Handwashing Saves Lives, Infection prevention

New Tool in Hand Hygiene: Kohler’s Touchless Soap Dispenser

April 14, 2017 brevis-admin Leave a comment

We at Brevis are natural proponents of tools used to increase the effectiveness of hand hygiene. Our GlitterBug Gel and GlitterBug Potion, together with our disclosure centers, do an excellent job of teaching proper handwashing technique and effectiveness. Our Hand and Nail Scrub Brush is ideal for hard-to-clean areas. We even have a Handwash Instruction Manual for quick reference.

Kohler, a global leader in kitchen and bath design and technology, has recently launched their “first-to-market” Touchless Soap Dispenser. In addition to a customizable setting selection for liquid or foaming soap, the dispenser features an LED light which illuminates for 20 seconds– the amount of time the CDC recommends for hand washing– before turning off.

A sensor on the dispenser preserves battery life and prevents soap from being wasted. A rubber ring on the bottom helps stabilize the dispenser on the countertop while also protecting the battery compartment. An anti-drip spout prevents soap from dripping onto the counter. It’s no wonder the Touchless Soap Dispenser is a winner of the 2017 Global Innovations Award, honoring housewares for product design excellence.

Brevis welcomes innovative handwashing products and applauds Kohler for It’s thoughtfully designed Touchless Soap Dispenser. Brevis products and soap working hand-in-hand to prevent the spread of disease.

Sources:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/04/prweb14206504.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/features/handwashing/

https://www.brevis.com/products/139587/gbgel-glitterbug-gel-bottle?ref=/glitterbug/supplies

https://www.brevis.com/products/467162/gbpotion-glitterbug-disclosing-lotion-8ounce-pumpbottle?ref=/glitterbug/supplies

https://www.brevis.com/products/668582/gbx-glitterbug-disclosure-center-with-glowbar?ref=/glitterbug/disclosure-centers

https://www.brevis.com/products/771490/gbbrush-glitterbug-hand-and-nail-scrub-brush?ref=/glitterbug/supplies

https://www.brevis.com/products/220150/gbmanual-glitterbug-handwash-instruction-manual?ref=/glitterbug/supplies

Handwashing Saves Lives

Scrub Club

April 14, 2017 brevis-admin Leave a comment

An elementary school in Michigan has had a very interesting school year so far, resulting in more handwashing among the students.

A group of parents noticed frequent student illnesses; one child was sick eight times last fall, more than he’d gotten sick in previous years. His mother enlisted the involvement of other parents and the school principal to encourage frequent handwashing. Thus, the Scrub Club was born.

Each class has been given a caddy with a soap dispenser, refill soap bottle, laminated poster with handwashing instructions, and nail brush for use by the students. The class to use the most soap by the end of the week wins a pizza party, plus a $20 gift card for the teacher to use for the classroom.

While it’s too early to have concrete results from the Scrub Club initiative, it seems to have had successful effects. Teachers report fewer boxes of facial tissue being used, an indication of less sickness. And nearly all students say they are now more aware of the benefits of handwashing.

One second-grade teacher performed a memorable experiment, pretending to sneeze into her hand while covering that hand with red glitter. Giving the students high-fives and pats on the back resulted in the spread of the red glitter, which the teacher explained represents the spread of germs.

We love that glitter experiment and recommend using GlitterBug products to continue emphasizing the importance of handwashing to children and adults alike!

Sources:

http://www.ourmidland.com/lifestyles/article/Siebert-Scrub-Club-encourages-students-to-wash-11039325.php

https://www.brevis.com/glitterbug

Handwashing Saves Lives

Patient and physician co-washing may increase clinic hand washing

April 2, 2017 brevis-admin Leave a comment

Accountability.

And partnership.

We know that when we have both, good things usually occur.

The March/April 2017 issue of the Annals of Family Medicine discusses a new approach to outpatient hand washing involving that involves both partnership and accountability: patient and physician co-washing.

And preliminary studies show that this practice may increase hand washing.

Gregory A. Doyle, M.D. (from West Virginia University in Morgantown), and his colleagues tested a new approach involving patient and physician hand washing.

Clinicians offered sanitizer to the patient and used the sanitizer to wash their own hands in front of the patient.

Data were included from 384 questionnaires: 184 from phase 1 (pre-intervention) and 200 from phase 2 (post-intervention).

The researchers found that, according to patients, doctors washed their hands 96.6 and 99.5 percent of the time before examining them pre-intervention and post-intervention, respectively.

Overall, 98.7 percent of the time patients endorsed the importance of hand washing.

“Further research is recommended to determine whether ‘co-washing’ enhances clinic hand washing or hand washing at home by patients, and whether it can reduce infection rates,” the authors write.

Want more information about hand hygiene and overall health? Check out these book at brevis.com!

Handwashing Saves Lives, Infection prevention

Watch the First Annual GlitterBug Idol Handwashing Contest sponsored by Brevis Corporation!

April 2, 2017 brevis-admin Leave a comment

Did you know the mouth is the dirtiest part of the body.

A close second?

The hands.

Recently, Brevis sponsored the first first annual “Glitterbug Idol” handwashing competition.

“The goal is to educate everyone,” said Barry Short from Brevis , the company that organized this year’s inaugural event. “Most people think they’re a pro at hand washing after several years, but that is rarely the case.”

When they’re done washing, contestants rub their hands with GlitterBug Potion. Their hands are checked under a blacklight, which reveals residue of the lotion and, thus, any spots they’ve not cleaned.

It’s amazing how many spots are missed, Short points out. “Sometimes they’ll get the harder spots and forget the obvious, like the backs of their hands,” he says.

GlitterBug Gel and GlitterBug Potion are excellent products to aid in teaching proper hand hygiene to kids and adults alike.

Both are intended to show how effective your current hand-cleaning methods are, and in turn, both products teach better techniques for hand-washing.

Do you have any other fun ideas for teaching hand hygiene? Please comment below!

Handwashing Saves Lives

Hand hygiene hacks—how to make hand washing fun for kids!

March 30, 2017 brevis-admin Leave a comment

Good handwashing techniques are important to prevent infection.

Many adults would likely say they know how to wash their hands; after all, it’s something they’ve been doing since they were kids.

Most of these same adults would say children need to learn how to properly wash their hands.

But how do you make it fun for everyone, while preventing the spread of germs?

Check out Clutterbug‘s fun soap tutorial here:

So, now you have made it fun. But how can you tell if it was effective?

GlitterBug Gel and GlitterBug Potion are excellent products to aid in teaching proper hand hygiene to kids and adults alike.

Both are intended to show how effective your current hand-cleaning methods are, and in turn, both products teach better techniques for hand-washing.

Which product you need depends on how you’re cleaning your hands. If you mainly use hand sanitizer, you should use GlitterBug Gel. If you usually wash with soap and water, GlitterBug Potion is for you.

So have fun—and be clean!

Do you have any other fun ideas on hand hygiene? Please comment below!

Handwashing Saves Lives

Paper towels, warm-air dryers, and modern jet-air dryers: which is most hygenic?

March 17, 2017 brevis-admin Leave a comment

We’ve all seen been there.

We’ve just washed our hands in a public restroom, and we are scratching our heads (figuratively, of course, as our hands are still wet) because we have two options for drying our hands: an air dryer or a paper towel dispenser.

Image courtesy of Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/en/hand-dryers-paper-dispenser-toilet-100786/

Which is better? And why?

This is a great question. The most hygenic way to dry hands has been a controversial area in the realm of hand washing.

For a long time, it was believed that hand dryers were the most hygienic means of drying hands (since it doesn’t require touching anything). However, the University of Westminster conducted a study in 2008 that suggests using paper towels could actually be more hygienic!

Image courtesy of Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/en/hand-dryer-air-hygiene-blowing-36896/

The study compared paper towels, warm-air dryers, and modern jet-air dryers. It concluded that warm-air dryers actually increased bacteria on the fingertips by 194%, and jet air dryers by 42%, while paper towels reduced finger pad bacteria by up to 76%.

Basically, the study showed that the air produced by the dryers could actually be spreading micro-bacteria!

(It should be noted that the study was sponsored by the European Tissue Symposium (ETS), a trade body representing 90 percent of Europe’s tissue industry, however. You can read more about it HERE.)

So, how do you prefer to dry your hands, and why? Let us know in the comments below!

Handwashing Saves Lives

Hand Hygiene and Travel

March 13, 2017 Barry Leave a comment

Travel is a part of life. Some travel out of necessity for work, others for enjoyment, relaxation, or adventure. Whatever your reasons for traveling might be, we can all agree that unexpected interruptions can make for stressful situations of what would have otherwise been a pleasant experience.

While some of what happens while traveling is out of our hands, there are steps we can take to prepare for a seamless trip. Planning ahead can save money and stress. Travel insurance can provide peace of mind. Bringing along a pillow or book can provide the comfort or distraction you seek. And because getting sick while traveling can be miserable, make sure to pay attention to the cleanliness around you.

Avoiding germs during air travel might seem impossible when you consider how many people are spending a few hours together in an enclosed space. You never know who around you might be sick, or the health of the people who just took a flight in what is now your seat. Research has shown the spots to be aware of are the seatback tray table, the seatback pocket, the seatbelt buckles, and the overhead air vent. Marvin M. Lipman, M.D., Consumer Reports’ chief medical adviser, recommends using alcohol-based wipes on each of those surfaces before touching them. He also recommends washing your hands frequently with clean, hot water and soap (which may be more feasible in the airport rather than on the plane).

Whether you’re making plans for spring break or looking ahead to a summer family reunion, make sure to do everything you can to stop germs from traveling with you. Pack the wipes, pack the hand sanitizer, and plan for clean-up stops in restrooms along the way.

**For a quick refresher course on the most-effective way to use hand sanitizer, see our 45-second video about GlitterBug Gel.

Sources:

http://www.consumerreports.org/airline-travel/9-ways-to-save-money-and-your-sanity-when-flying/

Handwashing Saves Lives, Infection prevention

Handwashing: A History

February 16, 2017 brevis-admin Leave a comment

The benefits of proper hand hygiene are well-documented. From teaching it to children in schools and homes, to requiring it of employees in health care and food service industries, handwashing is an ongoing topic of discussion in several professional and personal settings.

How long have we been doing this? When did humanity begin to learn the importance of hand washing?

In 1847 a Hungarian physician named Ignaz Semmelweis was working at a hospital in Vienna, Austria. Dr. Semmelweis suspected a link between the high incidence of postpartum fever and death among patients, and the interns who cared for those patients…interns who also, as part of their duties, performed autopsies. After having the interns disinfect their hands with a chlorinated lime solution, Dr. Semmelweis saw an immediate reduction in fatal postpartum fever among patients. His findings, however, were met with rejection and ridicule. He was let go from the hospital, and the harassment he received in the Vienna medical community drove him to Budapest. Eventually he was committed to a mental institution, where he died. It wasn’t until 1859, when Louis Pasteur– a chemist, not a doctor– developed his germ theory of disease, that the advantages of handwashing were recognized.

Today we know the benefits of handwashing: many transient microorganisms are easily removed with good hygiene practices, and proper hand washing greatly reduces the risk of healthcare associated infections. We know we should wash our hands prior to handling or eating food, after changing a diaper or using the restroom, after coughing or sneezing, after playing outdoors, after playing with animals, and any other time our hands may have been contaminated.

Hand washing is most effective when done correctly. While washing hands, many often miss fingertips, thumbs, the backs of hands, and wrists. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 20 seconds of hand washing to remove disease-causing germs.

Are you washing your hands effectively? If you need a refresher course, be sure to check out GlitterBug Gel and Potion.

Sources:

http://ravallirepublic.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/article_09d6305c-d22e-11e6-9cb9-5336ed144387.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/z9kj2hv#ztn487h

https://www.cdc.gov/features/handwashing/

http://www.brevis.com/blog/2016/08/glitterbug-gel-or-potion-that-is-the-question/

Handwashing Saves Lives

Resolving to Practice Good Hand Hygiene

January 25, 2017 Barry Leave a comment

Did you make any resolutions for the new year? January is almost over, so let’s check in: how are those resolutions going for you? If the mere thought of it made you slide down in your seat a little bit, you’re not alone. According to a recent survey, 41 percent of Americans usually make New Year’s Resolutions, but only 9.2 percent feel they’ve been able to be successful in keeping their resolution.

The good news is, while it’s a trendy tradition to resolve to make improvements at the beginning of the new year, it’s never too late to begin to make positive changes. Of the resolutions mentioned in the survey, the most common types were those related to self-improvement. Health-related goals are at the top of the list. So if you’re looking for a quick way to be successful in sticking to your resolutions, here’s one of the easiest and most important things you can do: resolve to practice good hand hygiene.

As we’ve heard from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ‘Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick.’ When you avoid contacting and spreading illness, you’re able to tackle those other resolutions (like getting to the gym, right?). Make a family or workplace goal to wash hands regularly so it becomes a habit. Review proper hygiene methods with GlitterBug Gel and GlitterBug Potion.

Healthy living begins with small changes made daily. Commit today to practice good hand hygiene, enjoy better overall health, and move on to those other goals that lead to a better life (and success in keeping resolutions!). Make this new year happy and healthy!

Sources:

http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/

https://www.cdc.gov/features/handwashing/

http://www.brevis.com/blog/2016/08/glitterbug-gel-or-potion-that-is-the-question/

Image: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/washing-hands-1375412

Handwashing Saves Lives

Help for Dry Hands

January 13, 2017 Barry Leave a comment

Have you noticed your skin getting more dry as the winter weather rolls in? Do you have cracks on your hands or fingers? If so, you’re not alone.

“As the seasons change, the environment for the skin is changing. The humidity level is changing,” explains Indy Chabra, a dermatologist at Midlands Clinic in Sioux City, South Dakota.

Xerosis (or dry skin) is caused from a loss of too much water or oil in skin. Many factors contribute to xerosis, including age, skin diseases (like eczema), frequent hand-washing, certain medications, and winter weather.

For healthy winter skin, apply moisturizer within five minutes of showering, and also before bedtime. A ceramide-based moisturizer (recommended by many dermatologists) can effectively be absorbed to moisturize your skin, but it may take up to seven days to see and feel it working.

When washing your hands (or any other part of your body), use lukewarm water and a gentle soap, so as to not dry your skin. Try a hand cream rather than a lotion; apply and let it absorb rather than quickly rubbing it in. (As always, with any soap or moisturizer, if irritation and/or discomfort occur, seek out the care of a health professional.)

Humidifiers can help air in homes from becoming too dry, contributing to the effect of winter weather on your skin.

Remember to take the simple, daily steps you can to clean and protect your dry skin.

Sources:

http://siouxcityjournal.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/moisturizing-key-to-preventing-winter-dry-skin/article_f0848434-d2e6-5b3c-8195-d8aab6e8d482.html

Free image provided by Pexels located at: https://static.pexels.com/photos/286951/pexels-photo-286951.jpeg

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