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public health hazard?

post #1 of 31
10/26/07 at 3:55pm
Thread Starter 
There is a new sign in the laundry room at our apartment complex that says washing cloth diapers is a public health hazard.

I prewash all of mine by hand before I wash them in the machines; then I run an extra cycle of hot water after i take the diaper load out.

Does anyone have info on the truth of the public health hazard idea and what I could do if I need to use public washing machines? I don't mind going to a laundry mat outside our complex, but I don't know if there is any rule or regulation in Florida that says you can't wash CD in a public machine.

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post #2 of 31
10/26/07 at 3:58pm
I don't really know the rules, but that sounds like a load of cr@p to me. I think someone probably just got grossed out and complained enough to management that they put a sign up. I know lots of ppl wash diapers at laundromats so I wouldn't think it would be a hazard.
post #3 of 31
10/26/07 at 4:02pm
omg thats too funny... but throwing dirty diapers in a garbage can and leaving them in the landfill is NOT a public health hazard? (because lets face it, i've never EVER heard of someone disposing of solid waste in the toilet like they are supposed to when it comes to sposies)..

i just find the whole idea hilarious,
post #4 of 31
10/26/07 at 4:03pm
i think it is a load (no pun intended ) of crappy poo!

but... i will be taking : on the issue because i know lots of CD'er n mama that live in apts! and i want to know the outcome so i can (if needed) give them advice
post #5 of 31
10/26/07 at 4:09pm
I agree. People are stupid. What do people do when their babies get poo on their clothes? THAt's right, wash them. I don't see the difference.
post #6 of 31
10/26/07 at 4:10pm
I'm really curious. What's the exact wording on the sign? Is it handwritten? Is it official?
post #7 of 31
10/26/07 at 4:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AGierald View Post
omg thats too funny... but throwing dirty diapers in a garbage can and leaving them in the landfill is NOT a public health hazard?
post #8 of 31
10/26/07 at 5:12pm
That's BS!!! What about someone who pukes all over their clothes, is that a public health hazard, or even worse, has an accident in their pants. Stains and nastiness are on everything, not just diapers.

I think they're pretty much saying that their washer sucks largely, b/c if the washer does what it's made to do, that would be a non-issue.

I would definitely cause a stink

Andrea
post #9 of 31
10/26/07 at 5:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Claire and Boys View Post
I agree. People are stupid. What do people do when their babies get poo on their clothes? THAt's right, wash them. I don't see the difference.
Exactly. That sign makes no sense to me.
post #10 of 31
10/26/07 at 6:04pm
Make your own sign explaining how you are s'posed to dump all poop from disposables in a toilet - and how people aren't doing this.

Here is a health canada article:

http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroZine/engli...uestions_e.cfm

You know - just to edicate them... and then do what you want until they tell you you can't - then call the paper.
post #11 of 31
10/26/07 at 7:11pm
I would go to management and ask them to explain their "theory" of the health hazard. Then when their done giving you some un-researched bullsh*t reason, you can tell them that you'll be more than happy to stop washing your CD if he also puts up a note stating that anyone with - blood, puke, pee sheets or clothes can't use the washers either- because by his definition they are also a health hazard!
post #12 of 31
10/26/07 at 7:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gassadi View Post
There is a new sign in the laundry room at our apartment complex that says washing cloth diapers is a public health hazard.

I prewash all of mine by hand before I wash them in the machines; then I run an extra cycle of hot water after i take the diaper load out.

Does anyone have info on the truth of the public health hazard idea and what I could do if I need to use public washing machines? I don't mind going to a laundry mat outside our complex, but I don't know if there is any rule or regulation in Florida that says you can't wash CD in a public machine.
What if I lived in your apt building and I had a really bad cold and threw up all over my sheets? where am I supposed to wash those? What if I was at the park and slipped on the grass and fell in a pile of dog doo-doo? What if I am gross and launder my towels INFREQUENTLY....so that 3x a year, I am washing SUPER gross nasty bath towels? What if I use a dishrag in my sink and it gets really funky every week and I wash that in the washers? What about my personal lice infestation? I have to wash my bedding and clothes!

There are plenty of things that are, in my mind, way grosser than rinsed cds. Furthermore, hot dryers kill a LOT of bugs.

The CDC offers this advice:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/disease/mrsa.asp
for dealing with your nasty Staph. bacteria infestations....
Quote:
Wash soiled sheets, towels, and clothes with water and laundry detergent. Dry clothes in a hot dryer, rather than air-drying. This also helps kill bacteria in clothes.
Also, this advice for infectious disease control in disaster settings (I highlighted my favorite parts in red for ya):
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/commshelters.asp

Quote:
-Garments heavily soiled with stool should be handled carefully, wearing gloves, and placed in a plastic bag for disposal. If stool can easily be removed using toilet paper, the garment may be laundered as described below.
-Wash clothing in a washing machine using normal temperature settings and laundry detergent.
-Household bleach can be used in the rinse water at normal concentrations
-Dry clothes in a dryer, if possible.
-There is no need to disinfect the tubs of washers or tumblers of dryers if cycles are run until they are completed.
HTH!
post #13 of 31
10/26/07 at 8:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinyshoes View Post
What if I lived in your apt building and I had a really bad cold and threw up all over my sheets? where am I supposed to wash those? What if I was at the park and slipped on the grass and fell in a pile of dog doo-doo? What if I am gross and launder my towels INFREQUENTLY....so that 3x a year, I am washing SUPER gross nasty bath towels? What if I use a dishrag in my sink and it gets really funky every week and I wash that in the washers? What about my personal lice infestation? I have to wash my bedding and clothes!

There are plenty of things that are, in my mind, way grosser than rinsed cds. Furthermore, hot dryers kill a LOT of bugs.

The CDC offers this advice:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/disease/mrsa.asp
for dealing with your nasty Staph. bacteria infestations....


Also, this advice for infectious disease control in disaster settings (I highlighted my favorite parts in red for ya):
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/commshelters.asp



HTH!

Excellent! Thanks for the links ... should come in handy when I approach the office management about this.

Like PP, I wondered why diapers are more of a threat to public health than other pieces of fabric with poo and other bodily fluids on them.

Thanks, mamas!
post #14 of 31
10/26/07 at 10:57pm
When I saw the title of this thread I was sure it was about disposable diapers because I had heard something somewhere about contents of diapers in dumps having leaked into water supplies . . . don't know if that's true, but that's what I thought this thread was about!
post #15 of 31
10/26/07 at 11:05pm
Please let us know how this goes. I would be sooo pissed!!!
post #16 of 31
10/26/07 at 11:53pm
You could also point out that an ordinary pair of underwear headed for the washer has about a gram of feces in it (ew ew). Should they ban the washing of undies too? I'd consider adult poop to be much more of a potential health hazard.
post #17 of 31
10/27/07 at 11:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinyshoes View Post
What about my personal lice infestation?
sorry, that just made my year.
post #18 of 31
10/27/07 at 1:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gassadi View Post
Excellent! Thanks for the links ... should come in handy when I approach the office management about this.

Like PP, I wondered why diapers are more of a threat to public health than other pieces of fabric with poo and other bodily fluids on them.

Thanks, mamas!
I would also contact your local board of health and request information about this. Mention the links from the government sources and find out what their opinion on the matter is. If they're helpful, bring their answer to building management too!

Let us know how it turns out :
post #19 of 31
10/27/07 at 2:56pm
oh please! What a load of BS.

i think someone just didnt like the thought of CDs and whined to the manager.

I'd wash them anyway.

if you cant wash your dipes, then no one else can wash their underwear.
post #20 of 31
10/27/07 at 5:30pm
I would ignor the sign and claim I can't read
There are certainly greater public health risks in a shared laundry facility than baby poo and urine from rinsed diapers.
Shoot most sposies leak so badly that the clothes are always pooed on.
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