Last week, Michigan-born Kooty Key launched on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter to help raise enough money to create the next generation Kooty Key, the Kooty Key 2.0 featuring a larger anti-microbial rubber surface and comfort finger cradles. 

As a traveling salesman, Kenneth Kolb of Clinton Township, was on the road most of the day where he routinely accessed public restrooms. Over the years he noticed how air blowers in restrooms were becoming more prevalent do to the focus on ecology. In the past, many people concerned with proper hygiene would dry their hands with the paper towel and then use it to grab the door handle of the restroom upon exiting, but with the trend of air blowers on the rise, this was becoming less of an option. One day—during the peak of the flu season he was standing at the sink washing his hands, watching people use the facilities and then immediately exit the restroom without washing their hands. At that moment, as he reached for his car keys, a thought was born—the Kooty Key!

This little gadget attaches to your keys next to your hand sanitizer for easy access any time. The Kooty Key can be used on public door handles, toilet levers, ATM and checkout keypads, and more and can be cleaned with warm soapy water or alcohol. The Kooty Key reduces the spread of illness-causing germs that are picked up everyday on common surfaces.
While the Original Kooty Key has been featured on Fox 2 and is now sold on Amazon as an Amazon Choice product, Ken, the creator of the Kooty Key, wants to bring the Kooty Key to the next level with the Kooty Key 2.0 offering a NEW, larger anti-microbial rubber surface and comfort finger cradles. 

You can back The Kooty Key 2.0 from now until Sat., June 24, 2017 on their Kickstarter page; with pledges starting at $5 for a virtual (germ-free) high five, $10 for the Original Kooty Key, $20 for the new Kooty Key 2.0, and a limited edition Chrome Kooty Key package with pledges of $250 or more! 

Kickstarter link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kootykey/kooty-key-20
Kooty Key website: http://kootykey.com/

Thought the kitchen counter was the dirtiest thing in your home? You'll be surprised.

You scrub the toilet bowl meticulously, wipe down your kitchen bench every evening and vacuum the carpet with precision. But some of the dirtiest items in your home may be the ones you don't often think of cleaning.

Here is a list of some of the filthiest items in your home with a few tips on how to clean them: 

CLEANING EQUIPMENT 
How often do you clean your cleaning utensils? If your answer was not often enough, you're not alone. Sponges, cloths and scrub brushes are responsible for wiping up the biggest messes in your home, and these utensils are often one of the most germ-infested areas, with their damp material being a breeding ground for mould.
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To keep clean, be sure to rinse the utensil in hot water, wring out and leave to dry on a rack after every use and launder them every couple of days or when they start to smell. Most importantly, be sure to toss out sponges, cloths or rags every few weeks. 

DOORKNOBS
Whenever we move into a different room ​of the house, we transfer any of the germs on our hands to the various doorknobs we touch. If left unclean, this results in the doorknob becoming one of the filthiest items in the house. To clean, use a cloth and hot, soapy water to wipe down, either weekly or as needed.

KITCHEN SINK DRAIN
The drain of your kitchen is filled with bacteria, with germ growth encouraged thanks to the combination of food scraps and moisture. Many experts believe the average kitchen sink is actually dirtier than your toilet seat. To ensure your drain is as germ free as possible, pour a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a cup of vinegar, finish by letting the mixture sit for a minute and then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain. Use this inexpensive and eco-friendly cleaning method at least once a week and your drain should be in pristine condition. 

ELECTRONICS
The average person uses the electronic devices in their home numerous times in a day, resulting in a large amount of bacteria building up on your remotes and keyboards. For example, the Wall Street Journal found the average mobile phone has up to 30,000 colony-forming units of bacteria. To ensure these devices are kept as clean as possible, swab your remote, keyboard, mouse and your mobile phone (including it's cover), once a week with a well wrung-out disinfectant wipe.

BASE OF THE TOILET
We all make sure to scrub the toilet seat and bowl. However, many people forget to clean the base of the toilet and surrounding floor, which, is surprisingly one of the filthiest areas of the bathroom (particularly if you have small children or men in the house). To keep this area clean, be sure to wipe down the base whenever you clean the toilet and mop the surrounding floor at least once a week.

If you're interested in becoming a Kooty Key wholesaler or retailer, contact Ken Kolb at kootykey@gmail.com

If everyone would barricade (cover) their coughs and sneezes properly, there would be less illness.

How do you cover a sneeze?

1)  Don't cover your sneeze.  BAD.  Germs can shoot out up to 10 ft.

2)  Sneeze into your hands. NOT AS BAD. After sneezing into your hands you will then contaminate everything you touch until you thoroughly wash your hands.

3) Sneeze into your sleeve. BETTER, but it doesn't cover your sneeze very well.

4) Sneeze into a tissue.  BEST.  It will cover your sneeze pretty well and you can then simply dispose of the tissue.

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quoted from an article by Sarah Rohoman in Yahoo Canada StyleNovember 23, 2016

Did you know that plucking or trimming NOSE HAIR can be dangerous. 

"There’s an area on your face that the medical community has ominously named “the triangle of death.” The top point of the triangle is the bridge of your nose with the bottom of the triangle being above your upper lip. This area of your face is obviously close to your brain which makes getting infections in the triangle more dangerous than getting a cut on your knee.
Not only is tweezing nose hairs incredible painful, it can leave the skin open from where you yanked the hair out. The hair in our nose is the first line of defense for filtering out the bad things we breathe in, so there’s plenty of germs trapped in there. The germs can then enter the body from the wound and cause an infection – staph, meningitis, etc. These scary bacteria can then infect the brain, leading to serious medical outcomes like paralysis or even death."

The bottom line is DON'T PLUCK IN THE TRIANGLE.  And don't pop pimples or pick your nose as either could leave your skin open to infection in vessels the feed the brain.  Not a good situation. 

​The Kooty Key is an innovative little tool developed by a lifetime traveling salesman. Since he was on the road most of the day he routinely accessed public restrooms, restaurants, banks, stores, etc. Over the years he noticed how air blowers in restrooms were becoming more prevalent do to the focus on ecology. Restrooms that have air blowers usually do not supply paper toweling as an alternative drying method. In the past many people concerned with proper hygiene would dry their hands with the paper towel and then use it to grab the door handle of the restroom upon exiting. One day—during the peak of the flu season he was standing at the sink washing his hands, watching people use the facilities and then immediately exit the restroom without hand washing or cleanup of any kind. He thought about how often he had struggled to find a method of grabbing the handle upon his exit without re-contaminating himself with the millions of germs residing on the door handle. At that moment as he reached for his car keys a thought was born—the Kooty Key!

Are you worried about germs in your office?  After reading this article, you probably will be.  

http://www.viking-direct.co.uk/specialLinks.do?&ID=blog_uk_article_office-bacteria-project-whats-lurking-on-your-desk

from US News & World Report HEALTH  June 8, 2015. 

Wanna stay healthy in a swimming pool this summer?  Here are some hints.

Test the water. Do a quick test of the chlorine levels in the water, When the pH or chlorine in the water is too low, bacteria, germs and viruses can proliferate. If there's too much chlorine in the pool, swimmers can experience coughing, nausea, burning eyes and throat, and other unpleasant symptoms.

To test, just  buy some test strips – most are available at home improvement stores – that measure the pH and free chlorine level in the water. "These are the most important parameters; to make sure you have disinfectant in the water, and to make sure the disinfectant is working properly."  Test strips are typically inexpensive, accurate and easy to use.

Don't pee in the pool or go swimming with diarrhea. It sounds like a no-brainer – don't pee in the pool. But in a recent survey by the Water Quality & Health Council, 55 percent of respondents admitted to urinating in the water at least once.

Don't drink the water. It seems obvious, but here's this season's reminder: Don't drink or swallow pool water to your chance of becoming infected with a disease.

Refrain from swimming with wounds. There are many myths suggesting that swimming in chlorine or salt water can help "disinfect" or clean a wound. In fact, an open wound is an entry point for germs. Don't go swimming with a major cut or injury.