WHEN MOM TOLD YOU TO WASH YOUR HANDS, SHE WAS RIGHT
By Ron Cassinelli, New England Domestic News

If the idea of germs in your food, or on your carpets or your bedding just makes you sick, you’re not alone — and it can.

So if someone else cooks your food, makes your bed or cleans your house, read on.

Beth Risinger, CEO of the non-profit International Executive Housekeepers Association, told New England Domestic News that the members of her organization are trying to spread the word about halting the spread of germs.

The IEHA, as Risinger’s association is known, is an organization of 6,000 people in the public and private sector who manage hospitals, hotels and college facilities. She says they learn how to really clean — and they learn that something as simple as hand washing is a key way to stop the spread of germs.

The Center for Disease Control appears to agree on the effectiveness of hand washing.

The CDC estimates about 2 million people in the United States get sick each year from hospital infections, and 90,000 die. Nicole Coffin, a CDC spokesperson, said hospital infections might come from various sources, including instruments, such as contact with a contaminated catheter, but she said “We do think the number one way to prevent infection is proper hand hygiene.”

Take it on home

It would make sense that if proper hand hygiene is the best way to prevent infection, that rule would apply not only to hospitals but to non-sterile settings, too, like your house.

IEHA has an education program that can lead to certification in housekeeping services. Members who receive that education can then pass their knowledge on to their employees.

The knowledge they have about cleanliness procedures should be just as important to anyone who hires at-home help — to care for their children, their elderly parents, or even just their houses — and it should be just as important to those who want to be hired to do such work.

From hands to how-to

As crucial as washing hands may be, knowing how to clean is important, too. Remember the classic image of someone rubbing the finger of a white glove along a surface to see if it was really clean? That might tell you something about how frequently the furniture has been dusted, but it doesn’t say much about knowing how to clean.

For example, if you are an employer, you might want to ask your prospective employee some of the following questions.

When they clean the kitchen or the bathroom, what do they do first? In the kitchen, would they clean the sink, and then wipe down the counter-tops with the same cloth? Or worse, would they wipe up a spill on the floor, and then the counter. And what do they do with the cloth or sponge they used? Does it sit on the sink to be used again without being cleaned?

Do they know not just how to vacuum a rug but how to get the germs out of a carpet? If children crawl on that carpet, the question is more than just academic. It could have health consequences.

If you are an employee, you should consider the same questions.

How often do you wash your hands? And would you touch utensils, plates or people after popping an uncooked chicken into the oven without first washing your hands?

Although the IEHA is not the only source for information, Risinger said it does have materials that can help people learn about good hygiene.

“We have a lot of video programs for those frontline workers,” as the group calls those who do the actual cleaning. They are available not only to hotel and other managers of facilities that serve the public. Families that hire housekeepers, cooks, nannies and other domestic help can also acquire them.

You may contact the IEHA at their website www.ieha.org for more information.

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