Thursday, August 14, 2014

Avoid Getting Sick: Top 8 Germiest Public Places Exposed

Germs and bacteria are no joking matter

Avoid Getting Sick: Top 8 Germiest Public Places Exposed

By Nicole McEwen, Special to Lifescript
Published August 12, 2014
Worried about you or your kids picking up the flu virus or other common illnesses at school, in restrooms or at the mall? There’s good reason: Viruses and bacteria run rampant on the surfaces you touch every day. We blow the lid on the 8 germiest public places and give you expert tips to avoid getting sick...
Touch a germ-infected surface, then rub your nose or mouth, and the next thing you know, microbes are dancing the mambo in your body. With the cold and flu and other run-of-the-mill bugs crawling about public places year round, germaphobes have plenty to worry about. No wonder. Unfortunately, going anywhere people congregate can boost your chances of getting sick, says Philip Tierno, Ph.D., author of The Secret Life of Germs (Atria) and director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University's Langone Medical Center. That’s because viruses and bacteria live practically everywhere — shopping malls, grocery stores, playgrounds, petting zoos, restaurants. They can survive up to two hours on shopping carts, escalator handrails, even doorknobs before they find their next victim. “We encounter about 60,000 types of germs every year, but if you’re healthy, there’s no need to fear going out in public,” Tierno says. Only 1%-2% are potentially dangerous to people with normal immunity. Plus, the body has an incredible ability to fight off germs. Special cells called neutrophils and lymphocytes (white blood cells) attack any microscopic invader. You can also give your defense system a boost by taking steps to prevent infection.

Read on for the top 8 germiest public places and ways to stay healthy:

1. Grocery storeGermiest items:
Shopping cart handles and seat buckets

Watch out! Shopping cart handles are a breeding ground for infectious viruses and gut-wrenching bacteria. “Customers may sneeze, wipe their noses, then touch the cart handles,” says Lola Stamm, M.S., Ph.D., a microbiologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. They’re also contaminated by children’s dirty hands. And by leaky meat packages that you toss into your cart.  Poultry and beef can contain bacterial bombs such as salmonella, campylobacter and E. coli, which cause severe diarrhea, intestinal swelling, nausea and vomiting, she says. “If meat packages leak onto the conveyor belt, it could contaminate the food on the conveyor as well as your hands,” Stamm says. About 70%-80% of the shopping carts tested nationwide had E. coli, says Charles Gerba, Ph.D., a University of Arizona microbiologist who spends a lot of time studying germs in public places.Cart kid seats are E. coli hot spots “because they hold raw food and [diaper-wearing] kids,” he says. “And nobody disinfects.” Be careful, too, around those enticing displays of fruits and veggies. Sprinklers used to keep produce moist may contain Legionnella, Stamm says. The bacterium can cause “a deadly respiratory tract infection, particularly in older people and others with underlying health problems.”

Germ-free fix: Use disinfecting wipes on handlebars and seats – many stores now offer these at the entrance. And be sure to wash veggies and fruits before eating them.

2. Children’s playgrounds
Germiest items:
The swings, jungle gym and other equipment Playgrounds are germ minefields. Kids touch everything they see and often put them in their mouths.

The largest threat is from fecal bacteria from bird poop on playground equipment and diaper-wearing tots, Gerba says. Another kid-friendly hot zone: petting zoos and exhibits with animals infected with E. coli, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Germ-free fix: Wash hands thoroughly or use hand sanitizer after returning from playground, using the bathroom and changing diapers. (Rub hands together for 20 seconds under clean running water, the CDC advises.)

3. Public restrooms
Germiest item:
Sink

Most women worry about public toilets. Well, you can sit a little easier now: The porcelain throne is not the biggest restroom offender. It’s the sink. Bacteria swarm on the sink tap or faucet handles, Gerba says, because we touch them right after using the toilet. Also, “the sink tap is a wet, moist environment,” so bacteria can survive there longer, he says. Watch out for soap dispensers, too, because they’re handled by many filthy hands, Stamm says. Airplane bathrooms are especially germy because they’re small and used by lots of people, says Gerba, who found E. coli on faucets and door handles in the dozens of samples from airborne restrooms. In fact, an airplane’s faucet may be a greater threat than those in other public restrooms because the water is timed, so fliers have to touch them frequently to wash their hands properly, he says. So what’s the cleanest part of a bathroom?  The toilet: About 48% of American women use covers or toilet paper to cover the seat, Gerba says.

Germ-free fix: Avoid touching moist surfaces and wash hands thoroughly after touching sink faucets and soap dispensers. And use a paper towel to turn the water off. 

4. Offices
Germiest items:
Telephones and desks

In a study of 113 work surfaces in offices in five of the nation’s big cities, Gerba found more than 25,000 bacteria hitching a ride on telephones. Desks and computer keyboards followed close behind.
In fact, your desk has 400 times more germs than a toilet seat, Gerba says. Why? People don’t disinfect surfaces in offices, he says. Another danger zone: Inside desk drawers, where workers stash food. “Germs find plenty to snack on,” he says, like moldy fruit and opened bags of chips or crackers.
When it comes to germs, women are not the fairer sex. Bacterial levels in women’s offices were nearly three times higher than in men’s. “Women seemed to have more stuff in their offices, from makeup bags to pictures of family and purses on their desks,” Gerba says.

Germ-free fix: Once a day, wipe down your desk, phone and keyboard with anti-bacterial wipes or cleaners.

5. Restaurants
Germiest items:
Table surface, high chairs

No, contaminated food isn’t the biggest threat at restaurants — it’s the rag used to wipe the table “clean." When busboys wipe down a table or chairs, their dirty rags may be spreading a small film of E. coli, he says. They should put disinfectant on the rag after each use, but Gerba’s studies show that the same cloth was used on more than a dozen tables before it was disinfected. High chairs harbor fecal bacteria too, because they hold diaper-wearing tots.

Germ-free fix: Carry sanitary wipes to swipe the tabletop and high chair when you’re seated.

6. Libraries
Germiest items:
Countertops and surfaces

Libraries appear to be tidy, sterile places, but they crawl with as many germs as a fast-food restaurant. Why so filthy? Lots of people shuffle through and peruse books, log on to computers and touch countertops, Gerba says.

Germ-free fix: Use hand sanitizer or wash your hands after thumbing through books or touching countertops. 
7. Cruise ships
Germiest item:
Handrails

Cruise ships are like floating cities, packed with thousands of people in a small space. That also makes them incubators for viruses and bacteria. From 2001-2005, gastrointestinal illness on ships increased 25.6%, according to a CDC study: The culprit? Norovirus. Some of the largest outbreaks occurred in 2002-2006, when new strains of norovirus emerged,” says Capt. Jaret Ames, chief of the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program. Noroviruses, which cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, are resistant to routine cleaning procedures and they’re easily transmitted in places people congregate, such as dining rooms, drinking fountains and shared restrooms. Trouble is, they’re hard to avoid on a cruise ship. “As soon as you step out of the cabin you’re in public area,” Ames points out.Handrails pose the biggest infection risk because they’re among the first surfaces passengers touch when they board ship, Ames says. The viruses are most often brought on board by embarking passengers and crew. One study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found that the cleanliness of a cruise ship's public restrooms may predict subsequent norovirus outbreaks. Researchers found that only 37% of 273 randomly selected public restrooms on cruise ships were cleaned daily. One researcher noted that there was a substantial risk for washed hands to become contaminated when the passenger exits the restroom, as only 35% of restroom exit knobs or pulls were cleaned daily.

Germ-free fix: Wash hands frequently throughout the day and before touching your mouth or face, especially when smoking and eating.

8. Malls
Germiest item:
Escalator handles

How often do you hang onto the escalator handrails while catching a ride at a shopping mall or airport?  Hands off: They’re teeming with germs, according to a study published in a 2005 issue of the International Journal of Environmental Health Research. Scientists took samples from dozens of escalator handrails across the country and found 19% showed high bacterial contamination. “The sheer volume of people who touch escalator handles makes it a bacteria hot spot,” Gerba says.

Germ-free fix: Don’t touch them. But if you do, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer afterward.

21 Household Uses of Vinegar

  and Salt  Salt or        Baking Soda      baking soda bicarbonate of soda sodium bicarbonate bicarb bread soda ...

21 Household Uses of Vinegar

By Stephanie Hancock, Special to Lifescript

If you’ve got a jug of vinegar at home, you’re set to clean house with it. From disinfecting rooms to removing carpet stains, vinegar is surprisingly versatile. Read about the many household uses of vinegar to start putting that kitchen staple to work.

Vinegar isn’t just for fish and chips anymore. In fact, vinegar doesn’t always have to be used in cooking or foods. Here are some nonedible examples:

1. Clean your computer
Vinegar has a well-known ability to disinfect. You can clean your computer, printer, fax machine and other office gear with vinegar and water. Unplug all the machines, and mix equal parts of vinegar and water in a bucket. Wet a cloth in the solution and wring it out. You don’t want water to leak in your keyboard or computer. This could damage your electronics. Wipe all the surfaces to get them shining clean. Use cotton swabs around small or tough to reach areas, for example, in between the keys of the keyboard. 

2. Clean your window blinds
Window blinds are notoriously difficult to clean, but they no longer need to be. Again, use a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. Put on a white cotton glove, dip your fingers in the solution and slide your fingers across the blinds, with fingers on each side of the slats. Be sure to get both sides of each slat. Keep a bucket of clean water near by to rinse off your glove occasionally.

3. Unclog and deodorize drains
Of the many household uses of vinegar, this one is really handy. Pour one-half cup of baking soda and then 1 cup of vinegar down the sink or tub drain through a funnel. The mixture will foam up considerably and unclog your drain. When there is no more foam, flush the drain with hot tap water. After 5 minutes, flush the drain again with cold water. This also will deodorize your drains. To speed up a slow drain: Pour one-half cup of salt followed by 2 cups of boiling vinegar down the drain. Flush with hot water, then cold water, and your drain will be much faster. 

4. Get rid of the smoky smell
One of the most frustrating things after quitting smoking is trying to remove all evidence that you ever smoked. The smell lingers for months (if not years) on items such as clothes and furniture. Vinegar can help eliminate it. If you’ve burned some food or someone smoked in your home, set out a small bowl filled three-quarters full of white or cider vinegar in the room where the smell is the strongest. In less than a day, the odor will be gone. To dispel the smell of fresh cigarette smoke, wave a cloth that’s been moistened with vinegar around the room to absorb the smell. This technique is more effective (and economical) than buying air fresheners and deodorizers that merely cover up odor. 

5. Get rid of mildew stains
Another of the household uses of vinegar is cleaning mildew stains. Apply full-strength vinegar to heavy mildew stains, or dilute it with equal parts water for light stains. No need to fret about ventilation, because white vinegar can be applied to nearly any surface without worry. Prevent mildew from forming on rugs and carpets by misting the back of the rug with full strength white vinegar in a spray bottle.

6. Shine up chrome and stainless steel
To clean chrome or stainless steel, spray it with full-strength vinegar, then buff it to a high shine with a soft cloth. 

7. Shine up your silverware or silver jewelry
Soak silverware or jewelry in one-half cup of white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of baking soda for 3 hours. Rinse items with cold water and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. They will sparkle, and your mother will be proud!

8. Polish brass and copper
You can create vinegar paste to clean brass and copper. Use equal parts white vinegar and salt or vinegar and baking soda. Use a soft cloth or paper towel to run the paste into your brass or copper until the tarnish disappears. Rinse off with cool water and then buff to a shine with a clean soft cloth. 

9. Get rid of pen marks
One of the household uses of vinegar includes removing those accidental pen marks on a nice, clean white shirt or blouse. Dab them with white vinegar on a sponge. Keep repeating until the marks are gone. You can use this technique to make your budding artist child’s decoration on your living room wall disappear in no time.

10. Remove sticker residue
You can un-stick the sticker or price tag from just about any surface using white vinegar. To remove a sticker or decal that’s on a painted surface, saturate the corners and edges with white vinegar. Scrape off the decal with a plastic card. Soak the sticky remains with white vinegar and then wipe clean.


11. Clean scissors
Instead of washing your scissors with water, which will likely just rust the fastener, wipe them clean with a cloth dipped in full-strength vinegar. Dry with a clean, dry cloth.

12. Clean piano keys
One of the instrumental ways to use vinegar in the house is to clean piano keys with it. Use a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. Dip a soft cloth into the solution and wring out as much as possible. Wipe each key gently, drying with a soft cloth as you go. Leave the keyboard uncovered for 24 hours after cleaning.

13. Deodorize small spaces
You can use vinegar to deodorize a lunch box, car trunk or footlocker by soaking a piece of white bread in vinegar, then placing it in the closed space overnight. By morning, the smell should be gone. 

14. Clean your coffee pot
Use a solution of equal parts vinegar and hot water to thoroughly clean your coffee pot. Run the solution through a cycle on your coffee pot, then run three pots of clean water to clean the container thoroughly. The solution also will clean the glass of your coffee pot or the inside of your carafe – just let it soak for a while, then rinse out well.

15. Brighten up bricks
Among the versatile household uses of vinegar is brightening the bricks in your home. Go over them with a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar per gallon of hot water – this solution works for brick floors or brick fireplaces.

16. Brighten wood paneling
Mix 1 pint of warm water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 4 tablespoons of white vinegar in a small container. Seal the container and shake thoroughly. Apply solution to the paneling with a clean cloth. Let it soak in for a few minutes, then polish the paneling with a clean, dry cloth. 

17. Clean carpet or rug
If your carpet or rug looks worn and dingy, bring them back to life by brushing them with a broom dipped into a solution of 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of white vinegar. The best part is – you don’t have to rinse the solution.

18. Remove carpet stains
Use a half cup of white vinegar and two tablespoons of salt to get carpet stains out. For tough stains, add 2 tablespoons of borax to the mixture.

19. Make a spray-on carpet stain remover
Fill a spray bottle with 1 part vinegar and 5 parts water. In a second spray bottle, mix 5 parts water with 1 part non-sudsy ammonia. Spray and saturate the stain with the vinegar solution. Let it settle. Blot with a clean cloth. Then spray with the ammonia mixture and blot. Repeat the process until the stain is gone.

20. Remove grease
You can remove grease from kitchen surfaces using a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water.

21. Paint over wood scratches
Did you know that one of the household uses of vinegar is to make scratches on wood less visible? Use distilled or cider vinegar and iodine in a small jar to paint over wood scratches with a small brush. Match the shade of your wood by using more iodine or more vinegar. 

22. Remove water rings on tables
Get rid of those unsightly water rings. Apply equal parts of vinegar and olive oil with a soft, clean cloth to the stain. Wipe in the direction of the wood grain. Use another clean cloth to polish it up.
For water rings on leather, remove them with a sponge and full-strength white vinegar.