Hand Washing Germ Transfer

[Guest toddleo]

How do you guys deal with the prevention of germs transferring when using a bowl for handwashing? We currently have a bowl of warm water with anti bac soap and the children use this after messy work and dry with paper towels. I know that OFSTED are hot on the issue of cross contamination when hand washing, so what do you guys all do? It is too far to traipse to the loo and running water with painty hands, and we have explored the option of wet wipes, too costly considering the state after hand painting! Short of changing the water after each child, or providing 30 bowls I can not think of a solution? Help !

[Guest]

After washing to get rid of most of the mess have you tried using wipes.

[HappyMaz]

We've just surivived Ofsted and we have the usual bowl of water for hand washing in the main room to supplement the sinks in the toilet area. Mrs Ofsted made specific mention of the fact that we use anti-bac liquid soap and paper handtowels to promote hygiene but made no mention of the bowl. So long as you change it fairly regularly, I think that should be enough.

 

Woe betide anyone still using cotton towels and bars of soap though!

 

Maz

[Guest toddleo]

Lol your towels and bars of soap comment maz! You would think anti bac and paper towels wold be adequate wouldn't you? bu I am sad and have been cruising the recent ofsted reports, as I do on a Saturday night Ha ha!!!! no life......and it seems they still refer to possible cross contamination on more than one or two settings, I do not know what else to do, such a silly little thing to be pulled up on, want to get it right!

[Rea]

Did you see the programme about Tesco and Sainsbury meat counters??

(Horrible to watch but better blotted from the mind)

 

Anyway, to te point...The water in their buckets for washing down the sutrfaces had to be chnaged every 30 minutes. I dont know where this info could be from but if that could be included in your H&S procedure it might help.

[Guest Wolfie]

Yes, that prograame was a real eye opener wasn't it!!!!

[Guest]

just a thought, how about using a water dispenser, ( Not sure of their correct name) the ones with a tap, have a bowl underneath, at least then you would have running water.

I think you can get them at quite reasonable prices now, look at maybe camping shops.

 

Peggy

[hali]

we do the same as Maz, i phoned ofsted a while ago about this issue and they told me to ring my local LA (ha ha) who told me it was fine to use bowls as long as they were changed regulary plus paper towels

[Phil]

how about washing their hands in the bowl to remove the paint and then sending them to wash their hands in the wash basin, this may take some clever talking to convince some of them to do it twice.

[Running Bunny]

We have at least two of our settings that have been pulled up on this issue and have been told that they cannot do it - they have to use running water.

 

We would support that on a best practice level (as an LA) but also appreciate the logistics of some of the community-based provision where a member of staff would be permanently based in the bathroom (would that come under the 'any other job deemed suitable by your line manager' in the job description?? )

 

Yet another grey area in the world of Ofsted...

[becsltd]

We do use running water. However, we still use little tablet bars of soap. We are due an Ofsted so is this something we should be changing. If so,what should we change it to?? Liquid soap?? What a mess!!!!!!!!!!

[HappyMaz]

We do use running water. However, we still use little tablet bars of soap. We are due an Ofsted so is this something we should be changing. If so,what should we change it to?? Liquid soap?? What a mess!!!!!!!!!!

No doubt they would frown upon the bars of soap, unfortunately. We made a bit of a discovery quite by chance. One of our parents gave us an old Candoo soap dispenser which we half filled with liquid anti-bac soap and topped up with water. This turns the soap into foam which is much less messy than the usual liquid soap (and of course goes twice as far!).

 

Maz

[HappyMaz]

Yet another grey area in the world of Ofsted...

Are you referring to the colour of hands there??

[Guest Wolfie]

We had soap dispensers and liquid soap supplied by Mr Soapy Soap - like Happy Maz' discovery, the soap comes out as foam and goes a lot further. The dispensers were free as long as we got our refills from the Mr Soapy Soap rep.

[Guest]

We use antibacterial soap, a sensitive one, from Asda which is very reasonable, sort of 60-75p from memory.

I have just picked up on the towel issue mentioned above.... after painting or other messy activities we encourage the children to use a washing up bowl with warm soapy water in it for cleaning their hands..... but horror of horrors we still use towels

Well until tomorrow that is! In our defence we have paper towels up at the loos but that is a very long way with drippy messy hands. Just today I followed a long trail of Gelli Baff and that's slippy on the floor! I do agree, now you've all pointed it out, that a towel is not very hygenic.

So, oh wise ones, if my washing up bowl is perched precariously on one chair where do I put the paper towels??? Presumably a bin goes under the chair for the used paper towels but I'm not sure how to provide the paper towels! Are my evenings going to be spent threading them onto string?!

[becsltd]

I have just done a web search on Mr Soapy Soap - looks fantastic. I have requested a brochure and will be discussing this further. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Guest Wolfie]

And it smells LOVELY!

[MichelleKL]

We have used Mr Soapy Soap for years, we get it from KENT our area suppliers for almost everything! I have always believed that you only have to supply running water for hand washing after toileting and before food etc. and that for rinsing off paint etc a bowl was adequate. I think it probably depends on the individual inspector on the day!