With concern growing about the spread of the novel A H1N1 influenza virus, Walton Options for Independent Living has launched a new cleaning service.
Options Cleaning Services is using the nonprofit organization's two "Hub Scrub" machines to sanitize items such as medical equipment, desks, chairs and toys. It resembles a large, metal washing machine and takes about 10 minutes to use. Operations Assistant Ebony Rivers said the machine can clean all the nooks and crannies and not just the surface.
"I just think we could really cut back on doctor visits and have a healthier community," she said.
Although the service is starting small, mainly targeting health groups, Ms. Rivers said she hopes it can expand to day cares and schools.
The service is mobile and can be brought to clients. The fee depends on the number of items and the tasks involved to clean them.
Two people work for the service. Walton Options, which helps people with disabilities, trains workers and tries to hire from among the disabled first. Proceeds from the service will go toward the center's mission, Ms. Rivers said.
"Hopefully it will expand so we can employ more people and get more people aware about the bacteria inanimate objects have," she said.
As she assisted workers precleaning medical equipment last week, Kathy Pelletier, the nonprofit's assistive technology and home assessment specialist, said she thinks the service will fill a need for the community.
Reach Erin Zureick at (706) 823-3217 or erin.zureick@augustachronicle.com.
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that might be fine for machines but sanitizers can be risky per this report I saw on the weather channel. For starters, there is little proof that the antibacterial soap you buy at the drug store actually kills the most-dreaded microbes: S. aureus (staph) and E. coli. Plus, living in a disinfected bubble can actually be bad for your health and the environment. Many experts believe that too much sanitization weakens the immune system and may create lethal superbugs that are antibiotic resistant. If that's not enough, the bacteria-killing chemicals go down the drain and into our waterways, harming wildlife and potentially ending up back in our bodies where they can present health risks.
Although you have likely heard at least some of this before, you probably still reach for the antibacterial soap to clean your bathroom and wash your hands. The psychological draw is undeniable. In fact, scientists' warnings have not dampened the burgeoning market. They believe they create more harm than they do good. There are some problems that only friendly germs can fix so you don't want to kill them off with hand sanitizers.
Flu isn't spread by hand-to-hand contact. It's spread by saliva droplets when you cough, sneeze, and talk, and it goes into another person's nose and tearducts. The "sanitation" hype is just that, hype. I don't use antibacterial soap or wipes. If you use hand sanitizers and antibacterial soap, you'll have clean hands and not much else.
Good and true words corgimom