Handbags

I've never passed anything on to this group I've gotten in email but this
sort of made me go "hmmmmmm". I'm not a germ freak and have used just soap
and water and sometimes a little bleach to keep me and my family clean and
very healthy since the Apostles were Cub Scouts, it's worked fine and I've
never used "anti bacterial" anything. BUT, I think you need to be smart. I
threw a hissy when I found the boys putting their gym shoes on the kitchen
counter, gave them a huge lecture about where THOSE had been and we have
food on that counter. The following is something I had never considered.

Read on...

Have you ever noticed women who sit their handbags on public toilet floors,
then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table? Happens a
lot!

It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress.
Sometimes "what you don't know will hurt you"!

Mom got so upset when guests came in the door and plopped their handbags
down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always
said that handbags are really dirty, because of where they have been.

It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know
what's inside our handbags, do you have any idea what's on the outside?
Women carry handbags everywhere; from the office to public toilets to the
floor of the car Most women won't be caught without their handbags, but did
you ever stop to think about where your handbag goes during the day.

"I drive a school bus, so my handbag has been on the floor of the bus a
lot," says one woman. "On the floor of my car, and in toilets."

"I put my handbag in grocery shopping carts and on the floor of the toilet,"
says another woman "and of course in my home which should be clean."

We decided to find out if handbags harbor a lot of bacteria. We learned how
to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake , and then we set out to
test the average woman's handbag.

Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of
their handbag. Most said at home they usually set their handbags on top of
kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared.

Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if their
handbags were at least a little bit dirty.

It turns out handbags are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who
tested them was shocked.

Microbiologist Amy Karen of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the handbags
tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of
bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aureaus can
cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and EColi found on the
handbags could make people very sick.

In one sampling, four of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, and
that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the handbags"
says Amy. Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth
handbags, and lifestyle seemed to play a role. People with kids tended to
have dirtier handbags than those without, with one exception.

The handbag of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the
worst contaminations of all. "Some type of feces, or possibly vomit" says
Amy.

So the moral of this story is that your handbag won't kill you, but it does
have the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you
eat.

Use hooks to hang your handbag at home and in toilets, and don't put it on
your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop.


Experts say you should think of your handbag the same way you would a pair
of shoes.

"If you think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's
the same thing you're doing when you put your handbag on the countertops" -
Your handbag has gone where individuals before you have sneezed, coughed,
spat, urinated, emptied bowels, etc!

Do you really want to bring that home with you?

The microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a handbag will help. Wash
cloth handbags and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather
handbags.

This isn't really just a handbag thing. Men & women carry around briefcases,
computer cases, backpacks, book bags etc, all having been pretty much the
same places as handbags. Where have those shopping (not grocery ) bags,
been when you get home and put them on the counters and tables?

Gracious, Val. I just took my handbag and tossed it out in the backyard.
Gross. Polly


"Val" wrote in message
...
I've never passed anything on to this group I've gotten in email but this
sort of made me go "hmmmmmm". I'm not a germ freak and have used just soap
and water and sometimes a little bleach to keep me and my family clean and
very healthy since the Apostles were Cub Scouts, it's worked fine and I've
never used "anti bacterial" anything. BUT, I think you need to be smart. I
threw a hissy when I found the boys putting their gym shoes on the kitchen
counter, gave them a huge lecture about where THOSE had been and we have
food on that counter. The following is something I had never considered.

Read on...

Have you ever noticed women who sit their handbags on public toilet
floors, then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table?
Happens a lot!

It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress.
Sometimes "what you don't know will hurt you"!

Mom got so upset when guests came in the door and plopped their handbags
down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always
said that handbags are really dirty, because of where they have been.

It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know
what's inside our handbags, do you have any idea what's on the outside?
Women carry handbags everywhere; from the office to public toilets to the
floor of the car Most women won't be caught without their handbags, but
did you ever stop to think about where your handbag goes during the day.

"I drive a school bus, so my handbag has been on the floor of the bus a
lot," says one woman. "On the floor of my car, and in toilets."

"I put my handbag in grocery shopping carts and on the floor of the
toilet," says another woman "and of course in my home which should be
clean."

We decided to find out if handbags harbor a lot of bacteria. We learned
how to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake , and then we set out
to test the average woman's handbag.

Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom
of their handbag. Most said at home they usually set their handbags on top
of kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared.

Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if
their handbags were at least a little bit dirty.

It turns out handbags are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist
who tested them was shocked.

Microbiologist Amy Karen of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the handbags
tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of
bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aureaus can
cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and EColi found on the
handbags could make people very sick.

In one sampling, four of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, and
that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the handbags"
says Amy. Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth
handbags, and lifestyle seemed to play a role. People with kids tended to
have dirtier handbags than those without, with one exception.

The handbag of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the
worst contaminations of all. "Some type of feces, or possibly vomit" says
Amy.

So the moral of this story is that your handbag won't kill you, but it
does have the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places
where you eat.

Use hooks to hang your handbag at home and in toilets, and don't put it on
your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop.


Experts say you should think of your handbag the same way you would a pair
of shoes.

"If you think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's
the same thing you're doing when you put your handbag on the
countertops" - Your handbag has gone where individuals before you have
sneezed, coughed, spat, urinated, emptied bowels, etc!

Do you really want to bring that home with you?

The microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a handbag will help. Wash
cloth handbags and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather
handbags.

This isn't really just a handbag thing. Men & women carry around
briefcases, computer cases, backpacks, book bags etc, all having been
pretty much the same places as handbags. Where have those shopping (not
grocery ) bags, been when you get home and put them on the counters and
tables?

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
Gracious, Val. I just took my handbag and tossed it out in the backyard.
Gross. Polly

No kidding!! Maybe I *don't* forget where I put my handbag......it's
actually crawling away :P

Val

Val wrote:

Have you ever noticed women who sit their handbags on public toilet floors,
then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table? Happens a
lot!


Snopes gives this one a TRUE.

I've had reason to do some research on Winter Vomiting Disease and have
been learning about disinfectants. It turns out that bleach-water is
still a good one. It's obviously not perfect for everything, but it's
surprisingly available and inexpensive and effective.


But more to the point for this list: Cloth bags that can go in the
washing machines. I've never carried a handbag. I keep small necessary
items in my jeans pockets. Purchases go in the plastic bag that the
retailer gives me (and gets recycled on a dog walk). Now I'm thinking
what a good idea a simple colorful cloth bag with handles is. It could
be folded and stuffed in a pocket when not in use. It can be brought
out for grocery store purchases (for those of you who don't need the
plastic for dogs). It can be used as a handbag when needed. IT CAN BE
THROWN IN THE WASHING MACHINE every few days just as t-shirts are.


Cloth bags are next on my list. It's not like I don't have a stash to
make them out of.


--Lia

They talked about these bags on the Martha station on Sirius not too long
ago. This site has lots of alternatives as well. NAYY

http://www.reusablebags.com/store/ch...ing-p-450.html

A 10% bleach solution is a wonderful sanitizer but it is only good for the
day you make it up. It works best when left on the surface for a few
minutes (don't just spray and wipe). My job involves a clean room
environment and we use this solution as one of several disinfectants. It's
been found to be very effective.

I would ask what "winter vomiting disease" is, but I don't think I'll go
there right now!

--
AliceW - Royal Cybrarian
www.ourcyberfamily.us
Hug them while they're here!


"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
news
Val wrote:

Have you ever noticed women who sit their handbags on public toilet
floors, then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table?
Happens a lot!


Snopes gives this one a TRUE.

I've had reason to do some research on Winter Vomiting Disease and have
been learning about disinfectants. It turns out that bleach-water is
still a good one. It's obviously not perfect for everything, but it's
surprisingly available and inexpensive and effective.


But more to the point for this list: Cloth bags that can go in the
washing machines. I've never carried a handbag. I keep small necessary
items in my jeans pockets. Purchases go in the plastic bag that the
retailer gives me (and gets recycled on a dog walk). Now I'm thinking
what a good idea a simple colorful cloth bag with handles is. It could be
folded and stuffed in a pocket when not in use. It can be brought out for
grocery store purchases (for those of you who don't need the plastic for
dogs). It can be used as a handbag when needed. IT CAN BE THROWN IN THE
WASHING MACHINE every few days just as t-shirts are.


Cloth bags are next on my list. It's not like I don't have a stash to
make them out of.


--Lia

AliceW wrote:
They talked about these bags on the Martha station on Sirius not too
long ago. This site has lots of alternatives as well. NAYY

http://www.reusablebags.com/store/ch...ing-p-450.html


I wonder if people would get into the habit of tossing those nylon bags
into the washer the way they would cotton. I want something that says
"wash me," something that makes me think of the bag as clothing that
gets thrown in the laundry basket, folded and put in my top drawer when
it comes out of the drier, and put on in the morning the same way I put
on my shirt, jeans, underwear and socks, something I don't think about
but have with me-- and is clean.


My boyfriend went to Ireland with his family and was surprised by how
well the bring-your-own-bag movement has taken over there. They went to
an ordinary supermarket for a few items, then discovered that it wasn't
"paper or plastic". It was "what are we going to do with this stuff,
and how do we hold it?" With him, his mother, and his sister, they were
able to carry the groceries out to the car in their arms, but they got a
good laugh at how quickly they got a lesson in environmentalism.


But that's another subject. The trick is to come up with something
that's reusable, stylish (for everyday and for dress-up), and washable.


--Lia

It's interesting to me that all the presidential candidates, the families,
staff, security . . . all of that - have traveled constantly during flu
season and survived it. Wonder how in the world they manage such close
contact with so many, probably stay exhausted and we won't imagine that
their meals are much better than grab and go. Polly

They've built up immunity by being around it constantly. The over use of
anti-bacterial soaps, antibiotics, etc. have reduced people's resistance to
all germs, including viruses. The flu shots are basically
worthless--they're never for the strain that develops after people get the
shots-We've never gotten flu shots and probably never will.
Gen


"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
It's interesting to me that all the presidential candidates, the families,
staff, security . . . all of that - have traveled constantly during flu
season and survived it. Wonder how in the world they manage such close
contact with so many, probably stay exhausted and we won't imagine that
their meals are much better than grab and go. Polly

Some quilting friends were talking about this as if it was news. I don't get
why this is such a surprise! My mama taught us back in the dark ages, to not
put our purses and school bags where we put food. I have always followed
that rule. In fact, I avoid putting bags on floors any how, though I realize
it is sometimes unavoidable. Once I had someone arrive at my home and plop
her purse on the buffet table where I had food and dishes set out for
serving. I did not say UGH, but I thought it!! I just stated that the food
might splash her purse, and suggested she put it on a bench. Boy, my sisters
and I really appreciate the little things our Mom taught us.
PAT in VA/USA

that's where these purse hangers
http://www.pursejewelry.com/shoppursehangers.html come in handy! ( nayy,
just the first link that came up when I searched. ) I got mine at a halmark
store.
The best part is the heavier your purse, the better they hold lol

--
Kellie J. Berger
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
www.kjbeanne.com
www.kjbeanne.com/kellie.htm
"Val" wrote in message
...
I've never passed anything on to this group I've gotten in email but this
sort of made me go "hmmmmmm". I'm not a germ freak and have used just soap
and water and sometimes a little bleach to keep me and my family clean and
very healthy since the Apostles were Cub Scouts, it's worked fine and I've
never used "anti bacterial" anything. BUT, I think you need to be smart. I
threw a hissy when I found the boys putting their gym shoes on the kitchen
counter, gave them a huge lecture about where THOSE had been and we have
food on that counter. The following is something I had never considered.

Read on...

Have you ever noticed women who sit their handbags on public toilet
floors, then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table?
Happens a lot!

It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress.
Sometimes "what you don't know will hurt you"!

Mom got so upset when guests came in the door and plopped their handbags
down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always
said that handbags are really dirty, because of where they have been.

It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know
what's inside our handbags, do you have any idea what's on the outside?
Women carry handbags everywhere; from the office to public toilets to the
floor of the car Most women won't be caught without their handbags, but
did you ever stop to think about where your handbag goes during the day.

"I drive a school bus, so my handbag has been on the floor of the bus a
lot," says one woman. "On the floor of my car, and in toilets."

"I put my handbag in grocery shopping carts and on the floor of the
toilet," says another woman "and of course in my home which should be
clean."

We decided to find out if handbags harbor a lot of bacteria. We learned
how to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake , and then we set out
to test the average woman's handbag.

Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom
of their handbag. Most said at home they usually set their handbags on top
of kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared.

Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if
their handbags were at least a little bit dirty.

It turns out handbags are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist
who tested them was shocked.

Microbiologist Amy Karen of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the handbags
tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of
bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aureaus can
cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and EColi found on the
handbags could make people very sick.

In one sampling, four of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, and
that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the handbags"
says Amy. Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth
handbags, and lifestyle seemed to play a role. People with kids tended to
have dirtier handbags than those without, with one exception.

The handbag of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the
worst contaminations of all. "Some type of feces, or possibly vomit" says
Amy.

So the moral of this story is that your handbag won't kill you, but it
does have the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places
where you eat.

Use hooks to hang your handbag at home and in toilets, and don't put it on
your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop.


Experts say you should think of your handbag the same way you would a pair
of shoes.

"If you think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's
the same thing you're doing when you put your handbag on the
countertops" - Your handbag has gone where individuals before you have
sneezed, coughed, spat, urinated, emptied bowels, etc!

Do you really want to bring that home with you?

The microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a handbag will help. Wash
cloth handbags and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather
handbags.

This isn't really just a handbag thing. Men & women carry around
briefcases, computer cases, backpacks, book bags etc, all having been
pretty much the same places as handbags. Where have those shopping (not
grocery ) bags, been when you get home and put them on the counters and
tables?