator, where meat juices may be lingering, and the dishwasher, which can be susceptible to mold and mildew. Wash down walls that may have been splattered with grease or hit with cookie batter from an electric mixer.
By following these tips, you can keep bacteria in the kitchen at bay—and limit your dinner parties to invited guests.
Stock up on kitchen cleaning supplies, such as disinfectant wipes and paper towels, from U-Need-It.com (link: http://www.u-need-it.com).
