Brevis Product News

GlitterBug® Powder: A New Formula

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If you’ve been using GlitterBug Powder, you’d be glad to know that it now comes in a new formula that does not contain any of the offending substances on California’s Prop 65 list. This product still works just as well as the old formula, and it is even more helpful now. The new GlitterBug Powder is a handy tool for testing and verifying cleaning and environmental hygiene procedures. You can use it to visually demonstrate cross-contamination concepts as well. Let’s dive in and learn more about this innovative product.

What is GlitterBug Powder?
GlitterBug Powder is a fluorescent powder that glows under black light. This makes it useful for demonstrating cross-contamination concepts and for testing and verifying cleaning and environmental hygiene procedures. The original formula of GlitterBug Powder contained a substance that is on California’s Prop 65 list. This made it difficult for some customers to use the product. However, the new formula does not contain any of these substances, making it safe for use by everyone.

GlitterBug® Powder 35g Bottle

How Does GlitterBug Powder Work?
When you sprinkle the powder onto a surface, even the smallest amount will glow brightly with the black light. After you clean the surface, you can use a black light to scan it for any remaining residue. Any residue left on the surface will glow brightly under the black light making it easy to identify.

What are the Benefits of the New Formula?
First and foremost, it does not contain any of the offending substances on California’s Prop 65 list. This means that it is safe for use by everyone. Additionally, the new formula comes in a convenient flip-up bottle with a sprinkle lid. This makes it easy to use and ensures that you can apply the powder precisely where you need it.

How to Use GlitterBug Powder?
Using GlitterBug Powder is easy. Simply sprinkle a small amount of the powder onto a surface that your trainees will touch. After a short amount of time you can scan their hands and surrounding surfaces that they may have touched with a black light. Any remaining residue will fluoresce, making it easy to identify and visually illustrate how cross-contamination occurs.

Who Can Benefit from Using GlitterBug Powder?
GlitterBug Powder is an essential tool for anyone involved in cleaning and hygiene. It is particularly useful for hospitals, schools, food service industries, and anywhere else where cleanliness is paramount.

Is GlitterBug Powder Safe?
Yes, GlitterBug Powder is safe for use. The new formula does not contain any of the substances that were on California’s Prop 65 list and has been tested for safety when used on people’s skin.

Can GlitterBug Powder Be Used on Food Surfaces?
No, GlitterBug Powder should not be used on food surfaces. The product is designed to be used on non-food surfaces only.

The new GlitterBug Powder is available now and can be bought in individual bottles or in cases of 24.

Handwashing Saves Lives

Hand Washing Verification

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As we all know, hand washing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs and infections. However, simply washing our hands is not enough. We need to ensure that we are washing our hands properly and for the right amount of time. That’s where hand washing verification comes in.

Hand washing verification is the process of ensuring that individuals are washing their hands correctly and for the recommended amount of time. This can be done through a variety of methods, including visual inspection, using ultraviolet light to detect fake germs, and even using technology such as hand washing monitoring systems.

In this article, we will discuss the importance of hand washing verification, the different methods used to verify hand washing, and why it is crucial to implement this practice in various settings.

Why Hand Washing Verification is Important

Hand washing verification is critical to ensuring that individuals are effectively preventing the spread of germs, diseases and infections. Without proper hand washing, germs can easily spread from person to person, leading to illnesses and even outbreaks.

Research has shown that many individuals do not wash their hands correctly or for the recommended amount of time. In fact, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that only 31% of men and 65% of women washed their hands after using a public restroom. This highlights the need for hand washing verification to ensure that individuals are washing their hands correctly.

Different Methods of Hand Washing Verification

There are several methods used for hand washing verification, including visual inspection, ultraviolet light, and hand washing monitoring systems.

Visual Inspection

Visual inspection is the most basic form of hand washing verification. It involves observing individuals as they wash their hands to ensure that they are washing them correctly and for the recommended amount of time. This method is commonly used in healthcare settings, where hand hygiene is critical to preventing the spread of infections.

Ultraviolet Light

Ultraviolet (UV) light is another method used for hand washing verification. UV light can detect synthetic germs that are not visible to the naked eye. This method involves applying a substance to the hands that contains fluorescent particles. When the hands are exposed to UV light, the particles will glow, indicating areas where the hands were not washed thoroughly.

GlitterBug® GBX Handwashing Teaching Kit

Hand Washing Monitoring Systems

Hand washing monitoring systems are the most advanced method of hand washing verification. These systems use technology such as sensors and cameras to monitor hand washing in real-time. They can detect when an individual enters a hand washing station, monitor the duration of hand washing, and even provide feedback to the individual to ensure that they are washing their hands correctly.

Implementing Hand Washing Verification

Hand washing verification should be implemented in various settings, including healthcare facilities, schools, and workplaces. It is crucial to educate individuals on the importance of hand washing and provide them with the tools they need to ensure that they are washing their hands correctly.

In healthcare settings, hand washing verification is critical to preventing the spread of infections. Healthcare workers should be trained on the correct hand hygiene procedures and monitored to ensure that they are following these procedures.

In schools, hand washing verification can help prevent the spread of illnesses among students. Teachers should educate students on the importance of hand washing and provide them with the tools they need to wash their hands correctly, such as hand sanitizer, soap and disposable towels.

In workplaces, hand washing verification can help prevent the spread of illnesses among employees. Employers should educate employees on the importance of hand washing and provide them with the tools they need to wash their hands correctly, such as hand sanitizer or soap with paper towels.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hand Washing

  1. What is hand washing verification?
    Hand washing verification is the process of ensuring that individuals are washing their hands correctly and for the recommended amount of time.
  1. Why is hand washing verification important?
    Hand washing verification is important to prevent the spread of germs and infections
Dr. Gordon Short weighs in

What Good Are Hands, Anyway?

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As a physician I performed many medical exams which consisted of using my hands to examine patients. I delivered babies, performed pelvic exams and other procedures that involved using my hands or fingers. Very personal and invasive stuff. Yet no one complained because the context was correct.

But surely hands are more useful for everyday activities. Like the thumb. “No” when pointed down, as Senator McCain famously demonstrated. Up for “Yes” or “Good.”

And the index finger. A pointer, as in “Uncle Sam Wants You” posters that I remember from World War II. And the middle finger. Need I explain? Then there’s the fourth finger of the left hand. A convenient parking place for a commitment ring. (Some cynics might say it would better be a nose ring.) And what little can be said about the little finger. Just “pinky.”

And what can we say about the palm? I suppose in political parlance one “greases the palm” of the politician from whom one wants a favor. Ask any successful lobbyist. And, of course, one can suggest certainty by saying “you know something like the palm of your hand.” (Like the efficacy of grease?)

Kismet. It’s a movie that I pull out and watch every few years. Exotic places, times, music, dancers. But what I really enjoy is the soliloquy on hands that Hajj the beggar and storyteller sings just before his hand is about to be chopped off. Here are some lines:

“Dear hand, deft hand, clever and facile extremity, boon companion to me from my birth; sweet hand, swift hand, spinner of fable and fantasy, faithful friend of my art, would they rend us apart, leaving no finger or fist there, but just the hint of a wrist there? Is this a tale? Are you convinced? For the facile finger, listeners will linger. Reiterate. Gesticulate.”

To which the Wazir’s wife responds, “Rather clever, you must admit.”

Here we are 2022 years into the Common Era and we are still obsessed with our hands — or should be. These biomechanical marvels continue to amaze and amuse, to caress and insult, to feed faces and pull triggers, to cure cancer with deft scalpels and spread infections with careless equanimity. But if they offend us, should we lop them off?

Spread infections? As my groping digits search for keys that will make some printed sense, Joshua Bell is bringing Brahms back to life by making the strings on his wooden box vibrate just the way the concerto was intended. How can the hands that make heavenly music also spread hellish disease?

GlitterBuddy™ Handwash Kit

Technology astounds us. Stainless steel can be converted into a hostile venue for microbes by the addition of a few silver ions (Agion steel). Plastic toys are similarly treated to decrease the probability that child A will share his Shigella with child B at preschool. The country is drowning in alcohol. It’s applied externally and also internally in both biological and mechanical devices. We’re coated with antiseptics. And still the happy little hitchhikers sneak on to our hands and jump off where they are least wanted.

A 100 kg human weighs 100,000,000,000,000,000 times as much as a MRSA and yet our invisibly insignificant coccus outsmarts us in seemingly reverse proportions. Mercy! How can that be? Why can’t we germproof our hands with some magic nanotech coating that will sock it to the germs and end all our miseries? Maybe mañana?

On the other hand. . . .

Where do clean hands leave off and disease carriers begin? For many years, when we were younger, my wife of 68 years, Lovina, and I had many backpack adventures in the mountains of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. We ate what we ate, but never scrubbed our hands with soap and warm water. Not even after we went to the “bathroom” (strange name for a toilet facility). Mostly because there weren’t any such. Unless one took the broad view that the whole earth is a toilet. And we never got sick. Luck? Good antibodies? No bad germs in the wild?

Back in “civilization” we worry about germs incessantly. Especially in hospitals. That’s where folk with serious infections go for treatment. Not because they want to become reservoirs of bad bugs to share with other innocent bystanders. But that is why hospitals can become concentration camps for germs looking for new hosts. And hands are convenient carriers of these bugs. (Not to mention droplets from coughing, sneezing and even speaking)

What to do?

Be considerate. Set a good example. Teach the next generation especially that proper hand washing is the single most important means for preventing the spread of infection. Here at Brevis we still believe that Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness. Not next to impossible as the cynics would say.

Check out our GlitterBug products that demonstrate the ins and outs of good hand hygiene. Clean hands are not the final solution, but they are the first step in being responsible and happy, healthy citizens.

Handwashing Saves Lives, Infection prevention

Four hand hygiene facts that will astound you!

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Hand hygiene is important. We hear about it all the time, starting with our mothers while we were little and growing up.

But having clean hands is more than good hygiene–it is good science. Check out these four important facts . . .

  1. Most bacteria on our hands is on the fingertips and under the nails
  2. 80% of communicable diseases are transferred by touch
  3. The most critical times for hand washing are before preparing food and after going to the bathroom
  4. Damp hands are 1,000x more likely to spread bacteria than dry hands

Do you know how to tell if your hands are really clean?

GlitterBuddy™ Handwash Kit

CLICK HERE to check out these Glitterbug kits that will help you determine how well you are washing your hands!

washing hands

Dr. Gordon Short weighs in, Ebola outbreak

Bats

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Love them or hate them, you have to admit that there is something fascinating about bats. (Also arachnids, such as tarantulas, and snakes. But later for these)

My spouse, Lovina, – and spice – for the last 2/3 of a century, has a Master’s degree in organ performance from the University of Utah. Some years ago she was invited to play the beautiful pipe organ for a concert in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. This is an impressive structure separate from the Tabernacle and Temple. It had been discovered that the building had bats in its attic (belfry?). Before the day of the concert, that structure had been fumigated. With the result that during the concert, many displaced bats were flying around overhead making their little squeaking chirps. I was sitting in the balcony so as to have a good line of sight to the organ. And Lovina. And also to a performance I have never seen before or since. A small troop of ushers with 20 foot poles and butterfly nets traipsing up and down the aisles catching bats. When they were lucky. All the while attempting to be as inconspicuous as possible. With less than the desired results in either endeavor.

In spite of the side show, the concert was a resounding success. And memorable.

Friend or Foe

With this introduction, we come to the main purpose of this essay. Recently there was a TV special on bats by NOVA. As a physician, I was aware, of course, of the reputation of bats (and rats and cats) as carriers of various nefarious diseases. Think rabies, especially, but bats have been implicated in Ebola and histoplasmosis and are thought to maybe be the main reservoir of our friend, the coronavirus.

But is a bat a friend or foe? In war it is a life or death decision to know what the other guy is. (In the Civil War, the outcome may have been altered if Stonewall Jackson had not been mortally wounded by friendly fire.)

But how about bats? This essay is not intended to be an attempt to educate on the biology of the Order Chiroptera. For that I happily refer you to the delightful book by Merlin Tuttle, PhD, called, “The Secret Lives of Bats: My Adventures with the World’s Most Misunderstood Mammals” (2015).

As NOVA pointed out, bats have certain unique features that may lead to discoveries about human diseases. For example, longevity. Most bats are in the size range of mice which live about 2 or 3 years. But bats have been documented to live for 10 times as long, into their 30s and 40s. Is their secret hidden in their telomeres? Furthermore, they may actually be carriers of various deadly viruses such as Ebola and, of course, the coronaviruses. They may also carry rabies but this hazard to humans has been blown way out of reason. But how do they carry these viruses without being killed by them? If our immune systems were as effective as those of bats, we would be a happier, healthier society.

Bats may, or may not, be important vectors of virulent human viruses, but what are they good for? While a few of the larger bats prefer to feast on fruit and some have a taste for frogs, most are insectivorous. They come out of their caves every evening by the millions and devour ton quantities of insects that otherwise devour food crops. Farmers are saved from expense, and society is saved from the ravages of pesticides distributed to the environment.

That is not all. The insects are converted into commercially valuable fertilizer, guano. And bats are champs in the pollination sweepstakes. And while they are at it, they disperse undigested seeds over wide areas. Which is important for reforestation after forest fires. And as if that were not enough, they can boost the local economy through tourism, as in the Congress Bridge bat colony in Austin, TX.

But despite their proven benefits to humanity, bat populations are plummeting in many areas because bats are considered to be pests and therefore foes to be annihilated. Tuttle is out to reeducate the world. And he makes a powerful case. I wish all the “batophiles,” such as Dr Tuttle and many other “batty” scientists and enlightened citizens great success.

Gordon Short, MD
Brevis Corporation

References:

  • Merlin Tuttle: The Secret Lives of Bats, My Adventures with the World’s Most Misunderstood Mammals. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2018)
  • Michael J. Harvey, Scott Altenbach, Troy L. Best: Bats of the United States and Canada. Johns Hopkins University Press (2011)
  • Marianne Taylor & Merlin D. Tuttle: BATS, an illustrated guide to all species. Smithsonian Books (2019)
  • The Secret World of Bats: Bat Conservation International (2005) DVD, 48 minutes.
  • BAT Superpowers, The Amazing Biology of Bats: NOVA (2021) DVD, 55 minutes.

Ebola Virus Giant Microbe

Superbugs

The “Superbug” Civil War

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A few days ago I was thinking of the coincidence that the American Civil War had a widely reported military death toll of 620,000 and that is about the same as the death toll from Covid-19 in this country since the pandemic began.

Then magically an article appeared in Time magazine by Rachel Lance, PhD, that summarizes the situation better than I could. I draw pertinent information from her article. (Incidentally, Rachel has written a fascinating book on the Hunley story called, “In the Waves: My Quest to Solve the Mystery of a Civil War Submarine.” I would hope Clive Cussler, who discovered the final resting place of the Hunley, approves. I certainly do. It’s a fascinating story.)

In recent years our civilization has been confronted with a dizzying array of new, or at least newly discovered, diseases Many of these are viral hemorrhagic diseases such as Hanta, Marburg and Ebola. And then there are other viruses such as SARS and its offspring, SARS-CoV-2. And along came ZIKA to join the well known influenza and diarrhea and common cold viruses. Get rid of smallpox and polio and there are always other volunteers to fill their ranks.

And unless we think we are so smart, our old bacterial friends have become antibiotic resistant to keep us humble. That old scourge, Mycobacterium tuberculosis hangs around waiting to catch the unwary. Not wanting to be ignored, fungi are represented by Candida auris along with Cocidioides and Histoplasma. And parasites like the Plasmodium family have never gone away.

So lets compare the Civil War scourges with our current crop.

Here in no particular order are some prominent Civil War diseases (The list is not exhaustive.):

  • Typhoid fever
  • Typhus
  • Malaria
  • Yellow fever
  • Cholera
  • Gas gangrene
  • Gonorrhea
  • Syphilis
  • Diarrhea and Dysentery
  • Measles
  • Mumps
  • Whooping cough (Pertussis)
  • Chickenpox
  • Pneumonia
  • Erysipelas
  • Smallpox

Giant Microbes

It’s worth noting that malnutrition exacerbated the pathogenicity of these bugs. Accounts of the diets of many Civil War soldiers makes one wonder how they were able to function at all. Salt pork? Hardtack? Ugh! And “sanitary” facilities were worse than primitive. A bench across a latrine ditch excavating in one direction with the dirt filling in behind. And handwashing facilities? Are you kidding? It’s no wonder diarrhea and dysentery were rampant. And also why an army on the march was much healthier (think Sherman’s “March to the Sea”).

In spite of vaccines for many of these diseases, especially the childhood diseases, all of these delights are still of current interest.

Here are some current goodies to brighten your day:

  • C difficile (Clostridioides difficile)
  • Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2)
  • MRSA (methicillin resistant Staph aureus)
  • C auris (Candida auris)
  • VRE (Vancomycin resistant enterococci)
  • CRE (Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae)
  • Zika virus
  • Malaria
  • Tuberculosis
  • Ebola virus
  • Influenza
  • Diarrhea
  • Pneumonia
  • Venereal diseases
  • Hanta virus

Standard Precaution Signs

This, of course, is just a sampling and many more could be listed. But you get the point. While it is still true that most microorganisms are harmless, or even beneficial, there are many that lurk around ready to pounce. If you’re not familiar with it already, you owe it to yourself to look up that old song, “Some little bug is going to find you someday.” (Google it.) The poem dates back to the late 1800s and a number of people have put it to music.

And with that cheery note. . . .

Gordon Short, MD
Brevis Corporation

Superbugs

Mercy, Mersa! Where did you come from?

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Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus may always have been with us. It appears to be a genetic variant whose origins are unknown. But ever since those intrepid Brits, Fleming and Florey, discovered that some microorganisms may produce substances that inhibit the growth of other organisms, we have become dependent on these miraculous substances to treat all our infections. So far, so good. But Penicillium notatum probably never intended to be the savior of mankind. Furthermore, P. notatum is not the best critter to produce significant quantities of the magic substance.

Contact Precautions Signs & Labels

In the Sept 2021 Scientific American there is a little item about the related P. rubens. Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 and its usefulness was appreciated by the beginning of World War II. How to ramp up production? Here is the story as told by Jim Daley in the article on page 22:

Andrew Moyer, a microbiologist there [Peoria, Ill], took on the problem. Moyer’s fellow researcher Mary Hunt found a moldy cantaloupe at a Peoria market and brought it to the lab for analysis. . . .As was the case with many women conducting research in that era, Hunt’s contribution to the discovery and study of that mold – which turned out to be Penicillium rubens – was diminished at the time. Moyer’s 1944 publication on P. rubens mentions Hunt only in the paper’s acknowledgments, and the press referred to her as “Moldy Mary.” P, rubens could better tolerate a new fermentation process that let it quickly produce hundreds of times more penicillin than previously studied strains, which let the Allies massively scale up antibiotic production. The same strain is still used to manufacture penicillin today.

Clean Up the Staph Button

But what does this have to do with MRSA? As the susceptible strains of Staph aureus have been killed off, the resistant strains that have maybe always been lurking around in small numbers have been allowed to flourish. Hence the search for modifications of penicillin that would still be effective. Methicillin has been the last candidate in the congregation to do the job. When bugs resistant to it showed up, we were in trouble. Which we still are. Especially since MRSA has an increased incidence in hospitals. What that means is that it is especially important to practice excellent hygiene procedures such as surface disinfection and frequent, good handwashing. Guess what. Brevis can help.

Gordon Short, MD

Superbugs

C. Diff. (Clostridioides Difficile)

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C. diff used to go by the moniker Clostridium difficile. Now it has been upgraded to Clostridioides difficile because the gurus in charge of nomenclature have to justify their existence. Of course the bug itself is unaware of the name change and so it just goes on producing colitis and diarrhea especially in guts that have been made susceptible by prior treatment with antibiotics that suppress the normal flora. C. diff is uncommon in the general population (about 3%) but likes to hang around hospitals where maybe 30% of patients are inhabited by this critter. Metronidazole and vancomycin have been used as treatments but the bug may become part of the normal flora and subject the person to repeat bouts of diarrhea.

Elimination of this bug from the environment is a challenge because it forms spores that are resistant to the usual alcohol antiseptics. Physical removal by good hand washing procedures is effective but who knows how to wash their hands? (Brevis can help!)

Contact Precautions Signs & Labels

Incidentally, the rest the Clostridium family consists of a bunch of bad actors that cause such delightful conditions as botulism, tetanus, and gas gangrene, a particular scourge of Civil War battlefield injuries that led to early amputations of injured limbs. Seems Clostridium perfrinens and related bugs were in the guts of horses and horse were ubiquitous on the battlefield. (I once had an autopsy on a man who was kicked by a horse in his leg. In a matter of hours, doctors noticed crepitation around the wound. Within a couple more hours they had performed a hindquarter amputation – disarticulation of the hip – but it was not soon enough and in several more hours he was in the morgue. Several years later my wife and I did a 5 day backpack trip from north to south across the Uinta mountains. On the final day we were hiking down a rough trail that thad been heavily traveled and damaged by horse packers. I warned my wife to be careful and not fall. Which she promptly did. Her knee hit a rock producing a superficial abrasion that drew a little blood. When we got down to the town of Roosevelt, I insisted Lee go to the local hospital where I knew the doctor. Terry thought I was being a little melodramatic but the autopsy had definitely focused my attention.)

New Product Announcement

Protective Environment Precautions Sign

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New Product Announcement

This new sign can be used for communicating precautions required for accessing rooms with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients. Protective Environment Precautions are used to reduce exposure to environmental fungi (e.g., Aspergillus sp).

This sign is consistent in style and design with the Standard Precautions Signage series from Brevis. This sign is printed on quality card stock and is also available with Plastic Lamination for ultimate durability.

Protective Environment Precautions

Hand Hygiene

Hints for happy and healthy hand washing

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Teaching kids healthy habits is important. But how do you get them to pay attention to a dull topic such as how to wash their hands? With a little creativity, both learning about hand washing and implementing that knowledge can be fun for kids.          

Make the Process a Game

Correctly washing hands is essential to be effective. There are five steps: #1 wet, #2 lather, #3 scrub, #4 rinse, and #5 dry. Making a game out of learning these steps helps kids wash the right way. A parent can stand near the sink as the child prepares to wash his hands and say “1.” The child responds with “wet” and takes the corresponding action. This process is repeated for the next four steps. Kids are both saying and doing the step, which reinforces what they are learning.

Lave and Learn

Older children can use the required 20 seconds for hand washing to practice  learning other things. For instance it is the perfect opportunity for them to count to 20 in a foreign language they are learning. Cleanliness can be next to language fluency.

Use of warm, soapy water is suggested for hand washing. Demonstrate the difference between hot, cold, and warm at the sink. Ask a young child to be Goldilocks. She can say the appropriate phrase depending on the water temperature: “This water is too hot,” “This water is too cold,” or “This water is warm and just right for hand washing!” 

Even English lessons can occur while hand washing. Challenge your child to list as many adjectives as he can to describe the soap he is using. How does it smell? What does it feel like? What color is it?

Engage brains while hands are washed. Have kids recite where they got the germs being washed off. While scrubbing they can say, “I’m washing the germs off I got from petting Fido.” “I’m washing the germs off from the garbage can I took out for Mom.” This exercise opens their eyes as to how and where germs can be picked

Check It Out

Soap is key for hand washing. Pump soap comes in various smells and colors. Let your child choose the soap to use. If her favorite color is pink, she might be fascinated with pink-tinged Himalayan salt soap.

Hand washing can spark an inquiring mind. Offer both hand sanitizer and pump soap for use in the bathroom. Ask your child to report her observations. How do they compare? Are the textures different? Does one make her hands feel cleaner? 

Be Creative

Encourage your child’s creativity during hand washing. Have him pretend he is doing a commercial for soap while washing his hands. He can talk to the mirror about why he likes this particular soap and why others should buy it. Or challenge him to think up a cool new scent of soap he would like to use. Would kids scream to wash their hands with ice cream soap?

Children need to understand hand washing is not a “splash and dash” activity. Effective hand washing lasts at least 20 seconds. People often sing “Happy Birthday” while washing their hands since it takes 20 seconds to sing it. Challenge your child to compose his own song to sing while washing his hands. A personalized song makes the hand washing time fun for them.

The More the Merrier

Siblings can enjoy a group activity. Tell them they are participating in a consumer survey. Offer three different soaps. After they have tried each one, ask them to rate the soaps as #1, #2, and #3 in preference. Are the children’s rankings different?         

Sudsy Science

Perhaps your child would have a blast washing his hands if he is a mad scientist testing out his creation. Seeing is believing so have your children apply GlitterBug Potion with invisible glowing marker before washing. After washing have them view their hands under a blacklight. See any residual glowing? If so those are the most likely trouble spots. Task children with making a record of how many glowing areas they can see. Are certain areas glowing more commonly? Did they follow the five steps carefully? Do certain techniques minimize the glowing?

Only your imagination limits the number of ways to engage kids in hand washing. Making the activity enjoyable encourages kids to participate and results in healthy, happy, hand washing children.

Infection Prevention & Hand Hygiene Resources