Be aware that they’re everywhere—even if you never see them. But their favorite hangouts are places that have come in contact with food, animals, and other people.
In the Kitchen
On sponges and towels
On cutting boards and counter tops
On cabinet and appliance knobs
In the Bathroom
On toilet and sink handles
On door knobs
In the living room
On your pets
On the remote controls
|
 |
On ATM pads
On door handles
On handrails
On menus
On shopping carts
On gym equipment
On elevator buttons
On pens
On phones
On other people’s hands
|
Wear a particulate mask when you’re around people you know are sick. Or wear a mask when you’re sick to help other people stay healthy.
Carry your own pen for signing checks and credit card slips.
Use seat covers and air hand dryers in public restrooms. Or dispense paper towels before you wash your hands so you don’t have to touch the dispenser with your clean hands.
Don’t rub your eyes if you think that you may have germs on your hands.
Cover your finger with a handkerchief or your sleeve when punching the buttons of ATMs and public phones.
When traveling, use your cell phone instead of hotel phones.
Wash Your Hands
This is the single most important thing you can do to keep from getting or spreading germs. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, using antibacterial and antimicrobial soaps and hand lotions to make sure you not only wash germs off, but that you kill them dead.
Using the toilet
Coughing or sneezing
Being with someone who is sick
Scooping the litter box
Going to the dog park
Playing with other kids
Using public transportation
|
|
Cooking
Eating
Touching your face
|
Keep your food free of germs
Wash or immerse fruits and vegetables in cold drinking water, just before eating or preparing them. Scrub those that have a firm surface with a brush. This removes nearly all insects, dirt, bacteria, and some pesticide residues. Do not use dish soap, because the residues are difficult to remove, and they cause diarrhea when eaten.
Cut away bruised spots on fruits and vegetables. These areas encourage bacteria growth.
Wash fruits and vegetables even before you peel them. A banana or orange, for example, could have been contaminated in many ways before it got to you. When you peel and eat the fruit with your hands, your fingers transfer any germs from the outside of the peel to the fruit before it goes in your mouth.
Clean your refrigerator every week and throw away food that is no longer fresh.
|
|
Refrigerate perishable food every possible moment: right after getting home from the grocery store and right after cooking with it or serving it.
Be aware of handling, cooking, and storage guidelines for each type of meat that you cook. Cooking at a high enough temperature, chilling at a low enough temperature, and consuming it while it's fresh is vital to preventing the growth of and killing infectious microbes.
Never thaw frozen meat in non-refrigerated places, such as the countertop. Thawing meat slowly in the refrigerator is the safest method. If you want to thaw more quickly in cold water, put it in airtight packaging, like a leakproof bag. Submerge the package in cold water, and change the water every half hour. Cook the meat immediately after it's completely thawed. If it stays at temperatures above 40ºF, bacteria will multiply very quickly.
|
Keep food preparation and storage surfaces free of germs
Use separate cutting boards and knives for different food categories (e.g., meat, fish, vegetables, cheese) to avoid cross-contamination.
Wash counter tops and sinks with hot, soapy water while preparing food, and sanitize them with germ-killing detergents during the final clean-up.
Do not re-use one-time-use packaging. Plastic wrap, meat trays, convenience food dishes, and egg cartons are likely to foster bacteria from the food that was originally in them. They are hard to clean and dry, and reusing them will contaminate your hands or the food that you put in them.
|
|
Replace sponges and scrubby pads frequently; they are ideal for growing bacteria, which love warm, moist places where food particles have been left.
Use fresh dishcloths instead of sponges; throw them in the laundry after each kitchen clean-up, and wash and dry them in hot water and a hot dryer.
Use disposible paper towels for safe and convenient clean-up of spills.
Use disposable gloves if you make food for public consumption.
Keep the cat off the countertops and table!
|
Keep your immune system strong
Stay up to date with flu shots and vaccines. Most children are vaccinated early in life against vaccine-preventable diseases. Adults should get boosters at appropriate intervals.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes fresh fruits and vegetables.
Drink plenty of water to stay well hydrated
Get plenty of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise
Use immune-boosting supplements
If your immune system is weakened or you're taking antibiotics, inhibit yeast infections by keeping your diet low in sugar, yeast, dairy, wheat, caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, and high in yogurt and fresh garlic.
Minimize your exposure to bug bites
Keep mosquitoes, which carry West Nile Virus and other blood-borne diseases, away from you with netted clothing, bed nets, and insect repellents. Control their population by draining standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs and by spraying insecticide in your house.
When you're outside, especially in fields, wear pants and long-sleeve shirts, and wear insect repellent, to keep ticks, which carry Lyme disease, off your skin. Before you go back inside, check for and remove any ticks that are on your clothing, your skin, or your pet.
If you do get sick, stay home
Stay at home until you’re not contagious. Your classmates and co-workers will thank you for it! Some companies are so concerned about contamination of large numbers of employees that they’ve instated strict policies against coming to work sick.
Take your pet to the vet
If your pet is losing fur in patches or has crusty bumps on its skin, take it to your veterinarian for a fungal screen. Also, get rid of pet hair in the house, and keep your pet groomed to eradicate ringworm spores.
Wash your hands and household surfaces with antibacterial and antimicrobial sprays, lotions and wipes, not only to wash off germs—but also to kill them.
Use antibacterial hand lotion to kill germs that you might touch after washing up.
Use products—like cutting boards and sponges—that are pretreated to kill germs.
Change your vaccuum cleaner bag often to prevent fungus from growing and spreading.
|
