A new study from Initial Washroom Hygiene has shown that almost three quarters of British families don’t wash their hands before every meal. The survey, which has been released to mark the 11th annual Global Handwashing Day (15 October 2018), found that 73% of British families fail to wash their hands before every meal. Additionally,…

Not all wastewater is created equal – it may not be drinkable, but some of what goes down the drain is perfectly fine for watering the garden or flushing toilets. Water used for hand-washing is relatively easy to treat for reuse, and now engineers at ETH Zurich have built and tested a standalone hand-washing station…

Flight attendants find all kinds of gross things in the seat pockets of planes, including used tampons, sandwiches, loose condoms and dirty diapers. So it’s particularly disturbing to know that these pockets aren’t even the germiest part of the aircraft. According to Weather Network reporting, that dubious honor belongs to the headrests. The findings are…

Preparing staff for, and protecting them from, a hard day’s work On average, the janitorial department typically accounts for 30 percent of the overall facility budget. Most experts and facility managers that I’ve worked with usually agree that of that 30 percent, the average custodial budget tends to be about 15 to 20 percent materials…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a proposed rule seeking additional evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of certain active ingredients used in consumer hand sanitizing products. Hand hygiene is vitally important for preventing the spread of infection, and as consumers increasingly choose hand sanitizers as a convenient hand cleansing option, it is…

Healthcare workers’ hands are the most common vehicle for the transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens from patient to patient and within the healthcare environment. Hand hygiene is the leading measure for preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance and reducing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs), but healthcare worker compliance with optimal practices remains low in most settings. This paper…

We’re already deep into cold and flu season – but it’s never too late to start protecting yourself. Easy step? Keep your hands clean. Consider this: 65% of U.S. parents of children ages 5 and under don’t always wash their hands for at least 20 seconds, according to a new survey by Wakefield Research for…

For kids, washing hands can be a fun and entertaining activity. It is simple enough for even very young children to understand. Handwashing gives children and adults a chance to take an active role in their own health. Once kids learn how to properly wash their hands, they can—and often do—show their parents and siblings…

Some people mistakenly believe briefly running their hands under water counts as washing. Others think washing only after using the restroom is enough to prevent the spread of illness. “I think a lot of people don’t see the importance of it,” Hicks says. “It’s a lack of education. They may not see the connection between…

Healthcare facilities often struggle with ensuring staff is hand hygiene compliant. A recent study found a 57 percent hand hygiene compliance rate among those staff members monitored by infection prevention nurses. However, compliance rate fell to 22 percent when young volunteers monitored the staff, indicating Hawthorne Effect is prevalent at healthcare faciltiies. Eleanor Feldman Barbera,…