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.
Proven Risks of Refillable Soap Dispensers
5/24/2023
By Jim Arbogast, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences and Public Health Advancements Vice President, GOJO Industries
When you wash your hands, you expect them to be clean afterwards. Unfortunately, there is a common style of hand soap dispenser that has a high potential to leave your hands germier than before you started. At GOJO, we refer to this style of dispenser as a “refillable bulk” soap dispenser. Instead of having a sealed refill inside the dispenser that gets swapped out when it’s empty, this style of dispenser has an easy opening that someone pours soap into (for example, a hinged lid with a large bottle of soap to top it off). You’ve probably seen them in your daily outings – in public restrooms at rest stops, restaurants, and even schools. There are many different designs, but all have the same inherent risks.
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New Study Shows Sanitizer May Help Get Kids’ Hands Cleaner
2/24/2023
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
Schools are full of germs. With large numbers of children in close contact with each other, sharing supplies or equipment, campuses often become germ breeding grounds. If you think about all the different objects and surfaces that kids touch daily, handwashing is, without a doubt, one of the easiest and most important ways to help reduce germs that may cause illness in schools.
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Fun Facts and Tips to Encourage Handwashing in Schools
1/19/2023
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
As students return to classrooms after winter break – bringing their germs with them – it's a good time to refresh our hand hygiene technique. But, after living through a pandemic for three years, many kids may be tired of hearing about it and really sick of DOING it! In fact, a recent study by the Global Hygiene Council showed that globally, almost half of 5-10-year-olds (42%) are not always washing their hands with soap at school. This is a serious issue since handwashing with soap and water is one of the best ways to reduce germs that may cause illness.
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Slowing the Spread of Norovirus – Lessons Learned from a Global Pandemic
10/24/2022
By Chip Manuel, Ph.D.
Food Safety Science Advisor, GOJO Industries
Also By Hal King, Ph.D.
Managing Partner, Active Food Safety and Founder/CEO of Public Health Innovations
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on global public health as well as the food industry. In the U.S., restaurant and foodservice loss of sales surpassed $185 billion between March and August 2020. During the pandemic, the adoption of enhanced sanitation protocols, such as increased frequency for high-touch surface disinfection, thought at the time to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was widespread. This helped reduce outbreaks of norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness in the U.S., by over 80%.
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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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Any Weather. Anywhere. All-New PURELL® Outdoor Dispenser is Here!
5/17/2022
By Stephen Wagner
Senior Total Solutions Manager, GOJO Industries
When you're away from home, often a sink isn't readily accessible to clean your hands before or after those key everyday moments, like before eating or after pumping gas. Over the past two years, many business owners and facility operators began offering hand sanitizer to help make their patrons, employees, and guests feel safe while they're visiting. Now, 84% of people expect hand sanitizer to be offered in public places.
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How Long Should You Wash Your Hands?
2/21/2022
By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Research Principal, GOJO Industries
By now, everyone knows that keeping hands clean is important to reduce germs that may cause illness. While washing hands with soap and water is one of the best ways to achieve this, it has to be done correctly. We've all heard leading scientists and health organizations tell us to scrub hands thoroughly with soap and clean water for at least 20 seconds, but have you ever wondered, "Why 20 seconds?"
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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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