Choose An Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer

CLEANpHIRST™ Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer is non-flammable unlike the hand sanitizer from the story below:

Firefighters responded to what seemed to be a routine alarm at the Square One Mall Monday evening, but a fire in the food court proved to be a puzzler.

Fire Chief James Blanchard said firefighters arrived in the mall's second floor food court a little after 9 p.m. to find a hand sanitizer unit fully engulfed in flames.

"It had spread up the wall and set off the sprinklers," he said. "We're still looking into how that got started."

He said the automatic hand sanitizer unit is about twice the size of a paper towel dispenser and is located just outside the restroom area in the corner of the food court.

Blanchard said the fire concerns him for two reasons. First, the machine is battery operated and not wired, so he's left wondering how the fire actually started.

Blanchard is also wondering if the fire is an isolated incident. The mall is owned by Simon Malls and Blanchard said it's his understanding that the dispensers are in all of their malls. If the fire proves to have somehow been started by the dispenser, there could be a recall issue.

"We're trying to see if anyone else has had a similar problem," he said. "It's kind of unusual. I've never seen anything like this."

Blanchard said no one was hurt during the fire, which was contained to the area just outside the restrooms. Firefighters made short work of putting out the flames but Blanchard said there was quite a mess left behind.

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How To Prevent Norovirus

Six Steps To Protect Against The Spread Of Norovirus

Norovirus is the second most frequent cause of illness after the common cold. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, and occur between 24 and 48 hours after exposure. Norovirus can be life-threatening for the elderly and immunocompromised.


The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has six simple steps to protect families against noroviruses. These include:

Step 1. Practice Proper Hand Hygiene

Frequent hand washing is always the best defense. This includes washing hands for at least 15 seconds (sing the happy birthday song twice) or using hand sanitizers like CLEANpHIRST™ Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer, which has a 99.999% kill rate; – rubbing until hands are dry.

Step 2. Clean with CLEANpHIRST™

If you’ve had the bug, use CLEANpHIRST™ Decon 3D to disinfect all surfaces. Wear disposable gloves, and don’t forget to maintain frequently used surfaces like door knobs and light switches with CLEANpHIRST™ Ultra Clean. After cleaning, dispose of or sanitize cloths in hot water and CLEANpHIRST™ Decon 3D.

Step 3. Food and Water Safety

Avoid joining an estimated 9.2 million cases of foodborne norovirus infections each year by preventing food contamination. Always wash raw food before eating, and don’t eat food prepared by someone who is ill until 2-3 days after symptoms have cleared.

Step 4. Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry

Direct contact with a sick person is not required to contaminate soft surfaces. The norovirus can spread from a contaminated pillowcase to a clean towel in a pile of laundry. To disinfect laundry, wash with hot water and CLEANpHIRST™ Laundry Detergent, then dry on “high.” Add CLEANpHIRST™ Decon 3D to your wash for more heavily soiled items.

Step 5. Contain Outbreaks

Immediately quarantine those who are sick. Don’t forget to disinfect everything with CLEANpHIRST™ Decon 3D, and wear protective gloves while cleaning.

Step 6. Prevent Outbreaks

Don’t wait for an outbreak to occur to clean up. Ward off norovirus by maintaining a clean household and regularly disinfecting surfaces with CLEANpHIRST™ products.

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Preventing Food Borne Illnesses

7 Steps To Cleaning Your Kitchen Properly

More than 200 known diseases are transmitted through food. In the United States alone, an estimated 6 million to 81 million illnesses and up 9,000 deaths are caused by food borne diseases each year.

Salmonella

Keeping the kitchen clean with CLEANpHIRST™ products is a simple, yet effective way, of preventing several cases of food borne illness. CLEANpHIRST™ products are 99.99999% more effective than bleach. Here are some easy steps you can take to make your kitchen a safe and happy area of your home.

Step 1

It is easier to clean a kitchen when you do not have to fight your way through it. Toss out or give away any gadgets and appliances you no longer use. Store small appliances in cupboards and cabinets. Display only a few decorations on your countertops. Keeping the extra surfaces to a minimum will provide less breeding ground for bacteria.

Step 2

Clean out your refrigerator on a regular basis. The easiest time to do this is before you do your weekly grocery shopping. Discard any food that shows signs of spoilage. Wipe down the shelves and door using CLEANpHIRST™ Ultra Clean.

Step 3

Use CLEANpHIRST™ Ultra Clean to clean up any spills on your stovetop each time you cook. If you have used the oven, wipe the surfaces and racks after the interior has cooled. It is easier to remove drips and grease from the oven as they happen. Remember to wipe down your stove hood and filter with CLEANpHIRST™ Decon 3D to remove grease and splatters after each use, as well.

Step 4

Wipe out your microwave after each use. Use a damp dishcloth that has been soaked in hot, soapy water. Use a little bit of baking soda to remove stubborn food sticking to the sides. If there are strong odors lingering in your microwave, put a couple slices of lemon or some vinegar in a bowl of water and heat it on high for 2-3 minutes to freshen the interior, and then wipe out it out once more.

Step 5

The work surfaces are the most dangerous areas in the kitchen. Food, utensils and hands come directly in contact with these surfaces several times per day. Wipe down the work areas of your countertops before and after using them. Use hot, soapy water or CLEANpHIRST™ Ultra Clean to clean your countertops. Remove everything from the countertops and wash the entire surface once per week. Allow the counters to air dry. Wipe the surfaces of any appliances kept on the countertop as you put them back into place.

Step 6

Wash dishes as you use them. Do not let dirty dishes sit out on the counter. Bacteria and mold grows quickly on dirty dishes, especially in warm temperatures. Dirty dishes attract flies and other insects, as well as rodents. Wash dishes by hand or put them in the dishwasher each time you eat or prepare food.

Step 7

Change your dishtowel and sponge daily. Bacteria can survive for weeks in a wet dishcloth or sponge. It is therefore important to change your dishcloth, dishtowels and sponges on a daily basis. Use one dishcloth or sponge for cleaning the counters and another for washing the dishes. Use disposable paper towels when cleaning up spilled fluids from raw meat. If you plan to use a single dishcloth throughout the day, let it soak in a little water that has a few drops of CLEANpHIRST™ 3D added to it between uses.

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