No More Sick Days

According to an article in the September 2010 issue of Better Homes and Gardens, classroom germs have real consequences for kids. Earlier, a research team from the University of Arizona in Tucson evaluated six elementary school classrooms; half had surfaces swabbed daily with a disinfectant, half didn’t. Kids assigned to the unsanitized classrooms were 2.3 times more likely to miss school due to illness and were absent longer than students who sat in squeaky-clean rooms. Fortunately, a few simple tools can reduce your child’s risk.
1. Mechanical pencils: Hand-cranked pencil sharpeners are often used but rarely cleaned, making them a top source of infectious microbes says the UA team. Stock up on “clicky” pencils.

2. Clip-on Cleaner: Alcohol-based sanitizer is an effective fallback if kids can’t leave class to wash up. But they’ll never use it if it’s at the bottom of their backpacks.

3. Exact lunch money: Studies show that the flu virus (among other pathogens) can survive at least an hour on bills and coins. Insulate your child from “cash flow cooties” with exact change for lunch.