"Gary" > wrote in message ...
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>
>
>> It's hard to say, as there several mitigating factors. Virtually no
>> one hand washes dishes in water at a temperature that will kill many
>> germs. That's strike one. If dishwashing liquid is not anti-
>> bacterial, that's strike two. A seemingly clean dishrag or sponge can
>> also can also contribute to the germ factor. That's strike three.
>>
>> With a dishwasher the incoming water is usually at least 120 degrees
>> and many machines heat the water to an even higher temperture. Most
>> dishwasher detergents are anti-bacaerial. Last of all, there are no
>> dishrags or sponges involved.
>>
>> Again, it's hard to say...
>
> And there ya go whining again. oh those evil germs. I hand wash
> and so wonder how I've survived all these years.
>
> I even gave ferrets access to my dinner plates for
> "all you can eat." Once they checked it out, ate what
> they wanted, I would eat. Evidently ferret germs are
> not so bad. eh?

I am sure that in the old days when people knew little to nothing about food
safety or even germs and merely put things away without so much as rinsing
them, this could have made them ill. I am talking about days before the
dinner plate where food may have been served on a flat piece of bread or
even the table itself which also wasn't washed.

These days there are quite a variety of reasons. One being that we are
indoors so much of the time. In many cases, we are breathing recirculated
air which may be contaminated with all manner of things that we weren't
intended to breathe. Things that come from carpets, paint, building
materials, furniture etc. Add some germs in there and it's sickness waiting
to happen. I hate flying on planes because I always get respiratory and/or
ear infections. Sure the altitude has something to do with it, but I can
tell that the dry stale air isn't helping either.

And now add in hand sanitizer! One year, there was a big push at the dance
studio to use the stuff much like they do on a cruise ship. Each time you
enter or leave a room, you were to use it. And that year, more people got
sick than ever! It was also a year with a very bad winter. The one where we
had the two back to back snow storms that kept many of us home for two
weeks, save for one day in the middle where the roads were clear enough to
get out for groceries.

I am sure that they surmised that germs were being picked up on many
surfaces at the dance studio. Door handles, the ballet barre, things in the
kitchen, locker room, dressing room, even the floor! Perhaps they would have
done better just to wipe the barre down between classes with some sort of
ordinary cleaner. I don't know.