Germs are everywhere! They are on door handles, elevator buttons, escalators, light switches, touch screens, restaurant menus, computer keyboards, shopping carts, drinking fountains, and much more.
While you may not be able to avoid them altogether, it’s important to avoid them as much as possible because they can cause anything from a cold to a much more serious illness.
It’s vital to be vigilant especially during flu season because many people who are ill are still out in public. They have no choice but to go grocery shopping, or they are not aware that they are contagious.
Here are a few tips to avoid germs in public.
1. Wear shoes in public.
How many people wash their shoes? Shoes carry a multitude of germs from various places. Be sure that you and your children are wearing shoes at the library, in restaurants, at church, and in the grocery stores. Your bare feet can pick up germs, make you ill, and carry those germs home with you to make other family members ill.
2. Wash or sanitize your hands after touching the menu at a restaurant.
Menus are rarely washed and handled by hundreds of people each day. After you return the menu to the server, wash or sanitize your hands, and use your hand sanitizer or other cleaner to clean your table.
3. Wear gloves or mittens, especially in cold weather.
Gloves and mittens can protect your hands from germs with which you may otherwise come in contact. Be sure to clean your gloves or mittens regularly.
4. Don’t touch trash cans.
Public trash cans are not cleaned frequently. Yes, some trash cans are covered, and you need to touch them to throw away your trash. If that is the case, use your trash to “open” the trash can.
5. Don’t touch packages of raw meat.
For a while I have been less than pleased to touch packages of uncooked chicken at the grocery store. How else can I get them into my cart, though? I am glad you asked! What has worked for me is taking the plastic bags and using them as a “glove” on your hand as you wrap the package of meat instead of picking up the meat and placing it in the plastic bag.
6. Keep disposable gloves in your car for pumping gas.
Think of the hundreds of people who pump gas daily. Those gas pumps are very rarely cleaned and are covered with bacteria.
Also, sanitize your hands after you pay for your gas and return to your car.
7. Keep your children out of public play areas.
This includes indoor playgrounds as well as the church nursery. It is rare that either place is cleaned often and thoroughly enough. Children have compromised immune systems and often become ill as a result of germs some other cute child shared with them in a public play area.
8. Clean your tray table at in the train or airplane before you use it.
Whenever we travel, I carry a package of tissues with me so that my hand sanitizer doubles as a cleaner. Prepared to be shocked at how dirty your tissue will be after you clean your tray table.
9. Avoid public restrooms.
Public restrooms have germs on every surface–floor, faucet, door handles, and more.
Avoid public restrooms as much as possible. When it is not possible, be sure to use seat covers (or bath tissue when they are not available). Turn off the faucet with your paper towel once you have dried your hands. Use that same paper towel to open the door.
If you want to be extra safe, sanitize your hands once you have left the restroom!
If flu season is your family’s worst enemy, I understand. It was ours as well. When I became ill, I was ill for 3-4 weeks at a minimum. Now if I do become ill, I am usually on the road to recovery within 24-48 hours. One reason is that I am proactive with my health and do all I can to avoid illness. Before your family is seriously ill, let’s talk to see which natural remedies would be valuable to your family. Email me here now to set up a phone call or Zoom conference with me.
What precautions do you take to avoid germs in public?
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