DANGEROUS ITEMS YOU TOUCH EVERY DAY
During these trying times, we are all worried about our health as we shelter ourselves away from society. The fear of coming into contact with this nasty, new virus has everyone taking precautions. From social distancing to constantly washing our hands, we are all on a heightened alert. If you have not read our article on “properly washing your hands”, please do so HERE. We added a few tips no one else includes with their tips. Washing your hands frequently and often is just one step towards steering clear of unwanted viruses, germs and bacteria. We here at Workman’s Friend want to make sure our customers have all the facts.
“Social distancing” has become the norm. Even with a safe distance apart, we are all in high risk of exposure through the transfer of this virus by means of touching shared surfaces. Once this virus clings to your hands via an ever so quick tap of an infected surface, it is only a matter of time before the virus finds its true, intended target… your face. We must keep a constant guard one where we are placing our hands.
DO NOT TAKE A QUICK TOUCH FOR GRANTED
You are constantly touching surfaces that could be infected with viruses which cause the flu and other potentially more dangerous sicknesses. So many surfaces are touched constantly as part of your daily routine, so many in fact that you do not think about the actions taking place. These actions, of course, are your daily routine. These routine actions are just not registering with us. As a result, we skip vital hand washing opportunities.
It is vital that you wash your hands after coming into contact with anything and everything. We here at Workman’s Friend want to share a list of potential hot spots that you are forgetting about. We feel that the more we hark on these hot spots, the more your eyes will open up and register with your brain. Please take time to read this blog completely and embed these situations into your consciousness. If is urgent we stay on a heightened alert and wash our hands at every conceivable opportunity.
1. DOOR KNOBS
Door handles are the most commonly shared surface in a home and in a workplace. Once you have touched a door knob, immediately make your way to a hand washing station and scrub your hands for 20 seconds. If you choose to scrub up in a bathroom or an area closed off by a door, be sure and use a paper towel to reopen the door after washing your hands. If you touch the door knob after washing your hands, you did all that work for nothing. Turn around and start again. People often forget that doorknob or door handle when existing the restroom. That door is the one that has the highest risk for infection. Another door handle people do not think about is their car’s door handle. Keep a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer in your car and clean your hands once seated and before you begin driving.
2. COFFEE POT
I know that I cannot start my day without that fresh cup of coffee. I need the aroma of the roasted beans as much as I require the kick from the caffeine. Once you’ve tasted that first sip, you feel like a million bucks. Your hands, however, may be coated with something that will make you feel like a wooden nickel! If you are in an office environment, there are quite a few people touching that fresh pot of coffee. Are you sure they are feeling well? Are you sure they washed their hands recently? Here are the perfect steps to a perfect cup of coffee. First, wash your hands and your coffee cup. Make sure both are clean and ready for the java. Next, grab the coffee cup and fill your mug. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR MUG YET. Now, wash your hands again. Once clean, pick up your mug and go along your merry way. You now have a safely prepared cup of coffee.
3. YOUR GROCERIES
Yes, even touching your groceries has a certain risk. As soon as you arrive home, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water before putting up your groceries. We suggest washing all produce in the sink with warm water before putting the produce away. You should not plan on reusing the grocery. People sometimes keep them for use later. Please dispose of all plastic grocery bags during the flu season. Once the groceries are all stored away, wash your hands again for 20 seconds with soap and water.
4. YOUR CELL PHONE
You may think that because it has been in your pocket or in your purse all day that your phone is protected and is free of germs. Once you’ve touched your phone, you have transferred any germs, bacteria, or viruses that may be clinging to your hands. Just think, your phone rings or you decide to look up something on the internet, and you grab that phone. Did you wash your hands first? I bet you did not. You should wipe your phone down with a disinfectant wipe as needed each day.
5. HANDRAILS
These are the worst! You are walking down a steep staircase and you must hold the handrail. Safety first. Handrails are essential for keeping our balance while walking down a flight of stairs. Once you have walked up or down a flight of stairs, find a place to wash your hands. I have been keeping a pump of alcohol-based hand sanitizer in my car in case of a handrail emergency. I know that I can always run out to the car if I need an emergency cleaning. Always be sure you have some hand sanitizer ready just in case the need arises.
6. CREDIT CARD
You just paid for your burger at the fast food drive-in. You are taking your credit card back from the cashier, and you think nothing of it. Your card slips right back into your wallet. Within minutes, you are chomping down on that burger and your hands have possibly been exposed to nasty germs, bacteria and viruses. As I stated before, keep a dispenser of alcohol-based hand sanitizer in your car. After you’ve made a transaction with your credit card, be sure to wash your hands before tackling that burger.
7. LAPTOP OR COMPUTER KEYBOARD
You type on your computer all day at work. You may think that no one is coming near your desk, so you are safe. You believe your keyboard is not a danger to you or to your health. Now, think about all the times in between typing. You answered the phone. You’ve touched your coffee mug. You’ve touched the calculator. You have even touched the monitor, adjusting the positioning of the screen without even noticing that you did that action. What else are you touching unknowingly before you start typing again? Your keyboard, and your mouse as well, are valid sources for germs, bacteria, and viruses. Be sure and wash your hands often while typing on your keyboard at work. I have already washed my hands once since sitting down here to write up this blog for you.
8. YOUR SHOE’S LACES
Oops, your shoelace is untied yet again. You better bend over and tie that lace before you trip and fall. Afterwards, you’d better go wash those hands. Just imagine what that shoelace has picked up as it was dragged across the parking lot, or throughout that grocery store, or across that bathroom floor. I would love to say that I am not trying to gross you out, but I am. Sometimes scaring people straight is the best way to communicate a point. I bet you never thought about the importance of a good hand wash after a shoelace was tied until I mentioned the bathroom floor!
9. PEN OR PENCIL
You need to jot down a few items for your trip to the grocery store, so you just grab a pencil you spotted on the kitchen counter. Afterwards, you just go about your day. Who touched that pen or pencil before you? Did someone drop it on the floor at one time? Could someone have chewed on that eraser? Again, this is an everyday item you pick up without a thought to the consequences. Pens, and especially pencils, are harbingers for germs and bacteria. Once you have written your note, take note for yourself and go wash those hands.
10. THE WORLD IN GENERAL
If you have been out in public for whatever reason, be sure and wash your hands as soon as you get home. If you’ve been out grocery shopping or you’ve been to an environment where social distancing was no easy task, consider a good, hot shower and a change of clothes. Place your current clothes into the wash and then proceed with a good hand washing and hot shower. Keeping yourself away from germs, bacteria and viruses is a tough task in this giant world we live in. Play it safe and take a nice relaxing shower. Not only is it a smart move, but it is a relaxing way to decompress after mixing it up with a bunch of crazy shoppers at the grocery store.
LET’S HEAR FROM YOU!!!
What are we forgetting here? In the comments below, please share items that we are forgetting. What everyday items do we need to warn people about? Together, we can help inform the world, keeping everyone safer. United, we can all prosper through this difficult time.
WANT TO READ MORE? READ THE FOLLOWUP BLOG HERE!
DO YOU HAVE OVER-WASHED HANDS?
As you struggle to fight off the flu with constant hand washings, you face another dilemma, dry and cracked skin. Soaps, especially alcohol-based hand cleaners, dry out your skin, leaving them craving moisture. What if there was a way to protect your skin and keep it moisturized even during frequent hand washings? Well, you can! Coat your hands with Workman’s Friend Barrier Skin Cream to form a protective layer around your skin and re-apply every four hours. The barrier protection will moisturize your hands from beneath the protective layer. The barrier protection will shield you hand from harmful chemicals, dirt and grime. The barrier protection binds to your live skins cells and will only be removed when your skin cells die and shed every four hours. In the meantime, your skin is moisturizing from the inside and healing your dry and cracked skin. Workman’s Friend Barrier Skin Cream is the perfect combatant for over-washed hands. PURCHASE HERE.
Another option for over washed hands is Workman’s Friend Healing Hand Cream. Add this hand cream to your daily regimen for healthy, stored hands. An application in the morning and again before bedtime will help your skin survive those frequent hand washings unscathed. Workman’s Friend Healing Hand Cream will moisturize and heal your dry, cracked, and damaged skin. When used over time, your skin will return to its once healthy appearance. PURCHASE HERE.
Sometimes you just need a hand cleaner that revitalizes your skin. Try Workman’s Friend Hand Cleaner with Activated Charcoal to get a deep clean and feel fresh afterwards. The activated charcoal cleans deep into your skin, detoxing away the bad elements that hard-working hands pick up on an active day. Unlike other hand cleaners, Workman’s Friend Hand Cleaner with Activated Charcoal hydrates your skin as it cleans, leaving them feeling alive and fresh while other hand cleaners leave your hands feeling dry. PURCHASE HERE.
RELATED: THE SECRET TO WASHING YOUR HANDS THIS FLU SEASON THAT NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT!
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