Germs, germs go away....

After my last post on hand washing vs. hand sanitizer I received a great question about other ways to prevent the spread of germs in public places.

It would be impossible to prevent all germs from being spread around. But there are a few precautions we can take to limit germ sharing.

When my two school aged daughters were younger their classroom teachers did a fun project with them every year. The kids got to grow germs. They went around the school like little scientists and swabbed different things and parts of the building. Where do you think they grew the most germs from? Not the restroom.... from door handles, light switches, telephone handsets and computer keyboards. Places we don't often thinking of cleaning.

Most commercially available disinfectant sprays and wipes can take care of limiting germs on these surfaces. A quick spray or wipe can help kill germs and bacteria and prevent their further spread. If you work in a public place or large office and/or share workstations think about having disinfectant spray or wipes on hand. It only takes a moment or two to quickly wipe or spray a computer mouse or fax machine to reduce germ sharing. The person you might be protecting from those extra germs might just be yourself.

Hand soap vs. hand sanitizer

Last week in two of my classes we had a big discussion on hand washing vs. using hand sanitizer. There was a story on Good Morning America about this which I went searching for this weekend. Both classes the participants insisted hand sanitizer was the best way to go, but some parents are concerned about accidental (or otherwise) ingestion of hand sanitizer by their kids. So what method is the best way to prevent the spread of germs? The study recommended good hand washing.

Good hand washing techniques wash germs away. It doesn't kill germs, just washes them down the drain. It really doesn't matter if you use regular soap or antibacterial soap. The study done at the University of Maryland demonstrated that use of antibacterial soap did not do a significantly better job than just hand soap. What made the difference with hand washing was the technique used. Wash for at least 20 seconds or more. Statistically they found that most people just do a quick rinse. It is the good rinsing with hot water that help wash the germs away.

There are also concerns that too many antibacterial products will lead to germs becoming more resistant or that we'll rely to heavily on antibacterial products instead of using good hand washing techniques.

Hand Sanitizers do the job of killing germs when you are unable to get to soap and water to wash your hands. To have any real effect the sanitizer must contain at least 60% alcohol. The 2 bottles I check at home this weekend at 63% & 64% alcohol. One area from the study I do disagree with it one of the last statements. GMA wrote that experts commented that most kids won't eat or lick hand sanitizers because they don't taste good. We had a large discussion on this in one of my classes last week because of all of the lovely fruit scented hand sanitizers that can be found in stores. One of the parents had a pomegranate scented hand sanitizer and actually took a lick of her finger after using it. She confirmed that indeed, it tasted like pomegranate. So for parents I'd recommend NOT purchasing scented hand sanitizer.

You can read the full GMA Article here.

So what's the best option? If you don't think you'll do a good job with hand washing (or don't think your kids will) hand sanitizer is probably a good alternative. At home and school good hand washing techniques with soap and water are the best way to wash grime and germs off your hands.

Change your clocks, change your batteries

Daylight savings time ends early tomorrow morning. On November 1st at 2am Daylight Savings Time it will become 1am Standard Time. One great benefit is that we all gain an extra hours sleep tonight!

But before you decide whether to set your clocks back Saturday night or Sunday morning, take a few minutes to pick up some new batteries for your battery operated smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

Battery operated detectors need to have good working batteries in order to operate correctly. A good way to remember this is to change the batteries every time we change our clocks. So tonight when you're thinking about when to change your clocks take a minute or two to figure out what type of batteries your detectors take and pick some up. And then either tonight before you go to bed, or tomorrow morning when you get up, as you reset your clocks replace your detector batteries. In less than 5 minutes you can ensure that your detectors will be able to alert you in the event of a fire or carbon monoxide emergency.

Halloween Safety

Halloween is only a few days away. Different towns have Trick or Treat on different nights. Irregardless if you have children out that night or not, we all need to exercise extra caution during Trick or Treat.

If you're driving at dusk or later watch carefully for kids darting out between parked cars or crossing the road. While many costumes can be bright and colorful, some are dark and may not be reflective. It can be easy to get distracted looking at bright Halloween displays, but keep your eyes open for costumed kids near the roadway.

Like most parents I’m finishing up my kids' costumes. When you look at your child's costume think about how it will look at night. If it is a dark color does it have any reflective striping on it to help them appear more visible at night? You can make your child's costume more visible by adding reflectivity - reflective tape is sold at most fabric, craft and pet supply stores. They can also wear glow sticks and carry a flashlight.

Does your child’s costume cover their face? Does it need to? Sometimes a little make up can be more comfortable than a full face mask. It would be easier for your child to see when they are walking at night and if you think they might be running it might be easier for them to breathe if they aren't wearing a mask. Also how long is their costume? Will they trip over it? If it is a bit long you can use fabric tac, a glue stick, masking tape or duct tape to quickly shorten the length of the costume.

Are your children trick or treating with you or another adult? Are they going alone with other kids? Do you know where they will be? Plan out where you are going or make sure you know which roads your children will be on.

Remind your children to never visit homes that do not have lights on or not to visit homes of anyone they really don’t know. Double check their loot when they return home to make sure all treats are in unopened and sealed wrappers.

Halloween is a really fun holiday. A little caution can help keep it a safe one as well.

Happy Halloween!

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