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GlitterBug® Powder: A New Formula

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.

Hand Washing Verification

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

Four hand hygiene facts that will astound you!

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

C. Diff. (Clostridioides Difficile)

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.)

Protective Environment Precautions Sign

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

Hints for happy and healthy hand washing

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.

Hand Sanitizer 101

What’s the best way to keep from getting sick and making others sick? Washing your hands! If soap and water aren’t handy, you may reach for the next-best thing: hand sanitizer. These sanitizers contain active ingredients such as ethyl alcohol, ethanol or isopropanol designed to conquer those hard-to-kill bacteria and viruses that love to make you cough and sneeze. 

Goodbye to Germs

When you squirt that hand sanitizer on your hands, rub vigorously. The friction will help get in the nooks and crannies of your hands. In these brief moments, the alcohol is attacking the bacteria’s outer casing or cell membrane. The bacteria cannot survive without its supportive walls, meaning you have cleaner, more germ-free hands. 

Tips for Use

A catch exists for alcohol-based hand sanitizers: The sanitizers must contain enough alcohol to make an impact. Look for a hand sanitizer that has at least 60 percent alcohol. Otherwise, your hand sanitizer is a dud in terms of keeping your hands clean. To make matters worse, using a low-percentage hand sanitizer spreads germs around your hand, making them easier to spread, according to The New York Times. 

You can tell you are using enough hand sanitizer by how fast the sanitizer evaporates. Once you apply the sanitizer to your hands, the product should take at least 15 seconds to evaporate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Versus Handwashing

While effective, using hand sanitizers isn’t always the answer. Washing with soap and water is your best bet when your hands are visibly soiled. Hand sanitizers stop germs, but they don’t remove dirt, blood or stool. They also do not kill certain bacteria types, such as E.coli, a common bacteria present in raw or uncooked foods. When you’re cooking or have just gone to the bathroom, go with washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds over using alcohol-based hand sanitizers. 

Hand sanitizers do have an advantage over handwashing in that they are easier to access. You may not have a sink handy, but you can keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your desk, car, pocket or purse. This convenience appeals to healthcare workers and others who are always pressed to save time.

Secondly, frequent warm water and soap usage can dry out and crack your hands. This effect attracts bacteria to your hands. Hand sanitizer manufacturers can incorporate moisturizers to reduce cracking while keeping your hands clean. 

How To See If Your Hands Have Been Properly Sanitized

GBX 1-2-3

One great way to see if you have applied hand sanitizer properly is by using GlitterBug® Gel. This product is formulated to be very similar to popular hand sanitizers but it has a special ingredient that glows when illuminated by black light. Apply the GlitterBug Gel and rub it in as if it were regular hand sanitizer. Then examine your hands under black light from the Brevis GlowBarLED lamp. The GBX molded disclosure center is ideal for viewing the results because it shields out extraneous or ambient light thus enhancing perception. After using the GlitterBug Gel you should see the entirety of your hands glowing. Any dark areas that do not glow are areas that may not have been safely sanitized. Visual feedback to help improve technique and therefore safety.

Best teaching products for hand sanitizer use

You may find these products helpful in your mission to improve hand hygiene:
GBX Disclosure Center with Gel
GlowBar LED Lamp
GlitterBug Gel

The Best Ways to Prevent the Flu

As anyone who has suffered from it knows, catching the flu is a horrible experience. The fever, chills, aches, soreness, muscle pain and extreme fatigue that flu causes will keep the afflicted in bed for days. Besides being in pain and miserable, the sick person will have to miss days or weeks of work – their entire life will be put on hold. Worse, in extreme cases the illness can be fatal. While the vast majority of sufferers survive, every year hundreds of thousands die from the flu worldwide. Clearly, flu prevention is vitally important.

Flu Posters

View All Flu Posters

Luckily, concrete steps can be taken Continue reading The Best Ways to Prevent the Flu

The Science of Handwashing

We all know that keeping hands clean helps keep us from getting sick, but how does handwashing actually work?  Can we really get rid of all the germs on our hands?  Is there a single best technique for handwashing?  Do antibacterial soaps really work?  Scientists have studied these questions, and some of the answers may be surprising.

What exactly are germs?  Can handwashing really get rid of them?

Microbes, microscopic organisms, are everywhere, including on human skin.  Many of the microbes on hands are single-celled bacteria.  Many of the bacteria are always there, living harmless and unnoticed; these are called resident bacteria.  Other bacteria are picked up from the environment; these are called transient bacteria.  Transients can persist on skin for days to months, but can’t live there forever.  They may include pathogens — disease causing organisms, or germs.

Handwashing can never completely remove resident bacteria; there may be 10,000 or more individual bacteria on each hand, and they are adept at sticking to skin and slithering down between the cracks in skin cells to avoid removal.  Transient bacteria are present in fewer numbers and are not adapted to living on skin surfaces; they can be completely removed by handwashing.  Therefore, the purpose of handwashing is not to make hands sterile; it is to get rid of any potential pathogens that have hitched a ride.  However, handwashing technique can vary, and as we will see, some variables are more important than others in making sure pathogens have been removed.     

Does it matter if the water is hot or cold?

Although germs aren’t likely to be destroyed by water temperatures we can tolerate, health experts have long recommended washing hands with warm or hot water.  The reason is that warmer water should help dissolve oils and other substances coating skin, helping to wash away germs with them.  Unfortunately, recent studies comparing the numbers of bacteria on hands washed with cold, warm, and hot water have shown no difference in the results — just as many bacteria remain no matter what water temperature is used.  Since using hot water uses more energy and might irritate the skin if handwashing is frequent, cold water might be a better option.

What does soap actually do?

In general, soap doesn’t kill germs.  In fact, populations of bacteria have been found thriving in liquid soap dispensers in public restrooms.  Instead, the purpose of soap is to help remove contaminants and bacteria from the skin surface.  There is an extra benefit as well; some studies have examined how thoroughly volunteers washed their hands with and without soap; the volunteers using soap did a much more thorough job.  Using water alone will reduce the number of germs on hands, but using soap is more effective.  

Should antibacterial soap be used?  What about other sanitizers?

Although antibacterial soap is everywhere, there is no scientific evidence that it is any better at removing germs from hands than regular soap.  There is also concern that triclosan, a common ingredient in antibacterial soap, could cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics.

For how long should hands be washed?

The length of handwashing depends on the circumstances; for example, very dirty hands or hands exposed to more pathogens need a longer period.  In general, studies show that 20-30 seconds of handwashing is all it takes to remove most germs.  To help time handwashing, you can hum the “Happy Birthday” song two times – this should take approximately 20 seconds.

Which areas get missed?

Worldwide, the same areas are missed again and again when hands are washed.  Fingertips, cuticles, between the fingers, and the back of the hand, especially the thumb and ring finger, are areas which get the least attention; therefore, these are the areas where most germs remain.

GlitterBug is designed to disclose where hand washing can improve.

Research-based handwashing technique

In order for handwashing to work, proper technique is a must.  Begin handwashing by wetting hands with warm or cool water.  Apply soap and lather hands; remember commonly-missed areas such as around the nails, between the fingers, and the backs of the hands.  Scrub hands together for at least 20 seconds (or two rounds of the “Happy Birthday” song) before thoroughly rinsing and drying.

As long as the proper technique is used, handwashing is an excellent way to reduce or eliminate transient bacteria, including disease-causing pathogens.  

What Everyone Should Know about Hand Sanitizers

Hand sanitizers have been a popular commodity since the emergence of Covid-19 in the Spring of 2020. There was even a shortage for a while, as everyone rushed to stores to stock up. As sales continue to rise consumers should be aware of the ingredients of the product and the marketing techniques that manufacturers use to increase sales.

Alcohol Content

According to the FDA, in order to be effective, hand sanitizers should contain at least 60% alcohol. The label may list this as ethanol, ethyl alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol. If the label does not show the percentage of alcohol contained in the product, do not buy it. 

Some types of alcohol are extremely dangerous, and it is doubtful that a manufacturer would list these on the label if they are present, but the FDA has found contamination with methyl alcohol or 1-propanol in some hand sanitizers manufactured in Mexico and sold in the U.S. Methyl alcohol, or wood alcohol as it is sometimes called, is used to make antifreeze. 1-propanol is an ingredient of industrial solvents.

False Claims

Claims that hand sanitizers can prevent Covid-19, influenza or other diseases are misleading. Any product making these claims should be avoided. Hand sanitizers, when used properly, can only kill germs that are on your hands, and only lasts until you touch something else.

Misleading Marketing Practices

Some hand sanitizers on the market are scented with appetizing smells such as chocolate or strawberries. If a child smells these, he or she may think they are good to drink. Hand sanitizers packaged in containers that resemble beverage cans, water bottles or food pouches can also mislead young children into thinking that the contents are edible food products.

There have been cases where a person has mistakenly believed that a product that contains alcohol is OK to drink. Since alcoholic beverages contain alcohol, why not drink Nyquil, extract of Vanilla, mouth wash, or hand sanitizer and get a similar “buzz”?  Ingesting any of these products could produce headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, irregular heart rate, seizures and if a very large quantity is consumed, possibly coma or death could result. 

Since hand sanitizers seem to be everywhere these days it is important to understand what the ingredients are. Make sure the contents are clearly labeled and contain a minimum of 60% alcohol. Ignore claims made on labels that the hand sanitizer you are buying will prevent influenza, Covid-19 or anything else. It does not. Never ingest hand sanitizer. It is not safe for human consumption. Small children should be supervised when using hand sanitizers. When shopping for hand sanitizers, avoid packaging that could be mistaken for food products. Steer clear of those with appetizing scents. 

Teach people how to apply hand sanitizer correctly with Glitterbug Gel.