Tork Offers Tips for Staying Clean at Home, Work

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SCA, Philadelphia, Pa., USA, maker of the Tork brand of away-from-home paper products, showcased its commitment to hygiene during U,S. National Clean Hands Week (September 19 - 23) with pointers for practicing proper hand hygiene and preventing the spread of harmful bacteria. The company stresses that while it is important to practice proper hand hygiene after using the restroom, hands must also be washed before coming in contact with food, as well as after certain activities around the office or home.

"People touch 300 different surfaces every 30 min., "said Tork Green Hygiene Council member and assistant professor of Clinical Laboratory Science at Saint Louis University, Donna Duberg. "As many as 14 people in a row can be contaminated from touching a dirty door handle. Hands can spread the common cold, influenza, salmonella, E. coli, and many other dangerous bacteria and viruses."

There are many activities and surfaces that hands come into contact with during the course of a day. A few key times that call for handwashing include: 

• Before and after preparing food
• Before and after visiting or tending to a sick person
• Before and after treating a wound
• After arriving at work or school
• After using public or private transportation
• After sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose
• After handling garbage or soil
• After handling an animal or animal waste
• After changing a diaper or when working around children.

"The average human hand has more than 840,000 germs," said Duberg. "Many of these germs can lead to sickness and some may even be fatal. Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to prevent infection and illness."

Hands have many areas that are often forgotten in the handwashing process. To help ensure no nook or cranny is missed, Duberg offers the following steps for clean hands:

1. Wet hands with clean warm water and lather with mild soap
2. Rub hands together and scrub all surfaces for 20 sec (sing Happy Birthday twice); remember to wash both thumbs as they are quite often skipped in the handwashing process
3. Wash under nails, watches, and jewelry, as millions of germs gather in these areas
4. Rinse with clean, warm water
5. Dry hands with a single-use paper towel until they are completely dry as damp hands transfer 500 times more bacteria than dry hands, according to research from SCA
6. Use the paper towel to avoid contact with frequently touched surfaces while leaving the washroom, such as the faucet and door handles.