» viruses

How Safe Is Your Kitchen Sponge?

Geri — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:15:27 +0000

The kitchen is where we spend so much of our family time together, with meals, homework, etc. Would you believe that the kitchen is the dirtiest room in our home? This is true according to Phillip Tierno, PhD, director of clinical microbiology and diagnostic immunology at the New York University Langone Medical Center and author of The Secret Life of Germs. “That’s because we deal with dead animal carcasses on our countertops and in the sink.” He goes on to say that the kitchen sponge is “the single dirtiest thing in your kitchen, along with a dishrag.”

Our daily use of sponges and dishrags put us in danger of harmful viruses and bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella if not used properly. A seemingly clean sponge can be spreading germs around as we clean with it. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the following:

Clean and disinfect counters and other surfaces before, during, and after preparing food (especially meat and poultry).

When cleaning surfaces, don’t let germs hang around on cleaning cloths or towels! Instead use:

If using a sponge to clean up, microwave it each evening for 30 seconds or place it in the dishwasher
Consider using paper towels (that can be thrown away) to clean up kitchen surfaces
Cloth towels that are later washed in the hot cycle of your washing machine
Disposable sanitizing wipes that both clean and disinfect

Dr. Phillip Tierno cleans his sponges using a mixture of one ounce of Clorox in about a quart of water. This is also a good solution for cleaning and disinfecting your cutting boards, countertops and utensils.

Antibacterial Soaps

Geri — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:35:45 +0000

Antibacterial soap is defined as any cleaning product to which active antibacterial ingredients have been added, such as Triclosan, one of the most common. Triclosan can be found in more than 700 antimicrobial-infused products such as deodorants, toothpastes, mouthwashes and over 70% of all liquid soaps. It can also be found in any number of consumer products marketed under the trade name Microban such as fabrics, cutting boards, kitchen utensils, toys and trash bags, to name a few.

These chemicals in antibacterial soaps and products kill bacteria and microbes, but have little to no effect in killing viruses. Your common household colds and flu are caused by viruses and therefore, antibacterials will not prevent them from spreading. While Triclosan has been shown to be effective in reducing and controlling bacterial contamination on the hands and on treated products, there is concern that overuse of Triclosan may lead to bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

According to many sources, it may be time to replace these antibacterial soaps for good old soap and water. Please check out our article on “Antibacterial Soaps—The Controversy” at our new website, Chemically Pure.

Computers–Staying Safe Online

Carol — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:23:44 +0000

Many of us worry about “surfing the net”. Is it safe? I’m a worry wart, so I worry about viruses; I worry about someone stealing my private information and passwords. I worry about getting into a bad website. And to my sons’ amusement, I worry about someone being able to watch me through my computer’s webcam when it is turned off. So with all my worrying, I decided to educate myself about cyberspace.

One of the most common and biggest concerns is email scams. It goes something like this…you get an email claiming to be your bank, telling you that there is a problem with your account and instructs you to visit a link to re-enter your private information. When you do, they have everything they need to get into your account. Experts assure us that banks and credit card companies do not ask for personal information through email. If this happens to you, call your bank to verify whether or not they sent you the email.

It is not a good idea to open any email from someone you do not know. It may look interesting, but your curiosity could put you face to face with an ugly virus. If you are not sure, don’t open it. I have chosen to only allow emails from family and friends, services I use, or stores that I frequent. Everything else is sent to my spam folder. There have been a few cases where I was expecting an email that ended up in the spam folder. One click of “this is not spam” and it is moved to my emails.

Every computer should have some type of anti-virus software that can catch those nasty little viruses. Apparently all computers have built-in firewall protection. Go into your control panel to make sure the firewall is activated. However, anti-virus software and firewalls are not guaranteed to prevent a virus attack, but they definitely help.

Have you ever entered a website to see a flashing advertisement—CONGRATUALTIONS!! You have just won something! Don’t fall for it, no matter how tempting. They usually want to move you to another link and ask you for personal information. If it sounds too good to be real, it usually is.

When setting up new passwords, it is suggested that you do not use personal information. Also, to make it harder for hackers, don’t use words that can be found in a dictionary. Instead use random numbers and letters to make up your passwords. And do not share your passwords with anyone. With the number of passwords we use for all the different websites we frequent, keep them written down and put away. I keep a small 3×5 index card folder with all my passwords alphabetized using the websites.

As far as the computer camera, I could find nothing to confirm my fears. I have been assured through research that once turned off, it is safe. If that changes, I will let you know! For now, be safe and enjoy your computer.