Flu-mania is making people a little nuts. My mother leaves constant reminders to get a flu shot; at my office they've handed out masks, anti-bacterial gel and wipes with instructions to wipe down our phones, computer keyboards and desks before we leave each night; and, a friend of mine turned to me the other night while we were watching "Glee" and said, "You know that woman who wears plastic gloves to do everything? I'm thinking maybe she's not so crazy after all."
- Watch the hot spots: Pay special attention to keeping these areas clean.
- Keep your sponges clean: Try these 5 tips.
- Use your appliances: Dishwashers, washing machines and dryers don't only clean clothes, they also kill germs via high heat.
- Wash your hands: Hand washing's the best protection against the flu. Wash your hands frequently and encourage your children to do the same.
- Pay attention to your cutting board: Use a separate board for raw meats and consider swapping out your plastic boards for wooden ones.
- Consider copper: Though the trend has been towards stainless in the past few years, there's some evidence that copper - sinks, door knobs and pans - may have anti-viral properties
- Humidify: It seems counter-intuitive to us but apparently viruses have a harder time thriving and multiplying in humid air.
- Ultraviolet: Okay, this seems a little extreme but if you can find an ultraviolet air purification system, it inhibits the growth of mold and fungi
- Air filters: We've become a recent convert of these, especially in the bedroom.
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[image: TheGiantVermin, from his Flickr, with a Creative Commons License]
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And never leave the house to go to work or school or anywhere other people are.
Yeah, if you catch it it's going to be from other people (probably from being sneezed or coughed on, from shaking hands or from handles in busy places), not from some mysterious contamination of your own home. Some of these might help if you have kids bringing germs home from school each day though.
I already obsessively spray, wipe, and wash everything in sight, but I'm even more terrified of airborne germs on the subway because there's really nothing you can do, except wear a mask and look like a fool. It's incredible how many people... adults... don't cover their mouths when they cough!
There are many arguments against wood cutting boards. I actually use plastic and have several for different jobs. Here are some pages to consider for those who blindly do whatever an OP says.
Actually for commercial uses, in many places the FDA has banned wooden cutting boards from being used...my proof is below.
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/cutting_board.htm
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/cuttingboards/a/cutbrdwoodplas.htm
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/culinarytools/p/cuttingboards.htm
I just returned from the doctor and found I have the flu. My two little ones had it earlier in the week. We do a lot of handwashing and wiping down of things around here, but my 7 yr. old decided to share a drink at the Y with his friend a few nights ago (he fessed up afterwards) and I think that's how it all started. The friend's mom called to say he had the flu on Monday. I think he's learned his lesson.
#1 should be DON"T TOUCH YOUR FACE!
A dear family friend is an infectious disease doctor and I've never seen him touch his face. It is almost creepy how he has curbed this bad habit that I manage to do 12 times a minuite. Oh, and he is surrounded by sick people all the time and never gets sick. He attributes it to not touching his face and hand-washing.
what do cutting boards have to do with the flu?
If you're talking about santitation in general, plastic is MUCH more hygienic than wood. Our plastic boards go on the bottom shelf of the dishwasher with every run. Completely sanitary!
I would never ever cut meat on a wooden board. I tend to reserve my wooden boards for "trivit duty"....
Washing machines don't have to run hot in order to kill bacteria:
http://www.hygiene-educ.com/en/learn/athome/sci_data/classification.htm
"Washing at 40°C showed 500 times fewer bacteria than on the dirty clothes, while the same load washed at 30°C only contained 10 times fewer. " (40°C is 100°F)
It's hilarious that this wooden cutting board discussion came up today --- I was just watching an old Brit-com from the BBC called Chef! last night, which is about a surly chef working in a fancy restaurant kitchen. The health inspector came in and asked if they had replaced their wooden cutting boards with plastic ones, and the chef replied by going off on a rant about how of course they had replaced them, since for the 500 years before this new regulation was in place the restaurant's customers had been dropping off like flies because of killer wooden chopping boards attacking people.
Pretty funny.
I have plastic cutting boards because they cost 2 bucks at Ikea and I couldn't afford anything else when I was outfitting my kitchen, but I grew up using wooden boards and have never had food poisoning from a home cooked meal. As long as whatever board you're using is properly cleaned, and the same board isn't used for raw meat and veggies I don't see any issues.
All of the above are sensible practices but handwashing and keeping hands away from the face (as well as not letting people sneeze & cough on you!) are the only real flu preventatives. Keeping your sponges & cutting boards clean won't protect you from influenza.
great photo.