We serve as a trusted resource for the latest news and helpful information related to skin health and surface hygiene advancements. GOJO microbiologists, scientists,
nurses and other professionals post regularly
and we also get the views of outside experts and
thought leaders in the field. It’s all part of the
GOJO Purpose, Saving Lives and Making Lives Better Through Well-Being Solutions.
What to Look Out for on a Hand Sanitizer Label
8/14/2023
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
Have you ever wondered what all those ingredients are on the label of a hand sanitizer bottle? It’s easy to see that the main “active” ingredient (the ingredient that kills germs) in alcohol-based hand sanitizers is alcohol (like ethanol or ethyl alcohol). And, since it’s the main ingredient, it is the majority of what is in the bottle. (Effective hand sanitizers have an alcohol content between 60% and 95%.)
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Back-to-School Shopping? 6 Things to Look for in Hand Sanitizer
8/1/2023
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
As summer winds down, parents are digging out their children's supply lists for back-to-school shopping, and teachers are stocking up their classrooms. But back to school also means back to germs. As students and staff gather indoors, touching germy shared surfaces all day, it's important they're cleaning their hands throughout the day. An easy and convenient way to help keep hands clean is to ensure students have access to hand sanitizer at school.
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Top Tips to Fend Off Flu, RSV, and Colds in Your Home This Winter
11/4/2022
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
The days are getting darker and cooler, the leaves have fallen, and with the holidays approaching, we are all looking forward to welcoming guests into our homes to celebrate. One thing we don’t want to welcome into our homes this time of year is the flu and other winter respiratory viruses, like the common cold and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), which is currently surging in U.S. children.
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Flu Severity This Winter – Be Prepared
9/15/2022
By James Bingham, MS
Senior Research Microbiologist, GOJO
The past two flu seasons have been mild ones, with very little virus circulating. Because of that, people’s immune systems may be more susceptible to the influenza virus, particularly younger children who may have previously had little or no exposure to the virus. Given these recent mild seasons during the pandemic, public health experts have been concerned that a severe flu season is on the horizon. Further, if it’s also circulating while COVID-19 cases are elevated, it could cause an added burden to our healthcare system. Based on the southern hemisphere’s flu season this year, public health experts are anticipating a moderate to severe flu season for the U.S. and northern hemisphere.
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Are Viruses Behaving Strangely, or Are We?
8/25/2022
By James Bingham, MS
Senior Research Microbiologist, GOJO
Viruses appear to have been acting strangely over the past year as we have emerged from COVID restrictions. During the first two years of the pandemic, many infectious diseases that typically circulate during certain times of year took a hiatus. COVID-19 precautions, like social distancing, wearing masks, increased hand hygiene and surface disinfection, and limited travel, were highly effective at limiting the spread of COVID-19 but also limited the spread of many common illnesses that spread through similar transmission routes as COVID-19.
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Top 5 Moments for Students to Clean Their Hands
8/9/2022
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
Back to school often means back to germs. All the hard surfaces that students touch every school day – like door handles, railings, shared electronic devices, water fountains, sports equipment, and other common high-touch surfaces – are potential sources of contamination. So, it’s vital that students clean their hands at key moments throughout their school day.
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What Is Monkeypox? And Should I Be Concerned?
7/25/2022
By James Bingham, MS
Senior Research Microbiologist, GOJO
Also By Megan J. DiGiorgio, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC
Senior Clinical Manager, GOJO Industries
News coverage of the ongoing global monkeypox outbreak has been intense. With news that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), many may be recalling the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the WHO declared it a PHEIC (on Jan. 30, 2020).
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Hand Hygiene Now and Forever
11/30/2021
By Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements Vice President, GOJO Industries
Handwashing Awareness Week is a good time to reflect on how our hand hygiene habits have changed since the pandemic began. You may have been negligent about keeping your hands clean pre-pandemic, but one of many things the pandemic has taught us is the importance of hand hygiene and infection prevention best practices. Experts globally, from the World Health Organization (WHO) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), strongly agree that promoting – and practicing – good hand hygiene is an incredibly effective way to wash away or kill germs that may cause illness. Even after this pandemic passes, we should all continue practicing proper hand hygiene.
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Helping Kids Avoid the “Winter-Hand Blues”
11/9/2021
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
Do your kids suffer from dry, damaged, irritated hands as the weather grows colder? If so, they’re not alone. Winter weather is not fun for skin; cold weather, low humidity, and indoor heating create dry air, which steals moisture away from the skin every second of every day. Scientific studies have shown that the top layers of skin, called the stratum corneum, hold 25% less water in low humidity conditions.
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Celebrating Global Handwashing Day and the Moments When Hygiene Matters Most
10/15/2021
By Elizabeth Scott, Ph.D.
Associate Dean and Professor, Simmons University
Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International Forum on Home Hygiene
Today is Global Handwashing Day – an annual global advocacy day to recognize the importance of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. With the increased attention on clean hands during the pandemic, it is a good time to review best hygiene practices for both hand hygiene and surface hygiene, as they are linked together.
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