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Copyright © 2010 Andrea Langworthy
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Germs have always been a big part of my life. Even before the scare of H1N1, swine flu, I went to great lengths to avoid them. It originated with my parents who made us kids wash our hands before everything — meals, brushing our teeth, unloading the dishwasher — even before washing the dishes. In public restrooms, Mom taught us to lay toilet paper across the biffy seat and she was way ahead of her time warning us not to touch the faucets and doors without using a paper towel.
I carried germaphobia a step further at the car dealership where I worked 30-some years ago. I shared an office with another salesperson and, worried about catching something from him or anyone who used our phone, I constantly sprayed Lysol on the receiver and dial. Cell phones weren’t around then so if I had to use a payphone, I wrapped my fingers around the earpiece so it didn’t make contact with my head. I held the mouthpiece as far from my face as I could while still being heard by the person I was speaking to. Then, I ran to wash my hands. You can be sure I’ve never shared my cell phone with strangers and I’m shocked when my spouse calls to say he can’t find something and asks me to explain it to the sales clerk as he hands his phone to the person helping him.
I also got queasy whenever Oprah had someone on her show who specialized in finding germs. One tested grocery carts, and oh, my! He made me rethink my shopping habits. I won’t tell you what the man found there, but never again did I place food items in the little kiddy seat.
Mom used to warn us kids about money; saying it was filthy and covered with germs. We were to be especially wary of putting coins in our mouth. I was reminded of that when my husband and I visited a casino years ago. After a couple of hours, my hands were the color of asphalt. That (or the 60 dollars I lost) could have been the reason I never returned
What I could have used was a purse full of alcohol wipes. Phobics like me rejoiced when the small white squares saturated in isopropyl alcohol became readily available at the drug store. I buy so many boxes, it would be nice to have stock in the company. I used to send them to work with my husband and admonish him to clean his phone every day. He didn’t. Instead, he stashed them in the car’s glove box, his insulated lunch bag, or a dresser drawer.
That was then. Now, H1N1 has everyone, even my hubby, worried. They need to listen to champion hand washer, Henry the Hand. I wrote about Henry nearly two years ago; right before National Handwashing Awareness Week. This year, December 6-12 is the week dedicated to decreasing the spread of infectious diseases by educating people to take cleanliness into their own hands and tell others about it. We shouldn’t wait until December, though. Proper hand washing has to be an everyday thing. Go to Henry’s website at www.henrythehand.com and learn what it takes to thwart the spread of H1N1 and other diseases. There’s a catchy hand washing song and even a contest. My mom and dad would have loved it.
Dr. Will Sawyer, founder of Henry the Hand, originated the slogan, “Spread the word, not the germs,”