Doesnt purell after a while not work? your body and the germs become immune to it?
There are two problems with that hand santizer stuff: the first is that almost nobody uses enough or rubs their hands together vigorously. What kills bacteria is the friction. I watch people put that stuff on, rub their hands a couple of times and be done with it. The other problem is that if all the bacteria is not killed, it makes the bacteria left behind stronger
. This is how we have come to the age of the super bug and stuff that conventional antibiotics can't kill. I work in an ICU and see some of my coworkers using that antibacterial foam instead of washing their hands. It would be fine if they would use it the way it's intended, use enough, and rub hard enough. But they put a tiny dollop on their hand and lightly brush their hands together (you are supposed to use a golf ball size and rub pretty damn hard). I choose to wash my hands
Our Infectious Disease Team is actually rethinking the placement of this foam because it seems that there have been more cases of nosocomial (hospital acquired) infections since implementing them. I chose to wash my hands whenever I can. That being said, I will use that Purell/Hand Sanitizer stuff if I absolutely cannot get to the bathroom to wash. Just don't touch your face, especially your lips, nose, and eyes. Those are bacteria's favorite into your body
My children know if they have to sneeze, they do it in the crook of their arm, they do not put their fingers in their mouth, etc. They are 5 and 8....and have been sick maybe twice in the past few years. If you are a "germaphobe", just ensure that you don't go touching your face with hands that have been everywhere. And make sure your kids don't either.
While many may not realize it, did you know that one of the most infested germ contaminated items are restroom sinks handles and restroom door handles.
I used to think this too...until I took my Microbiology class. After swabbing extensively through our town at different locations, we found that the most contaminated places were on the backs of restaurant chairs. The place you grab to pull out the chair to sit. Also, the back of booths. And what's worse is it was also the MOST antibiotic-resistant bacteria they found. We did tests with numerous antibiotics from Cipro to Pencillin to Augmentin, etc. and found that NOTHING killed the bacteria we found on the backs of the chairs. Bleecchh
But you are correct in one thing..use a paper towel!!! I will push the lever on the paper towel dispenser to get enough to dry my hands with and use to turn off water, open doors, etc. I see people being so careful to wash carefully and use paper towels to turn off the water and open doors....but I notice they use their nice, clean hands to push down the paper towel dispenser. We actually had to go to lab in nursing school to LEARN how to wash our hands....and be checked off on it!!
1) Don't use warm/hot water! Use the COLDEST water you can stand. Warm/hot water just encourages bacteria growth and opens the pores in your hands to absorb the bad stuff more.
Hmmm...we were taught in nursing school to use the hottest water we could stand. And again when I went through my orientation at the hospital. This was just in the last year or so...maybe things have changed since those nurses went through school? I understand that warm temperatures make bacteria flourish (hence my not going in public hot tubs...ROFL), but I am not sure that the small amount of time spent washing your hands would do this. This might be an interesting thing for me to bring up with our Infectious Disease Team at the hospital. Because if that's true, I'm just growing colonies of bacteria on my hands....
I have had the flu ONCE in my 32 years of life, no allergies, never had a cold, had strep throat once (I think), and just been basically healthy (with the exception of having rheumatoid arthritis). My parents were never "germaphobic" and I crawled around as a baby with tons of animals, ran around outside barefoot, ate food with dirty, sticky hands, etc. I use the same principles with my kids, except I do encourage a lot more handwashing just because of stuff like Hepatitis (they are immunized against B, as I am, but not A). They wash their hand to the tune of the ABC's...that's how I know they are washing long enough. They are healthy kids and haven't died from going to amusement parks without the aid of hand sanitizer.
I think our society has become WAY too "germophobic" in the wrong places. We worry about all of this while walking around in the public, but then I see family members come into the hospital, walk into their loved one's room and start hugging and kissing without so much as a handwash. What's worse is when they do this to a patient in isolation!!!! Then, they get mad
when I suggest (or politely insist) that they wash their hands, leave their personal effects outside the room (in the ICU, each patient has their own room and the way it's set up, it would be really hard for anyone to steal anything), and try not to bring kids into the rooms. I'm really concerned about the infections
that are spreading around the hospitals and that they are now finding out in the public, such as MRSA. If you haven't heard of this, please read up on it and educate yourself. I've watched otherwise healthy patients die because they had an infection that was impervious to any antiobiotic we could throw at them.
I'm sorry...I'll step down from my soapbox now.
I'm pretty passionate about my job and the health of my patients, as well as the health of everyone else around me. We are heading towards a dangerous area when it comes to the whole issue of antibiotics and it's going to get really ugly unless something is done soon. I've had to educate my mother-in-law about "saving" her unused antibiotics....grrrrr!!!! And it took several months to make her realize she was doing herself and others harm by not finishing her darn RX.
All in all, go to WDW, wash your hands, and have fun!!!!
Melanie
Ewwwwww!!!!!! Do people really pick their rears and then change the channel? 
I heard people hacking and coughing. It was Jan. when we went. I had handi-wipes and purell. I actually wiped the merry go rounds pole off with a wipe. We washed and purelled the whole trip. I even try to do a quick cleaning of the phone and remote at the hotel room. I think that I am just crossing the line into germaphobia.
, huddle on the couch with my Snow White kleenex and relive my WDW vacation by looking through my trip pics while watching the Disney planning video. If I get a burst of energy I may even boot up the computer and visit the DIS boards. A little headcold is a small price to pay for all that pixie dust 
