SC - SCAdians on FoodTV tonight...

[Daniel Phelps]

Glenda Robinson said in Re: SC - Soap and cleanliness at 30/Nov/00Thu 14:20:

> Hand washing's all very well and good, but tests have been run on soaps
> (and indeed tap handles), and it seems to be (on the whole) 'cleaner' to
> not use the soap (especially those in public areas), as these soaps
> contain more bacteria than was on the washer's hands already (and
> sometimes more than in a toilet bowl). If I remember, a GOOD rinse with 
> cold water, then a long towel off with a clean towel is more anti-germ.

I'm curious as to where you saw these tests. I know they've found that anti-
bacterial soaps aren't any better than regular soaps (though the kitchens 
of the school I am attending use anti-bacterial liquid soap), and may cause 
people to be less careful about washing their hands, but not that they 
contained bacteria. I just had a kitchen sanitation & safety class about 
four weeks ago and we were taught the following (for commercial kitchens in 
the U.S.; the bracketed words are mine):

"Proper handwashing procedure: 1. Wet your hands with hot running water. 
[As hot as you can stand.] 2. Apply soap [enough to get a good lather]. 3. 
Rub hands [and halfway down the forearm] together for at least twenty 
seconds.  4. Clean under fingernails and between fingers. 5. Rinse hands 
thoroughly under running water. Turn off the faucet using a sanitary single-
use paper towel. 6. Dry hands [using a single-use paper towel or warm-air 
hand dryer]." -- "ServSafe Coursebook," National Restaurant Association 
Educational Foundation, 1999.

We were also taught that proper hand-washing (as part of good personal 
hygiene) was one of the most important ways of preventing food-borne 
illnesses.

- --Nostas'ia Stepanova
Barony of Ponte Alto, Atlantia