Opened a door lately? Wash your hands!

[megan]

The top hotspots for germs, up to 48 hours after the sneezey sniffler has left the building...

 

[EmptyNest]

Oh don't get me started on this one... I am a germaphobic.. Just saw that story on the news about all the germs in grocery carts from poopy baby diapers. I cringed when I put my purse in the cart. YUK.
And then my husband had surgery the other day...the outpatient waiting room had a phone in it with a sign that said "please answer this phone when it rings." Well everyone in that room was using that phone. By the time I picked it up several times, I kept getting out my hand sanitizer!!!!! I am writing the hospital about that. That should not be.
There should be one person in communication with the surgery and then they communicate with those in the waiting room. There were signs all over saying " please feel free to ask our staff if they have washed their hands." I am getting more and more concerned about this issue daily.

 

[Tony]

This is the reason I have a bottle of Purell in every room. As someone who was in the medical field in a past life, I use that stuff religiously.

 

[EmptyNest]

This is the reason I have a bottle of Purell in every room. As someone who was in the medical field in a past life, I use that stuff religiously..

But did you see the article...that this stuff is not effective against the new super bug in hospitals. Bleach is the only thing that will kill it!!! I am ready to put on my mask and rubber gloves when I set foot into a hospital again. The article said to ask your health care provider when was the last time they disinfected their stethescope???? how about waiting room chairs, examining tables etc etc. I know this sounds real paranoid..but the problem exists and it is getting worse.

 

[Morticia]

Oh don't get me started on this one... I am a germaphobic.. Just saw that story on the news about all the germs in grocery carts from poopy baby diapers. I cringed when I put my purse in the cart. YUK.
And then my husband had surgery the other day...the outpatient waiting room had a phone in it with a sign that said "please answer this phone when it rings." Well everyone in that room was using that phone. By the time I picked it up several times, I kept getting out my hand sanitizer!!!!! I am writing the hospital about that. That should not be.
There should be one person in communication with the surgery and then they communicate with those in the waiting room. There were signs all over saying " please feel free to ask our staff if they have washed their hands." I am getting more and more concerned about this issue daily..

Remember when hubs went into the hospital this spring? I was the one who got sick. I was in bed for a week after HIS surgery. I don't know if it was being in 2 different classrooms (went to the grands' school to see them) or if it was from the hospital. I couldn't move!

 

[user 26]

i am not a 'germaphobe'. i think we use too many antibacterial cleaning products that lower our resistance to germs.
i am allergic to triclosan that is an active ingredient in many hand disinfectant products ... purell i think has ethyl alcohol which ravages my hands sadly. so i am a hand scrubber with mild soap.
that being said ... in florida, the publix stores have wipes to wipe over the bar of the grocery carts ... a very good idea in my opinion.
i believe hospitals are one of the dirtiest places to be. i have worked in a couple ... too many viruses and germs floating around in the air maybe. not to be gross, but ill people waiting in er's or in admissions or just coming to visit ... coughing and hacking with problems like diarrhea, add poor hygiene, and it is very hard to contain the bacteria. introduce those issues into the environment around a person with a compromised immune system or someone having surgery and ..... it's a very serious problem. i used to take the alcohol wipes and run them over the phone, the keyboard, the computer mouse, the pens and the door knobs.

 

[ginocat]

i am not a 'germaphobe'. i think we use too many antibacterial cleaning products that lower our resistance to germs.
i am allergic to triclosan that is an active ingredient in many hand disinfectant products ... purell i think has ethyl alcohol which ravages my hands sadly. so i am a hand scrubber with mild soap.
that being said ... in florida, the publix stores have wipes to wipe over the bar of the grocery carts ... a very good idea in my opinion.
i believe hospitals are one of the dirtiest places to be. i have worked in a couple ... too many viruses and germs floating around in the air maybe. not to be gross, but ill people waiting in er's or in admissions or just coming to visit ... coughing and hacking with problems like diarrhea, add poor hygiene, and it is very hard to contain the bacteria. introduce those issues into the environment around a person with a compromised immune system or someone having surgery and ..... it's a very serious problem. i used to take the alcohol wipes and run them over the phone, the keyboard, the computer mouse, the pens and the door knobs..

Anti-bacterial wipes should be banned and they are being banned in some places. They kill good bacteria as well as bad bacteria leaving us even more vulnerable. I don't have anti-bacterial anything in my house. I use bleach or tea tree oil which is a great disinfectant. Put 15 drops in a spray bottle and clean with it. Do the same thing with hydrogen peroxide.
The other thing is to wash hands, wash hands, wash hands. The first thing my husband and I do when returning home from public places is to wash our hands with soap and water. We are training ourselves to keep our hands away from our faces when out. It's so easy to forget and to rub an eye or scratch an itch, though.

 

[GeorgiaGirl]

Here in Georgia most of the grocery stores also have wipes near the carts too. I almost always (but ALWAYS when I put my Grandson in the cart) wipe down the cart where my hands and purse goes. I always wash my/our hands as soon as we walk into the house.
A few years ago when me and Caitlin went on our 2 week cruise more than 1/2 the ship got sick with a nasty virus that really made them sick. We were traveling with a large group of friends and half of them got sick too, these were people we were around a lot. But we washed our hands (with regular ship soap) whenever we went to our room, or just frequently while on the ship and always right before eating and we didn't get sick at all, our friends were amazed.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

I was at the dentist yesterday for a cleaning.
What about the light they pull down after having their hands in your mouth? Sure they put new gloves on each time for new patients, but the light!
I had xrays as I hadn't had them for a few years. You have to bite down on this plastic bit for the panoramic ones. I asked her to put a new plastic bit on there before I bit onto it. Of course it ticked her off.

 

[hawley]

Personally, I think we need the germs to keep safe. Using alot of germicide can make you more suseptible to germs because you don't build up immunity.
I wash my hands and when I am out, make sure I don't touch my eyes, nose or mouth.
Hospitals and schools are germ factories, so protect yourself with handwashing.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

What about the clerks pen at the grocery store? I have my pen in hand each and every time and never set my hand bag on the little rest or use it to write out a check, ever. There are wipes at that particular store as well and when someone offers me their cart - hot out of their hands I decline it. I go get a cold one from outside.

 

[EmptyNest]

i am not a 'germaphobe'. i think we use too many antibacterial cleaning products that lower our resistance to germs.
i am allergic to triclosan that is an active ingredient in many hand disinfectant products ... purell i think has ethyl alcohol which ravages my hands sadly. so i am a hand scrubber with mild soap.
that being said ... in florida, the publix stores have wipes to wipe over the bar of the grocery carts ... a very good idea in my opinion.
i believe hospitals are one of the dirtiest places to be. i have worked in a couple ... too many viruses and germs floating around in the air maybe. not to be gross, but ill people waiting in er's or in admissions or just coming to visit ... coughing and hacking with problems like diarrhea, add poor hygiene, and it is very hard to contain the bacteria. introduce those issues into the environment around a person with a compromised immune system or someone having surgery and ..... it's a very serious problem. i used to take the alcohol wipes and run them over the phone, the keyboard, the computer mouse, the pens and the door knobs..

Anti-bacterial wipes should be banned and they are being banned in some places. They kill good bacteria as well as bad bacteria leaving us even more vulnerable. I don't have anti-bacterial anything in my house. I use bleach or tea tree oil which is a great disinfectant. Put 15 drops in a spray bottle and clean with it. Do the same thing with hydrogen peroxide.
The other thing is to wash hands, wash hands, wash hands. The first thing my husband and I do when returning home from public places is to wash our hands with soap and water. We are training ourselves to keep our hands away from our faces when out. It's so easy to forget and to rub an eye or scratch an itch, though.
.

Oh I agree about washing hands...I wash them all the time... and TRY to keep away from my nose mouth and eyes..that is a hard habit to break.
But..there are some places where you cannot wash your hands. I would have felt foolish running to the bathroom after each time I picked up the phone in hospital waiting room...though...I guess I still could hav done that. Anyway...I did send a message to the hospital about it and they have already responded back to me that they will discuss this and try to come up with a different way of doing things there. So that was a positive thing

 

[EmptyNest]

I was at the dentist yesterday for a cleaning.
What about the light they pull down after having their hands in your mouth? Sure they put new gloves on each time for new patients, but the light!
I had xrays as I hadn't had them for a few years. You have to bite down on this plastic bit for the panoramic ones. I asked her to put a new plastic bit on there before I bit onto it. Of course it ticked her off..

What??? They should always put a new one on for each patient.

 

[EmptyNest]

What about the clerks pen at the grocery store? I have my pen in hand each and every time and never set my hand bag on the little rest or use it to write out a check, ever. There are wipes at that particular store as well and when someone offers me their cart - hot out of their hands I decline it. I go get a cold one from outside..

They showed a grocery store in MD last night on the news that has a cart washer which sprays a hydrogen peroxide solution over the carts. I think they said it cost $7,000 but the owner was really concerned and wanted to provide the service for his customers.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

i am not a 'germaphobe'. i think we use too many antibacterial cleaning products that lower our resistance to germs.
i am allergic to triclosan that is an active ingredient in many hand disinfectant products ... purell i think has ethyl alcohol which ravages my hands sadly. so i am a hand scrubber with mild soap.
that being said ... in florida, the publix stores have wipes to wipe over the bar of the grocery carts ... a very good idea in my opinion.
i believe hospitals are one of the dirtiest places to be. i have worked in a couple ... too many viruses and germs floating around in the air maybe. not to be gross, but ill people waiting in er's or in admissions or just coming to visit ... coughing and hacking with problems like diarrhea, add poor hygiene, and it is very hard to contain the bacteria. introduce those issues into the environment around a person with a compromised immune system or someone having surgery and ..... it's a very serious problem. i used to take the alcohol wipes and run them over the phone, the keyboard, the computer mouse, the pens and the door knobs..

Anti-bacterial wipes should be banned and they are being banned in some places. They kill good bacteria as well as bad bacteria leaving us even more vulnerable. I don't have anti-bacterial anything in my house. I use bleach or tea tree oil which is a great disinfectant. Put 15 drops in a spray bottle and clean with it. Do the same thing with hydrogen peroxide.
The other thing is to wash hands, wash hands, wash hands. The first thing my husband and I do when returning home from public places is to wash our hands with soap and water. We are training ourselves to keep our hands away from our faces when out. It's so easy to forget and to rub an eye or scratch an itch, though.
.

Oh I agree about washing hands...I wash them all the time... and TRY to keep away from my nose mouth and eyes..that is a hard habit to break.
But..there are some places where you cannot wash your hands. I would have felt foolish running to the bathroom after each time I picked up the phone in hospital waiting room...though...I guess I still could hav done that. Anyway...I did send a message to the hospital about it and they have already responded back to me that they will discuss this and try to come up with a different way of doing things there. So that was a positive thing
.

Oh I agree about washing hands...I wash them all the time... and TRY to keep away from my nose mouth and eyes..that is a hard habit to break.
But..there are some places where you cannot wash your hands. I would have felt foolish running to the bathroom after each time I picked up the phone in hospital waiting room...though...I guess I still could hav done that. Anyway...I did send a message to the hospital about it and they have already responded back to me that they will discuss this and try to come up with a different way of doing things there. So that was a positive thing

I was at the hospital as well this week. Antibacterial hand spray gadgets all over the place - not liquid, but wall mounted, and masks in a wall container to help yourself while in the waiting area. I liked that!
But dang it, I have a kid who chews her fingernails after changing classes 7 times per day and using two lockers and riding the school bus and eating in the cafeteria. They NEVER disinfect the schools. I go nuts over it. I give LYSOL cans to the teachers as presents!! A kid died last year from MRSA in the next county. So yeah when THAT happened - death - then they disinefected the schools. They have bare bones janitorial staff. It is so ridiculous - sorry a can of worms here - we pay more per student in this country than anywhere in the world and we can't even have the classrooms clean.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

I was at the dentist yesterday for a cleaning.
What about the light they pull down after having their hands in your mouth? Sure they put new gloves on each time for new patients, but the light!
I had xrays as I hadn't had them for a few years. You have to bite down on this plastic bit for the panoramic ones. I asked her to put a new plastic bit on there before I bit onto it. Of course it ticked her off..

What??? They should always put a new one on for each patient.
.

What??? They should always put a new one on for each patient.

They should, but do they? I wanted it done in my presence.

 

[ginocat]

What about the clerks pen at the grocery store? I have my pen in hand each and every time and never set my hand bag on the little rest or use it to write out a check, ever. There are wipes at that particular store as well and when someone offers me their cart - hot out of their hands I decline it. I go get a cold one from outside..

They showed a grocery store in MD last night on the news that has a cart washer which sprays a hydrogen peroxide solution over the carts. I think they said it cost $7,000 but the owner was really concerned and wanted to provide the service for his customers.
.

How on earth did any of us survive growing up in our germy worlds?? We developed immunities. We were not germophobic!!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

What about the clerks pen at the grocery store? I have my pen in hand each and every time and never set my hand bag on the little rest or use it to write out a check, ever. There are wipes at that particular store as well and when someone offers me their cart - hot out of their hands I decline it. I go get a cold one from outside..

They showed a grocery store in MD last night on the news that has a cart washer which sprays a hydrogen peroxide solution over the carts. I think they said it cost $7,000 but the owner was really concerned and wanted to provide the service for his customers.
.

How on earth did any of us survive growing up in our germy worlds?? We developed immunities. We were not germophobic!!
.

How on earth did any of us survive growing up in our germy worlds?? We developed immunities. We were not germophobic!!

Our dear friend will be here tonight. He just got back - literally, from Asia. He spent time in Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, and inner China. This is how we survived growing up - most of us weren't in third world countries bringing stuff back and forth. SOme of us were, most of us weren't.
I can tell you that any indigenous people had total immunity to what they were around every day, but as soon as someone foreign came in, also came with them the forign germs like small pox and other deadly killer diseases. I have a whole book about this subject in Australia. Aborigines suffered greatly when the British settlers moved in. I see there is a new movie coming out called "Australia" with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. here is the preview. to totally sidetrack every further - comes out on Nov 26th.

 

[user 26]

i am not sure what you are saying about a dental office. i managed two over twelve years and nothing in one mouth went into another. the xray film holders are never used from one patient to the next. they are plastic and are disinfected in between. also, we put plastic wrap around the handles on lights. overkill? i don't think so since (sorry) there is blood involved in dental procedures. we had plastic wrap all over the place.
if this is not happening where you go, it's time to change dentists.

 

[ginocat]

What about the clerks pen at the grocery store? I have my pen in hand each and every time and never set my hand bag on the little rest or use it to write out a check, ever. There are wipes at that particular store as well and when someone offers me their cart - hot out of their hands I decline it. I go get a cold one from outside..

They showed a grocery store in MD last night on the news that has a cart washer which sprays a hydrogen peroxide solution over the carts. I think they said it cost $7,000 but the owner was really concerned and wanted to provide the service for his customers.
.

How on earth did any of us survive growing up in our germy worlds?? We developed immunities. We were not germophobic!!
.

How on earth did any of us survive growing up in our germy worlds?? We developed immunities. We were not germophobic!!

Our dear friend will be here tonight. He just got back - literally, from Asia. He spent time in Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, and inner China. This is how we survived growing up - most of us weren't in third world countries bringing stuff back and forth. SOme of us were, most of us weren't.
I can tell you that any indigenous people had total immunity to what they were around every day, but as soon as someone foreign came in, also came with them the forign germs like small pox and other deadly killer diseases. I have a whole book about this subject in Australia. Aborigines suffered greatly when the British settlers moved in. I see there is a new movie coming out called "Australia" with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. here is the preview. to totally sidetrack every further - comes out on Nov 26th.
.

I know all about the deliberate and not so deliberate genocide of the indiginous peoples of North America, Australia, NZ and elsewhere.
I agree that we have international germs now but the fact is that we are also exposed to those international germs so it's not like we haven't been around them - especially we in the tourism business. Many of us live in multi-cultural communities where residents and their relatives are travelling to various and sundry countries.
We need to be clean and careful but we've bundled up our children in cotton balls to keep them clean and have put their immune systems at risk in the process. We should use common sense but we shouldn't be so obsessed.
Hospitals are scary places!! Maybe we should be taking our own disposable gloves to wear while in them and then dispose of them rather than depend on cleaning solutions to keep us safe while visiting the sick. Being sick in a hospital is a whole other thing.