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Is this ok?  

post #1 of 25
3/11/05 at 7:55pm
Thread Starter 
I am not very NFL (ok, pretty much not at all).

My very NFL SIL is visiting this weekend with her kids.

We are a big Purel using family. (Its that liquid cleanser)

My kids are requried to use Purel after all bathroom visits and before all meals.

Would asking my SIL kids to use it be an NFL no-no?
post #2 of 25
3/11/05 at 7:59pm
It is not good. I will let the other mamas explain....that is not my strong point!!!
post #3 of 25
3/11/05 at 8:30pm
hmmmm.... I'm not sure if Purell is an antibacterial or not... if it is, I'd say don't even suggest it, even reconsider your own use of it. Antibacterials are producing stronger & stronger strains of diseases, and they also contain dioxins. We sometimes(at airports & the like) use one that is just an alcohol base, which might not be the healthiest thing, either. I hope someone has more info. for you!
post #4 of 25
3/12/05 at 1:55am
Thread Starter 
It in NOT an anti-bacterial. Just alcohol based.
post #5 of 25
3/12/05 at 2:10am
Just a thought - we are meant to get lots of germs when we are little in order to build our immune systems. Too much sanitizing actually leads to asthma and allergies. Here are some links:

http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/news/N...Unhealthy.html
http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/...sp?Main_ID=121
http://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/Pubs/Articles/EID6_01.pdf

Just plain soap and water would be just as effective as keeping away the poopy germs after the bathroom. Don't go overboard with anything else, esp. sanitizing. These little germs are good!

And yes, I think it is not your place to order her kids' behavior, no matter how gross it may be to you. I do not think you should say anything.
post #6 of 25
3/12/05 at 2:12am
May I ask what NFL is?
post #7 of 25
3/12/05 at 2:19am
Natural Family Living
post #8 of 25
3/12/05 at 2:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by maya44
It in NOT an anti-bacterial. Just alcohol based.
well, if it was not antibacterial, what exactly would be the point?

read this
post #9 of 25
3/12/05 at 2:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galatea
Just a thought - we are meant to get lots of germs when we are little in order to build our immune systems. Too much sanitizing actually leads to asthma and allergies. Here are some links:

http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/news/N...Unhealthy.html
http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/...sp?Main_ID=121
http://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/Pubs/Articles/EID6_01.pdf

Just plain soap and water would be just as effective as keeping away the poopy germs after the bathroom. Don't go overboard with anything else, esp. sanitizing. These little germs are good!

And yes, I think it is not your place to order her kids' behavior, no matter how gross it may be to you. I do not think you should say anything.
Well actually these links cite problems mainly with ANTI-BACTERIALS not Purell.

IN Fact, you may not be aware of it, but these articles actully said Purell was fine, other than causing dry skin (which can be combatted by using an aloe addition)

So THANKS!
post #10 of 25
3/12/05 at 2:45am
i guess we crossed, but please note that purell, with an alcohol base, most assuredly is anti-bac. you might be surprised to know that some ppl here use grain alcohol to clean and sanitize their homes.

ethyl alcohol
post #11 of 25
3/12/05 at 2:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by blessedwithboys
well, if it was not antibacterial, what exactly would be the point?

]

Its a Sanitizer.

Read the second link in Galeta's post. It explains that other than causing dry skin Purel does not cause the problems that anti-bacs cause. Moreover, soap can also leave skin dry and we counteract the drying effect by using an aloe addition.
post #12 of 25
3/12/05 at 2:57am
from the purell site:
"1. HOW DOES PURELL WORK?
The PURELL product is a refreshing instant hand sanitizer that kills 99.99% of most common germs that may cause disease."

dear fellow mdc member, you already admitted to not being very NFL. maybe someone who is (besides myself) can correct me if "anti-bacterial" is not a fancy way of saying "killing germs (bacteria)".

iirc from cosmetology school, sanitize means: significantly reduce the number of pathogens on a surface. disinfect means: kill most of the pathogens on a surface. sterilize means: remove all pathogens on a surface.

it is possible for something to sanitize by means of killing germs, thereby being anti-bac. it's quite likely i am forgetting, please correct me if i am wrong.
post #13 of 25
3/12/05 at 2:59am
Well, coming at it from different perspective...

I think it would be a bit much to specify to guests to wash their hands with a particular product.

Before dinner, it is easy enough to say, "Okay all kids need to go wash your hands". Inquiring if they washed their hands after using the bathroom would be a bit much. :LOL

To accomodate your more crunchy family, go get some hand wash from a health food store. I know if there was some nice lavendar hand wash I would use it. Purell, I would turn up my nose.
post #14 of 25
3/12/05 at 10:43am
I wouldn't require that guests follow the exact same regimen as my family uses, so insisting that they use the Purell seems a little harsh. But putting a nice bar of soap next to the sink and providing a clean hand towel would definitely be fine. She might prefer a hand-made or natural soap, I see them all the time in the natural section of our grocery store. They look nice as guest soaps, anyway.

Do you suspect that your SIL hasn't taught her kids to wash their hands after using the bathroom? Being NFL doesn't necessarily mean that, they might just prefer another mode of hand-cleansing. I like the suggestion above to round up the kids for hand-washing before eating.
post #15 of 25
3/12/05 at 11:03am
Just a question; why do you use Purell instead of soap and water?
post #16 of 25
3/12/05 at 11:22am
I tried to use purell at a school one time; gave me a nasty headache. Won't touch the stuff. Just because it kills bacteria does not mean it gets hands clean. I don't think the intention of the manufacture would be to replace soap and water altogether, but instead to offer an alternative for those times when there is no access to wash properly at a sink. Maybe I am wrong. Purrell was advertised as antibacterial before. Have they changed their formula?

Soap and water are good habit to get your kids in; it is a skill they will need the rest of their lives. Also, I have found it can be fun to wash hands, and probably would not offend your SIL if you sent the kids to wash up for dinner.
post #17 of 25
3/12/05 at 1:27pm
I don't see anything wrong with it when soap and water are not available. Like when my kids go to their sunday school class, they are all given a little squirt of purell when they walk in. The gym child care does the same and I'm fine with it because it's not realistic to have each and every child that comes through the door go and wash their hands with soap and water.

Having spent the past 7 months with sick house syndrome, I completely understand why you're encouraging the purell. But, in your house, I would just encourage regular hand washing. Purell does kill germs but it doesn't clean your hands.
post #18 of 25
3/12/05 at 11:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by maya44
Well actually these links cite problems mainly with ANTI-BACTERIALS not Purell.

IN Fact, you may not be aware of it, but these articles actully said Purell was fine, other than causing dry skin (which can be combatted by using an aloe addition)

So THANKS!

Um, I was *nice* - maybe you should try it sometime.

Anyway, I didn't say that Purell was evil. I presented those cites as an idea that maybe you should not be so worried about little germs. Maybe you came in with an axe to grind??? I think your response was a bit out of line. You asked for NFP opinions, right? And you got them. So relax.
post #19 of 25
3/15/05 at 3:44pm
Well, I am a nurse, and at our hospital, we are "required" to use Purell hand sanitizer. Whether I follow the requirements is another story, but when I do use it, my hands become horribly dry, crack and even bleed at times- that's the alcohol at work. That being said, the germs at a hospital are a whole different set of cooties than the tame stuff in most of our homes. I wouldn't use Purell at home- I don't want my son's hands to get too dry!!! Plus, like the other mamas have said, we don't want to kill off all of the norma flora on our hands! It is there for a reason!
post #20 of 25
3/15/05 at 5:22pm
I'm a soap and water person. Now dh does use Purell at work which is fine by me because I dont want him bringing home stuff from other people and its not like he carries around soap and water to wash his hands in the car. :LOL

I like washing with water because it rinses way the stuff in contrast to Purell which just kills stuff but leaves the grunge behind.
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