Time for a Flu Refresher?

Seasonal flu activity is high all over the country. Do your students or employees need a flu refresher?

Teach everyone how to avoid getting or spreading the flu with these flu education materials:

Start with our Stay Home When Sick poster:

  • Based on recommendations from the CDC and World Health Organization
  • Attention-getting with bold colors and simple icons
  • Information is presented in five blocks for readability
  • Emphasizes the importance of staying home when you’re sick

Make an even bigger impact with our Prevent the Flu PowerPoint show:

  • Two presentations:
    • One for adults – perfect for parents, teachers, caregivers, employees, and older adults
    • One for kids – appropriate for elementary through high school
  • Quizzes pop up throughout the show to keep your audience engaged
  • Speaker’s notes and handouts make it easy for you to offer a timely class or webinar
  • You can even edit the PowerPoint shows to meet your needs

Here are a few ideas you may want to use in your flu education:

  • Teach students to check your state’s flu activity on the CDC’s flu map
  • Ask your audience if anyone they live with is especially vulnerable to the flu (remind them about high risk groups: babies, young children, the elderly, pregnant women, anyone who is immunocompromised)
  • Flash back to the beginning of the COVID pandemic when everyone chose a song to sing while washing their hands – it may be time to choose a new one!

Speaking of handwashing, don’t forget about our Wash Your Hands poster. Lots of people seem to have gotten out of the habit of washing for 20 seconds. Remind them about this important life-long habit!

Free Handout: Wash Your Hands

Sponge 101: Keeping Your Kitchen Safe

Don't Put Your Sponge in the MicrowaveKitchen sponges. Some people love them and others wince at the thought of that bacteria-breeding creature in their kitchen.

(With that statement I bet you know my thoughts on the subject).

Sponges are great for wiping up spills and absorbing liquid. Some even have a scrubby side that helps clean grime from pots, pans and dishes. However, in the course of performing these services, sponges also absorb harmful foodborne pathogens along the way. There have been some scientific studies that show that kitchen sponges (and/or dish rags) are the germiest places in most homes. If they’re not cleaned between uses, then they can be a prime spot for germ growth.

If you love your sponge, here are some ways to keep it clean…

  • Clean it daily and replace it frequently. If it starts to smell, pitch it.
  • Wring the sponge out completely after each use and wash off any loose food or debris.
  • Try to allow it to dry out.
  • Don’t use the sponge to wipe up meat or poultry juices. Clean these types of spills with paper towels or something that you can throw away.
  • Don’t use sponges on countertops. Germs and bacteria can easily spread from the sponge to the counter, and then you spread it all around. Paper towels or disinfectant wipes are better to use on countertops.

BleachNow let’s talk about sanitizing the sponge.

Several reputable organizations and websites recommend heating sponges in a microwave on high for one to two minutes. These sites say that this process kills 99% of possible bacteria.

However, there are a couple of concerns here. According to the American Cleaning Institute, microwaving a sponge could be risky. Unless the sponge is soaking wet, there is the possibility of starting a fire inside the microwave. In addition, the size of the sponge and the amount of power in the microwave are variables that influence how long you would need to zap it to kill germs.

If you “nuke” that sponge and think you’ve solved the bacteria problem, you may need to re-think that process.

A better way of keeping a sponge clean is to soak it for five minutes in a solution of one quart water to three tablespoons of chlorine bleach and then let the sponge air-dry.

A pro-active approach to cleaning that kitchen sponge is to put the bleach and water solution into my sink and soak the sponge in it as well as swish it around the sink. This helps with a couple of different potential dirty areas and will help clean the sponge, the sink, and the drain. Oh, and here’s a tip from my own experience, use caution with this beach solution or you’ll end up with bleach spots on your clothes.

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS,  Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State Univeristy

But wait, there’s more! At the Nutrition Education Store, that is!

Art of Health Poster

Kitchen Math and Measuring DVD

Healthy Kitchen Poster Set