Gardeners Hygiene

Gardeners love to get their hands in the soil. That's ok because one can wash the hands when done. Wearing garden gloves keeps the dirt from getting under the fingernails, and is easier on the skin, so most people wear them when planting or pulling weeds. With the arrival of warm weather, gardeners have been out there in droves, seeing their perennials and bulb flowers faithfully coming in and blooming. Sometimes the gardener is just looking and admiring and then there is that overlooked weed that has to be pulled or a yellowed leaf that needs to come off. At times like this, there are no gloves, and the hands still look clean. Don't be fooled by that. Bacteria thrive in soil. They help improve the soil but can also be harmful to the gardener. Also spores may be present and you definitely want to get rid of these.

Just like any other situation where the hands have become contaminated, handwashing is necessary in order to avoid illness. The Center for Disease Control has said that proper handwashing is the best way to get rid of microbes. The most thorough way to accomplish this is to have an automatic, sensor-operated soap dispenser available. This eliminates touching the soap dispenser with dirty hands. So after gardening always clean your hands and stay healthy.

That Menu Is Germy

It doesn't matter whether you are dining in a fancy restaurant, or eating in a small diner, the menu is handled by everyone. The customers and waiters all leave their own variety of germs on the menu. When you look to see what you want to order, you are not only contributing microbes but also picking up the ones left behind by others. Sometimes disease-causing germs are on that menu.

There is a way to avoid contaminating your hands before you eat and touch food. Remember your selection, and either go to the restroom and wash your hands (keep them clean by opening the door with a towel) or use some hand sanitizer. Having that sanitizer handy in your purse or pocket is very wise if you want to avoid getting sick . Leave the menu on the table for the waiter to pick up. Relax now and bon appetite.

The Towel-Matic ll Towel Dispenser

There is a new sensor-operated towel dispenser available, the new iTouchless Towel-Matic ll Towel Dispenser. It is ideal for the kitchen and bathroom at home and also for public bathrooms, and where food is handled. After handwashing, it is important to avoid contaminating the hands.

Towel-Matic® II has a built-in optical scanner that identifies the perforations on the paper towel and stops right at the perforated line every time making tearing towel sheets easy and mess free. It is easy to pre-set any brand and dispensing length desired. It is powered by 4 C size batteries that can last up to one year or 100 rolls of standard 80-sheet towels. Optional AC adaptor is available. It is designed for table top, wall mount or under cabinet mount. Brackets sold separately.
From a decorative viewpoint it is attractive and comes in three finishes, red, silver, and white.

The enMotion Towel Dispenser

We are beginning to see more and more automatic towel dispensers in public restrooms. They are in restaurants, movie theatres, schools, hospitals, medical and dental offices, business offices, and all kinds of commercial and industrial lavatories. The public loves them because it helps prevent the spread of germs. Any device that is handsfree or touchless stops contamination and imparts a feeling of security, especially in a public restroom. The CDC(Center for Disease Control) urges handwashing as a good way to prevent illness.

Sensor-operated flushers, faucets, soap dispensers, towel dispensers and handsfree door openers all keep the hands clean after they are washed. That is why they are such a welcome sight in places where many different people use the facilities. With the recent H1N1 alerts, the public is becomimg more aware of prevention when it comes to touching germ-laden surfaces that can be the cause of illness. They appreciate it when an establishment provides these automatic devices.

A popular touch-free paper towel dispenser that is installed in many different places is the enMotion Towel Dispenser. The manufacturer is Georgia-Pacific, a trusted name and supplier of many well-known, products. One simply moves the hand under the dispenser where the sensor is located, and a clean towel appears. That towel can be used to turn off a faucet or open a door in case they are not touchless. The device is easily mounted on the wall and comes in two colors; blue and smoke.

Handwashing Is Prevention

That old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" cannot be more true when it comes to handwashing. The Center For Disease Control has stated that proper handwashing is a good way to prevent disease. Most germs are not pathogens or disease-causing. Germs like viruses, bacteria, some spores, and fungi are. Using automatic, touchless soap dispensers eliminate contamination .

When to Wash

Before eating, before and after handling food, after touching animals and their leashes, when someone is sick, after changing a diaper, touching blood or bodily fluids(saliva,nasal fluid, vomit) ,after using the bathroom, after touching trash, soil, or cleaning cloths. and before inserting contact lenses, giving medicine, and dressing wounds. Wash your hands to stay healthy

Wheelchairs and Toilets

Those of us who do not require a wheelchair to get around probably never consider how cumbersome it is for people in wheelchairs to use the toilet, whether in the home or in a public restroom. It is a complicated process involving several steps.

First one must get alongside the toilet and apply the brake. Next remove the armrest and transfer to the toilet seat. Move the chair in order to swing the legs around. When ready to leave, transfer back onto the wheelchair and release the brake.

The whole thing would be made easier if there was an automatic toilet flusher. Technical Concepts has solved the problem with several types of sensor-operated autoflushers for restroom and tank style toilets. The Tank Style, wall-mounted Autoflusher senses the movement away and flushes the toilet It also assures that the toilet is always flushed and presentable. This system promotes hygiene by eliminating cross-contamination from handle touching and preventing odors from unflushed fixtures.

Public urinals and toilets can install Autoflushers for the same reasons.

Handsfree Towel Dispensers

Handsfree, clean towels can be dispensed in several ways. It depends on the type of dispenser used. The first type is a wall-mounted, sensor-operated towel dispenser, and is mainly installed in public restrooms or in food handling establishments. To operate it, one moves the hands under the dispenser and a clean towel appears. This assures that germ contact is avoided.

A wall-mounted, centerfold towel dispenser requires one to pull down the towel without touching the dispenser. Another towel is then ready for the next user. This method assumes that the next towel is also clean for the next person. We also find these in public restrooms and food establishments.

If it is necessary to operate a handle or lever type dispenser in order to get a towel, one can use the wrist or arm to do this and still avoid hand contact with germs to get a handsfree towel. In every case the towel can be used to exit the door and can then be discarded.

A countertop, sensor-operated dispenser is a sound addition to the home for the kitchen or bathroom. One places the hand in front of the sensor and the towel holder is turned while a towel is ready to tear off. This can not only help prevent cross-contamination from sick family members, food handling, and personal hygiene, but also can be economical. This type of dispenser releases full and half-size towels.

Avoiding germs is easy with handsfree towel dispensers

Sensor-operated Soap Dispensers

It is a great feeling of security when using a sensor-operated soap dispenser especially in a public restroom. Even in the home having a touchless soap dispenser is essential when handling food, particularly meats like chicken or fish. Salmonella and e.coli from contaminated food can really make you very sick.

There are two types of soap dispensers for restrooms and institutions. One type can be mounted like a faucet on the countertop. It looks like a faucet. Other dispensers are mounted on the wall. Both types use either a foam soap or a liquid soap. These soap dispensers can be used in the home also.

In addition to wall and countertop mounted dispensers there are models that stand on the kitchen, bathroom, or restaurant countertop. These automatic devices use batteries that can last through many uses. Any touchfree step in the process of handwashing like sensor-operated soap dispensers eliminates some cross-contamination of germs.

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Travel With A Sanitizer

In this day of international travel where people from all over the world use the airlines, rent cars, stay in motels, and ride trains and buses it makes sense that we should avoid coming in contact with disease causing germs from these sources. Hygiene standards can vary quite a bit in different cultures. Awareness of microbes on objects does not exist in some parts of the world. Yet we can possibly interact with these individuals by touching things that they have handled.

This cross-contamination can be avoided by using a sanitizer. Ultraviolet sanitizers come in small and large sizes. They employ ultraviolet light to destroy microbes. The light waves interfere with the reproductive stage and so eliminate these germs. Holding the device over the area to be sanitized usually takes seconds to be affective. A pocket size purifier is very handy and can be carried in a purse or upper pocket. Airlines do not clean between passengers. A quick once over on head rests and arm rests can be accomplished easily with one of these miniature wands. Use it on the interior of a rental car also.

For items in your motel room a larger wand is recommended for the toilet seat, faucet handles, doorknobs, phones, menus and other reading material, and last but not least, the TV remote. The remote has been cultured and pronounced dirtier than a toilet seat. Maintenance crews never clean the remotes. The full size sanitizer wand covers a larger area and can be packed in your luggage. It does not take a germaphobe to realize that with more global travel we also have more global germs, so sanitizing is a preventive way of avoiding sickness, especially from foreign germs.

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Workplace Keyboards

Many of us work in an office or industry where we have to use a computer. Often there are multiple users on that computer or computers. Each person contributes his or her own microbes that are present on their hands. At times these microbes are disease-causing germs. Colds and flus can be spread in this manner. Bacteria like e.coli are a threat when people who use the restroom omit handwashing and then type on the keyboard. Sickdays taken by workers can be expensive so preventing illness should be a motivating factor.

One method of doing this is to provide waterproof keyboards in the workplace. These keyboards can be washed with solutions or disinfected with wipes. Some can even be washed in the dishwasher. Disinfectant wipes can clean the keyboards between users and a thorough washing or disinfectant solution can be used at the end of the workday.

Automatic Tank Toilet Flusher

Most people have seen an automatic toilet flusher in a public restroom. They are installed in offices, schools, airports, hospitals, and other work areas. We have come to expect them in these places. We appreciate the fact that we do not have to touch germs left behind by others. As we move away from the toilet, the sensor-operated flusher goes to work.

Are you aware that this modern technology is available on tank type toliets as well? These tank toilets are present in some public restrooms as well as in the home. In the home bathroom germs are left on surfaces by family members and also visitors that use the facility. When a family member is sick, there is a chance of spreading the illness as he or she uses the bathroom. Who knows what germs are left behind by visitors. Little tots who are not aware of microbes are not that careful about personal hygiene and may contribute to the contamination. For these reasons an automatic tank toliet flusher would be a sanitary addition to the bathroom. They are easily installed and the batteries last a long time. There is an allowance for manual operation as well. Watch the installation video on the site below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfPlUhVjMMA&feature=related

Automatic Soap Dispensers

What peace of mind there is in using a sensor-operated soap dispenser,
especially in a public restroom. Even in the home having a touchless soap dispenser is essential when handling food, especially meats like chicken or fish. Salmonella and e.coli from contaminated food can really make you sick.

There are two types of soap dispensers for restrooms and institutions. One type can be mounted like a faucet on the countertop. It looks like a faucet. Other dispensers are mounted on the wall. Both types use either a foam soap or a liquid soap. These soap dispensers can be used in the home also.

In addition to wall and countertop mounted dispensers there are models that stand on the kitchen, bathroom, or restaurant countertop. These automatic devices use batteries that can last through many uses. Any touchfree step in the process of handwashing like sensor-operated soap dispensers eliminates some cross-contamination of germs.

Automatic Toilet Flushers

What a good feeling it is when we don't have to struggle to flush a toilet in a public restroom. When the establishment has installed sensor-operated, automatic toilet flushers, we don't have to use our foot or toilet tissue to avoid cross-contamination. That's what I call taking care of your customers.

Remember to face away from the water which can spray up to twenty feet. I watched a demonstration to prove that this happens. The scientist dyed the water red so that the droplets that spray out would be visible. You don't want to get sprayed so simply turn around and move away .

There are devices available for home toilets also. They are wireless ,ensuring that toilets are always flushed, clean, odor-free and presentable . They simply install to the tank plumbing mechanism. The flexible installation fits most tank designs. They have the same reliable motor and cam gear technology used in autoflushing and. the tank handle remains operable for courtesy flushing. This is the latest in Infrared Technology

Waterproof Keyboards

Today computers are used in all kinds of places. hospitals, business offices, dental offices, medical offices, industrial settings, schools, colleges, government buildings, prisons, banks, and much more. In many of these workplaces, the computers are manned by multiple users. Each of these users not only contaminates the keyboard with many microbes but also that user picks up germs left by others. Some of those pathogens can cause disease. and unfortunately often do spread colds and flus between workers. When microbial cultures were grown from the keyboard surfaces, they proved that keyboards were more contaminated than toilet seats.
Sickdays are lost work hours and can be costly. Preventing illness is the answer. Protecting against the spread of germs means disinfecting phones, desks, doorknobs, elevator buttons and other items that are touched by everyone. Computer keyboards are the biggest offenders when it comes to coming in contact with germs. They don’t have to be since modern technology has developed washable, waterproof keyboards that can even be put through a dishwasher that includes the final heat cycle. These keyboards are covered with a seamless, silicone shield. In the home setting, families can avoid sickness by putting the keyboard in the dishwasher. They can be sanitized with disinfectant wipes in between worker use also. Some added benefits to using these keyboards are quiet operation where noise should be avoided, backlighting, and cable length options. Spills or accidents will not damage these keyboards, but the greatest benefit to having a waterproof keyboard is the feeling of security that comes with avoiding disease-causing germs.

Amy Bauer R.D.H.

Restroom Germs

We all use the public restroom at one time or another, usually at a school, office, theatre, store or sporting event. Thousands of people visit these same restrooms. One can only imagine how many varieties of microbes are left by these users on doors, faucets, soap dispensers, towel dispensers, and toilet flushers. The best public restrooms will provide automated, sensor-operated dispensers, toilet flushers, and a sanitary door opener so that the public is protected from cross-contamination by disease-causing microbes that can thrive on these objects.

Lately, modern airports and theatres have installed the "s-curve" exits, eliminating exiting via a door. First we usually start with flushing a toilet and these tips can help. If you have to flush yourself, use your foot instead if possible or shield your hand with toilet tissue. Aerosoled droplets will reach twenty feet from a flushing toilet so turn your head away.

After opening the stall door, wash your hands. Hopefully the soap dispenser and water faucet are sensor-operated, if not, try to operate them with your wrist or back of the hand, especially the water faucet because now your hands are clean and you want to keep them clean.

Next deal with the towel dispenser. We are seeing more of the touchless variety or center-pull type where you are dispensed a sanitary towel. When there is no way to exit without touching a door, use that towel to open the door and toss it in the nearby trash can. Leave it on the floor if there is no trash bin so as to make the restroom maintenance aware that they should place the trash near the door.

One word about those automatic hand dryers, if they are provided instead of a towel dispenser, use some toilet tissue to dry your hands. Unfortunately they are not cleaned regularly and spew out any germs in them. Following these steps will not only protect you from picking up germs left by prior users, but also decrease microbes left by your use.

Careful Food Handling A Must

We've all been told about potato salad in the summertime. Don't leave it unrefrigerated for long, and throw it out if it is not cold anymore. Also responsible cooks and chefs will wash their hands before preparing food. What's more when we order at a Subway, we can feel secure that the person making our sandwich has on vinyl gloves so therefore our food is not contaminated.

Wrong. What we don't know is how the different food items were prepared. Did the food handler wash his or her hands before cutting up the vegetables and other items? Did he or she also handle other objects, thereby contaminating the food? Even if a person wears gloves to handle food, if he or she touches other objects those gloves are contaminated That also goes for cooking utensils while they are being used.

After handwashing, the best way to dry hands is with a sanitary towel. That means using a touchless towel dispenser. They can be wall-mounted or countertop types. Both are sensor-operated dispensers so that one gets a clean towel each time. This should be done before and after food handling.

For foods other than meats and chicken a soap and water cleanup is sufficient, otherwise a disinfectant spray or wipe should be used on all surfaces touched by chicken and other meats to prevent the spread of Salmonella and e.coli

Germridden Keyboards

For those of us who work in an area that is shared by other workers, here is some advice on how to avoid germs that might cause illness. People who are sick should stay home, but sometimes they are just coming down with something and do not realize it. Even healthy people can contaminate a work area with their hands. A lot of cross-contamination happens when individuals pickup germs from objects and then touch other objects with unsanitary hands.

Common places where germs thrive in the workplace are phones, elevator buttons, door knobs, restrooms, copy and fax machines, pens and pencils, and keyboards. Tests were conducted to see how contaminated these different objects were. By far, shared keyboards harbored more disease-causing germs than a toilet seat. Hard to believe, but true. Different users add their own variety of microbes to the keys and usually the keyboards are not sanitized.

Waterproof keyboards are available. Some can even be put through a dishwasher cycle to clean (but not on the heat cycle). Disinfectants can be used on them also, either disinfectant wipes or spray. A waterproof mouse that can be sanitized protects the user even further. Hospitals, schools, industrial offices, and other places could really prevent some sick days by installing these keyboards