According to the American Cleaning Institute® (ACI), risk of infection occurs in the workplace, at home, in schools and other public places, due to the transmission of bacteria, foodborne pathogens and other microorganisms. A number of studies have demonstrated the ability of topical consumer products to reduce bacteria on the hands and the body, as well as the risk of infection. The consumer, however, is often left overwhelmed and confused with the many products on the market or the variety that can be made at home.

In an effort to alleviate the confusion, and assist consumers with maintaining a safe environment, the Kenton and Boone County Extension offices developed the lesson, “Cleaning, Sanitizing and Disinfecting Your Kitchen and Home”. This program was advertised to the general public through county-wide publications. In addition, a special letter of invitation was sent to schools, day cares and churches to alert their cleaning staff and volunteer workers.

The interactive lesson was developed with materials from the ACI, Partnership for Food Safety Education, and Ohio State University Extension. Each of the 30 participants began the lesson by quickly speculating whether a display of products were to be used for cleaning, sanitizing, or disinfecting. Through a power point discussion, the Family and Consumer Sciences agent reviewed these products and the different terms, as well as the importance of using and storing products safely and reading the labels. In addition, the importance of the correct use and storage of liquid laundry packets (LLPs) was discussed, since within the past five years, poison control centers have received well over 50,000 calls relating to liquid laundry packet exposures. 

Post session evaluations found that 100% of participants were now able to identify the importance of cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting – along with their differences and occasions for each to be used. 88% reported they planned on changing at least one of their cleaning/sanitizing/disinfecting habits after attending the class. These included the correct mixing proportions of cleaning solutions such as bleach and water, the avoidance of mixing dangerous cleaning products such as bleach and ammonia, and to contact manufacturer for shelf life recommendations.  

Most importantly, participants reported on now planning to read complete application instructions for each product-whether purchased or made at home. One participant concluded, “learned a ton of things, and lots of activities to weed out expired products.”