Members of the CLEANpHIRST™ team are dedicated to helping you create the cleanest environment in which you live. Our goal is for our products and cleaning information to minimize the health risks posed by unwelcome allergens, bacteria, germs and viruses in your home, school, workplace or other location by equipping you with first-in-category cleaning solutions.
Watch how Decon 3D improves the health of a local day care that was already cleaning several times a day with a bleach solution in accordance with state government standards in this Toy Story
CLEANpHIRST's Decon 3D kills up to 99.99999% of illness causing germs like staph, e-coli, MRSA, norovirus, and H1N1 Swine Flu. Decon 3D is the worlds most advanced antimicrobial / decontaminant. It eradicates bacteria, viruses, spores, molds and fungus and neutralizes toxic chemicals and odors immediately, while being totally biodegradable and safe enough for household use. Click here to buy CLEANpHIRST Decon 3D online now!
EWG tested over 20 cleaners used in schools in California, and detected hundreds of air contaminants not listed as ingredients by manufacturers. Further testing shows that cleaning a model classroom using 3 widely used, certified green products produces far less air pollution than cleaning the same classroom with 3 common conventional cleaners. View the results.
EWG’s findings come at a time when childhood asthma and many childhood cancers are on the rise.
Lax labeling requirements mean that schools often don't know what they're purchasing. Many would be alarmed to learn that when used as directed, Comet Disinfectant Powder Cleanser, a product commonly used in both schools and private homes, released more than 100 air contaminants, including chloroform, benzene, and formaldehyde.
In response to these concerns, many schools have turned to safer cleaning supplies that have been independently certified to meet protective health and safety standards. Eight states have passed legislation requiring or encouraging use of these green cleaning products in schools. Many other forward-thinking school districts have adopted green cleaning policies, replacing toxic products with safer, more effective alternatives with no increase in costs.
Below is a sample letter you can send to your school:
Dear School,
As a concerned citizen, I am writing to learn more about the cleaning supplies used to maintain school facilities. Because cleaning supplies can contain toxic chemicals that can be hazardous to children's health, and can pollute the air with harmful contaminants, I would like to become involved in efforts to assure use of the safest possible products and cleaning methods in my child's school.
As you may know, asthma is a serious issue nationwide. At present, nearly 1 in 10 children in the U.S. suffer from this terrible health condition. Asthma is the leading cause of hospitalization for children under 15, and the primary cause of missed school days due to chronic illness. As you know, it is difficult for students to learn if they are not in school. As more research accumulates, there is growing concern that chemicals in cleaners can contribute to asthma. Cleaning ingredients have also been linked to cancer and other serious health and there are ecological concerns as well.
Fortunately, growing awareness of the health and environmental impacts of cleaning products has led to the development of many effective, cost-competitive, third-party certified green cleaning products. These green cleaners meet strict criteria concerning ingredient safety, resulting in safer products with reduced toxicity to children, teachers, custodians, and school staff. School districts all over the country have made the switch to green cleaners, for the benefit of both students and staff. Many districts have even saved money in the process. Eight states have now passed laws requiring or encouraging use of green cleaners in schools.
Recent research compares the air pollution released by cleaning a model classroom with conventional versus green cleaners. The results are clear -- total levels of air pollution are six times higher in the classroom cleaned with conventional products. Green cleaning products create markedly safe and cleaner indoor air in the classroom -- while achieving the same level of cleanliness. (Learn more at www.ewg.org/schoolcleaningsupplies/)
I would like to learn what cleaners are used in our school, how often they are used, and for what purpose. If these products include certified green cleaners, then I commend you for safeguarding the health of the children under your care. If not, then I urge you to make the switch to certified green cleaners. Use of safer green cleaning products and practices results in cleaning performance equal to or better than that of conventional products and practices, and should not increase overall spending on school maintenance.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to working with you to to ensure that our schools are clean, safe, and healthy for students and staff alike.
Fearing a H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine, and Wanting More of It
By PERRI KLASS, M.D. Published: November 9, 2009
When I tell nonmedical friends that our clinic is vaccinating children against the H1N1 flu virus, here is what they say:
With about half, it is something like: “Oh, my God, our doctor doesn’t have it! Can you get me a dose?” And with the other half, it is something like, “Oh, my God, that brand-new vaccine — do you really think it’s safe?”
There is a peculiar duality in the collective cultural mind just now, a kind of pandemic doublethink. Other doctors I know are all eagerly having their own children immunized. Many are answering frantic calls from people desperate for the vaccine. But at the same time, we are all coming up against parents who are determined to refuse that same vaccine.
Serious cases of this flu are relatively rare but far from unheard of; more than 100 children have died of H1N1. The deaths seem to occur disproportionately in children and pregnant women.
So we give the H1N1 vaccine to children whose parents are almost tearfully afraid of the virus, and we try to win over those parents who are just as tearfully afraid of the vaccine. To them, we explain over and over that in fact this is not a brand-new vaccine — it is made with the same techniques as the seasonal influenza vaccine. Yes, it has been tested. Yes, it’s safe. Yes, it’s effective.
The divided public mood about H1N1 — fear of vaccine and fear that there won’t be enough of it — reminds Dr. Offit of a joke Woody Allen tells in “Annie Hall.” One woman complains that the food at a Catskills resort is terrible, and her friend agrees: “And such small portions!”
So yes, I’m scared. I worry about H1N1 when a young child with cough and fever shows up; I worry about not being able to pick out that healthy child who may go on to get very sick, very fast. That is your basic pediatric nightmare: How do we judge which children are likely to get better and which few may get much sicker, and even die? That is why I find myself trying to offer parents exactly what I want for my own children: vaccine, protection, immunity.
In the clinic, we advise parents to have their children immunized, especially those with asthma or other chronic problems. “People all over the city are begging for this vaccine,” I heard another doctor tell a mother. “We’re incredibly lucky that we have it.”
If you refuse the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine, please use cleaning products and hand sanitizer that protect you against the spread of the virus. You can also decontaminate infected areas, rooms, schools and offices.
You may scrub your toilet and countertops until they shine, but these top 10 germ breeding grounds require just as much attention.
Germs (the catchall name for bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms) are everywhere -- at home, in the office, even in your car. Luckily, about 99% of them can't harm us. But the other 1% can be annoying, uncomfortable, or downright scary: Most of these pathogens are either viral or bacterial and can cause everything from a runny nose to a potentially life-threatening infection.
You may think you know the obvious places that germs propagate -- the doctor's office, the soles of your shoes -- but many more germ-friendly locales are completely unexpected yet no less dangerous.
We uncovered a host of surprising new spots where germs like to lurk, and offer easy solutions to keep you and your family safe and healthy.
1. Kitchen Faucet
That metal aeration screen at the end of the faucet is a total germ magnet. Running water keeps the screen moist, an ideal condition for bacteria growth. Because tap water is far from sterile, if you accidentally touch the screen with dirty fingers or food, bacteria can grow on the faucet, explains microbiologist Kelly Reynolds, PhD, an associate professor of community environment and policy at the University of Arizona College of Public Health. Over time, bacteria build up and form a wall of pathogens called biofilm that sticks to the screen. "Eventually, that biofilm may even be big enough to break off and get onto your food or dishes," she notes.
Keep It Clean: Once a week, remove the screen and soak it in a decontamination solution or effective all purpose cleaner -- follow the directions on the label. Replace the screen, and let the water run a few minutes before using.
2. Garbage Disposal
Bacteria from last night’s dinner could end up on today’s food and utensils if you’re not careful. That raw chicken or spinach you're rinsing for dinner is often loaded with harmful bacteria, which can make the young, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system seriously ill. In fact, there are often more than 500,000 bacteria in the kitchen sink--about 1,000 times more than the average toilet has. Although the metal part of the disposal produces ions that can help kill germs, they still love to grow on the crevices in and around the slimy rubber stopper. That means your disposal can become party central for bacteria, contaminating whatever touches it -- dishes, utensils, even your hands.
It serves to greet not only your guests but also all the bugs on the bottoms of their shoes. In fact, one study found that nearly 96% of shoe soles had traces of coliform, which includes fecal bacteria. "The area near your front door is one of the dirtiest in the house," says Reynolds. Once bacteria plant their stakes in your mat, anytime you walk on it, you give them a free ride into your home.
Keep It Clean: Spray the doormat once a week with a fabric-safe disinfectant. Leave shoes at the door, and avoid resting bags and groceries on the mat, too.
4. Vacuum Cleaner
It’s all in the bag—including spreadable germs. "Vacuums -- including the brushes and bags -- are like meals-on-wheels for bacteria," says Charles Gerba, PhD, professor of environmental biology at the University of Arizona "You suck in all this bacteria and food, creating an atmosphere for growth." A recent study by Gerba and his team found that 13% of all vacuum cleaner brushes tested positive for E. coli, which means you could spread it around the house each time you use the appliance.
Keep It Clean: Change your vacuum bag frequently, and do so outdoors to avoid the cloud of bacteria that filters into the air. Vacuum bags that feature antibacterial linings are best, and are available for many major brands. Clean the cavity of a bagless vacuum with a decontaminant and let it air-dry. Using an anti-microbial germ killing carpet cleaner will also kill the germs in the vacuum as well as the carpet or floor.
5. Dish Towel
You know a sponge can harbor nasty germs, but dish towels are just as dangerous. A recent study of hundreds of homes across the United States found that about 7% of kitchen towels were contaminated with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), the difficult-to-treat staph bacteria that can cause life-threatening skin infections. Dish towels also rated tops for dangerous strains of E. coli and other bacteria. We often use towels to wipe up spills, says Reynolds, then reuse before washing them, which spreads germs.
This is your vehicle's second-most-common spot for bacteria and mold. Here’s why: When air—which carries mold spores and bacteria—gets sucked in through the vents, it's often drawn to the dashboard, where it can deposit the spores and germs. Because the dashboard receives the most sun and tends to stay warm, it's prime for growth. (The number one germ zone? Food spills.)
Keep It Clean: Regularly swipe the inside of your car with disinfecting all purpose cleaner. Be more vigilant during allergy season - about 20 million Americans are affected by asthma, which is caused in part by an allergic reaction to mold. You can also fog your car with a chemical decontaminant once a quarter while running the Air Conditioner to disinfect the entire interior of the automobile.
7. Soap Dispensers
About 25% of public restroom dispensers are contaminated by fecal bacteria. Soap that harbors bacteria may sound ironic, but that’s exactly what a recent study found. "Most of these containers are never cleaned, so bacteria grows as the soap scum builds up," says Gerba. "And the bottoms are touched by dirty hands, so there's a continuous culture going on feeding millions of bacteria."
Keep It Clean: Be sure to scrub hands thoroughly for 15 to 20 seconds with plenty of hot water -- and use an alcohol-free foam hand sanitizer after you leave the room to disinfect.
8. Restaurant Ketchup Bottle
Those condiments on the tabletop are grimier than you think. It's the rare eatery that regularly bleaches down condiment containers. And the reality is that many people don't wash their hands before eating, says Reynolds. So while you may be diligent, the guy who poured the ketchup before you may not have been, which means his germs are now on your fries.
Keep It Clean: Squirt hand sanitizer on the outside of the bottle and your hands before you grab it. Holding the bottle with a napkin won't help--they're porous, so microorganisms can walk right through, says Reynolds. Our travel size alcohol-free hand sanitizer keeps killing germs for up to 30 minutes, so one application when you sit down should protect you throughout the meal.
9. Refrigerator Seal
Do you scrub the inside of your fridge? It’s not enough. A University of Arizona survey of 160 homes in three US cities found that the seal around the fridge tested positive 83% of the time for common molds. The mold can spread every time the refrigerator door opens -- exposing anyone who's susceptible to allergies and potentially contaminating the food.
Drop your cell any place that’s convenient when you get home? Read this first. Several studies on cell phones and PDA's found that they carry tons of bacteria, including staph (which can cause skin infections), pseudomonas (eye infections), and salmonella (stomach ailments). Many electronic devices are sheathed in leather or vinyl cases, which provide plenty of creases and crevices for germs to hide.
According to research performed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hand sanitizer is considered as effective at killing germs as washing your hands with soap and water, unless hands are visibly soiled. Clean hands are very important for stopping the spread of germs. Hand soap and cleansers need to not only wash away dirt and grime, but kill the germs and prevent them from spreading from one person to another.
Here’s ways on keeping your hands sanitized effectively:
When you have time, wet your hands with warm water and then lather up with soap.
Rub your hands together and scrub all the surfaces, including your palms, wrists, between your fingers, and under your nails. Rub and scrub for about 30 seconds.
Rinse and then dry your hands on a paper towel or clean cloth.
In public bathrooms, turn off the water using a paper towel to avoid getting germs on your clean hands.You can use the same towel to open the door. Door handles are great carriers of germs.
When you can’t wash your hands with soap and water, a good alternative is to use an alcohol-free hand-sanitizing foam. Alcohol-based gels will dry out your skin and lead to cracking and they are less effective than the non-alcoholic hand sanitizer.
It sounds almost too simple to be true. But, an important part of staying healthy this flu season is to wash and sanitize your hands. Try it! You won’t be sorry you did!
Alcohol-free hand sanitizers kill certain germs that are easily transmitted. Studies have shown that families who use hand sanitizer are 59% less likely to spread sickness to other members of their family who also use hand sanitizers than they are to spread it to people outside of the family who do not use hand sanitizer.
Keep a portable size hand sanitizer in your purse, diaper bag and car to make sure you have it whenever you may need it and soap and water is not available to use. How many times have you used a public restroom to find there is no soap to wash your hands with? One squirt of our hand sanitizer into the palm of your hand is enough to spread all over both hands to effectively kill 99.999% germs you may have on your hands. You do not need to rinse off the sanitizer- it dries quickly and as it does, gets rid of the germs. Our alcohol-free hand sanitizer also continues to work up to 30 minutes, compared to 4 or 5 minutes for alcohol based sanitizers.
As an added warning when purchasing hand sanitizers, it is important to check their alcohol concentration. Only alcohol-based sanitizers with a minimum of 60% ethyl alcohol, ethanol or isopropanol can effectively kill the most harmful bacteria. Also, these items should be kept away from children, since the high concentration of alcohol could result in alcohol poisoning if ingested. However, our alcohol-free hand sanitizers are strong enough for the military and safe enough for moms, but should still not be ingested. Finally, hand sanitizers are not cleaning agents. Therefore, when removing visible dirt, blood or other bodily fluids from your hands, you must wash your hands first with soap and water in order for the the sanitizer to be effective.
Keeping schools clean and open has become a top priority of education officials across the country, especially amidst the spread of the H1N1 virus (a.k.a., "Swine Flu"). Still, many school districts have been forced to close their doors and disinfect their buildings due to high illness absenteeism among faculty, staff and students. Examples include:
Huntsville, Texas -- School officials reportedly employed cleaning crews to disinfect all door knobs, desks, tabletops and handles during a shutdown expected to last at least 48 hours.
Manning, S.C. -- School officials are said to have spent five days disinfecting the entire school, including wiping down walls, desks, counters, toilets and anything else students might touch.
A four-week school closure would cost districts somewhere between $140 and $630 per student, depending upon location, according to report cited in a Los Angeles Timesarticle today. On top of those costs, additional costs are incurred by employers and employees via unscheduled absences.
A 2008 survey conducted by Mercer for the workforce management company Kronos® revealed that a company with a $50 million payroll (i.e., 1,000 employees earning average annual salaries of $50,000 each) will spend $4.5 million annually — or 9 percent of payroll — on unplanned incidental and extended employee absences.
But there are ways to fight back.
The easiest way for school officials to begin preparing for such an outbreak is by making Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer available to faculty, staff and students.
An extremely-safe, effective, non-irritating, non-flammable and non-staining alternative to alcohol-based hand sanitizer, Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer comes without the liability and risk concerns of alcohol-based hand sanitizers that prompted University of Michigan officials to ban it from dispensers on campus (details here).
After installing wall-mounted dispensers, a thorough top-to-bottom cleaning needs to take place. That should, at a minimum, include the following:
Treating all carpets within school buildings with DepHyze™ Carpet Cleaner to ensure you not only clean your carpets effectively, but that you also eliminate odors through 100 percent true chemical negation (not masking);
Using DepHyze™ Decon 3D, an ultra-powerful cleaner and disinfectant to thoroughly clean your entire school building and then use it once monthly thereafter;
If you have a laundry facility within your school, using DepHyze™ Laundry Detergent, a cold-water, energy-saving product, to wash all machine-washable clothing, uniforms and linens at least once every two to three loads.
The products listed above, which offer up to an unsurpassed 99.99999 percent efficacy, can help school officials take care of the most-challenging and unwanted schoolhouse visitors -- bacteria, germs, mold, viruses, etc. Best of all, they're available today from CLEANpHIRST™.
Is it possible that the mother in the video above used Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer in place of one of the leading alcohol-based brands? Seems plausible.
If you're a mom who's looking foran extremely-safe, effective, non-irritating, non-flammable and non-staining alternative to alcohol-based hand sanitizer, look no further than CLEANpHIRST™.
Right now, CLEANpHIRST™ is offering a six-month supply of Hand Sanitizer for only $30, and that includes free shipping on orders shipped to customers anywhere in the continental United States.
When you order, you’ll receive six 1.7-oz. dispensers of Hand Sanitizer, each of which provides 125 applications. That’s 750 applications in all — enough to last a mom, dad and four babies quite a while, especially when compared to similar-size dispensers (2 ounce) of the leading alcohol-based gels which provide only 39 applications.
To place an order before the babies wake from their nap, click here.
Recently, the staff at CLEANpHIRST™ reached out to mommy bloggers across the country, seeking feedback about one of our most-popular products, Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer. One of those who agreed to try it out was Pamela Berube at FrugalCatholicMommy.com in Columbus, Ohio. In a post published Thursday, Pamela wrote a review which included the following comments:
Two things especially impressed me. One–the formula keeps working to kill germs for 3o minutes after application (wow!), and two–there is no chance of accidental alcohol poisoning in my kids.
Although I will still continue to keep this hand sanitizer out of reach, I will be much less concerned when I squirt some onto the palms of my kids. I appreciate companies like CLEANpHIRST trying to reformulate products to make them safer for families.
Are you one of those people who doesn't think he needs to keep hand sanitizer handy (i.e., in your coat pocket, in your car or at your workplace)? If so, I ask you to reconsider by examining events that might take place in a relatively typical week in the life of an American:
If you're like about 40 percent of Americas, you attend church on a regular basis. While there, do you shake hands with your fellow churchgoers? If so, you need to keep hand sanitizer handy.
If you're like almost 40 million other Americans with children of preschool age, chances are high that you take them to a child care facility of one kind or another on a daily basis. While there, do you touch any door handles, counters or other surfaces inside that child care facility? If so, you need to keep hand sanitizer handy.
If you're like the vast majority of Americans who work outside the home, studies show that a large percentage of the people you work with don't wash their hands after using the restroom. While you're at work, do you ever handle items previously handled by coworkers or touch surfaces coworkers have touched? If so, you need to keep hand sanitizer handy.
If you are like most Americans, you visit a grocery store at least once a week to stock up on food. While there, do you ever use a shopping cart that's already been handled by dozens of people? If so, you need to keep hand sanitizer handy.
As you might imagine, I could provide hundreds of other examples of daily activities that warrant keeping hand sanitizer handy. I cannot, however, provide more than one recommendation of a hand sanitizer best able to meet your needs: Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer.
An extremely-safe, effective, non-irritating, non-flammable and non-staining alternative to alcohol-based hand sanitizer, CLEANpHIRST kills well beyond the level of the leading alcohol-based hand sanitizers on the market (i.e., 99.999 percent kill rate against Staphylococcus aureus). Plus, it's the only hand sanitizer proven effective against both strains of Norovirus. Perhaps best of all, the active ingredient in Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer, benzalkonium chloride (BZK), has been proven effective against H1N1 (a.k.a.,”Swine Flu”) in one scientific study.
Unlike other hand sanitizer products containing BZK, Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer maximizes its effectiveness via the use of a unique patent-pending surfactant package that allows the active ingredient to penetrate cell walls at a higher rate. Best of all, it does so without alcohol, an ingredient that dries out the skin and can damage the skin with repeated use.
Make sure you have enough CLEANpHIRST for everyone in your family. When you order a six-pack of Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer for only $30, we’ll include shipping to any location within the continental U.S. absolutely free! To order, click here.
At St. Louis-based CLEANpHIRST™, we are so convinced that people will love Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer if they simply give it a try, we’re willing to give away free wall-mounted dispensers of the product to the first 100 people who contact us on behalf of a child care facility they own or operate in the continental United States [See "FREE OFFER GUIDELINES" at end of post].
The package we provide will include a wall-mounted dispenser and approximately 2,375 applications of Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer, a product that stands as an extremely-safe, effective, non-irritating, non-flammable, non-staining alternative to alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
What makes Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer so special? In part, it’s the fact that Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer kills well beyond the level of the leading alcohol-based hand sanitizers on the market (i.e., 99.999 percent kill rate against Staphylococcus aureus). It’s also the only formula on the market proven effective against both strains of the Norovirus. In addition, the active ingredient in Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer, benzalkonium chloride (BZK), has been proven effective against H1N1 (a.k.a.,”Swine Flu”) in a scientific study conducted two years ago.
Unlike other hand sanitizer products containing BZK, Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer maximizes its effectiveness via the use of a unique surfactant package that allows the active ingredient to penetrate cell walls at a higher rate. Best of all, it does it without alcohol, an ingredient that dries out the skin and can damage the skin with repeated use.
We look forward to finding out how excited you become about Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer and to introducing you to other CLEANpHIRST™ products that can make caring for children easier for you.
~ FREE OFFER GUIDELINES ~
Are you the owner or operator of a child care facility located in the continental United States who’s interested in receiving a free wall-mounted dispenser of Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer for use in your facility? If so, please send an e-mail to info (at) CLEANpHIRST (dot) com with “Free Wall-Mount Dispenser” in the subject line and including the following information in the body of the message:
Name of Owner/Operator/Manager
Name of Child Care Facility
Physical Address
City State Zip Code
State license number for your facility
Best Phone Number to Reach You
Best E-mail Address to Reach You (if different from the one you use)
Please know that none of the information you supply will be shared with any third parties outside of the parcel delivery service we use to ship the product to you.
