Netters:
Here are some ideas for protecting YOURSELF against viruses!
(Why? Because in the library we get sneezed on or coughed at by potentially
EVERYONE on campus, or have to handle the books, etc. that they've touched! Cold
and flu season is here now!) Most of these are common sense, but review them and
consider making them part of your regular habits. Any germs you don't get you won't
pass on to others! :-)
Every adult (unless you are allergic) should definitely consider getting a flu
shot! There will be no shortage this year according to supply sources. Also ask
about a pneumonia shot - these last many years so you don't need one each fall.
They used to be just for the elderly, but on school campuses, we potentially come
into contact with FAR MORE germs than the average worker. And now that many of us
work with immigrant children (or those whose families travel frequently by plane)
we will be exposed to even more "new" germs. "An ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure!"
AT WORK:
1. Wash your hands FREQUENTLY with soap. Health experts say this is the
MOSTeffective way to stop the transmission of germs. When that's not possible,
have liquid hand sanitizer handy on your desk and use it, ESPECIALLY after working
with patrons who've sneezed or coughed in your presence.
In any case, keep your hands away from your eyes and mouth! These two places are
among the most receptive to germs.
If you have special education children using the library, realize that they may
present a higher risk to you because of their special situations, especially if
they drool or have other problems related to their medications. Consider using the
hand sanitizer just BEFORE they come so that your hands have some extra protection
while handling their returned books, etc. Wash hands afterward if possible.
2. Have tissues and a trash receptacle where it is handy for students and remind
them to dispose of their tissues IN THE CAN - not elsewhere in the room!
3. Use a bit of sanitizer on a tissue and clean your phone receiver and the call
buttons.
4. Apply just a little sanitizer to your fingertips and run them over your
computer keyboard, mouse, and anywhere else (scan gun?) you and others touch
frequently.
5. Vinegar is also an excellent (and very cheap) germ killer - kills about 99% of
germs according to recent studies. Buy a small spray bottle and use it to clean off
your laminated counters, door knobs and "Push" plates - any place that gets a lot
of physical contact (unless the vinegar will damage the finish). Dry off with
paper towels. If the vinegar scent is too strong, rinse off with a paper towel
dampened with water.
AT HOME:
1. If you have a dishwasher - place your family's toothbrushes in the utensil
holder and wash them (right along with the regular load of dishes,) at least
WEEKLY to sanitize them. If someone becomes ill, wash them more frequently. In the
bathroom, keep toothbrushes APART from each other. Toothbrushes are "high density
zones" for germs, yet families usually store them less than an inch apart from each
other!
2. Check your toothbrush HOLDER for accumulated goop or liquid. Clean thoroughly
and frequently (in the dishwasher if it will stand the heat) or consider alternate
storage.
Don't share a family cup. Better to have individual cups for each member of the
family (perhaps with a single toothbrush in each rather than all together in a
holder) that can all go into the dishwasher frequently, than a single cup or
holder. If someone does show signs of illness, switch to disposable cups for a
while.
3. Gargle regularly during cold season. Warm water with salt (unless you have a
salt restriction) is cheap and effective. Check labels on commercial brands - be
sure they're nonalcoholic if your kids will be using them. (Check your toothpaste
too - some brands now carry warnings about avoiding swallowing them.)
4. For irritated or hoarse throats, try sipping hot tea with honey. Sip slowly and
coat your throat with it for best results. Make a pot full, pour into a thermos or
insulated carafe, and take to work - sip frequently.
5. Stock up on hand towels for the bathroom and change towels more frequently, or
have individual hand towels for each person if possible. At the first sign of
illness in the family, consider switching to paper towels. Remind family members
(especially kids) to wash hands - fronts and backs and between fingers - frequently
with soap AND RINSE WELL before drying hands!
6. Have hand lotion available for dry, chapped hands. For over-night healing, rub
petroleum jelly over hands and wear old gloves over hands in bed. Cracked skin
allows entry of germs.
7. Get each family member their own chapstick for lips. Use your old chapstick on
cuticles and massage into tissue area around nail to prevent hangnails, which might
other wise bleed and allow germs entry.
STAY WELL AND HEALTHY MY FRIENDS!!!
Joanne Ladewig, Library Media Technician (A.K.A. "Library Lady")
Lawrence Elementary, GGUSD Garden Grove, California
shatz1@earthlink.net
" You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one
person."
- - - comments are my own and may not reflect those of my employer- - -
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