• Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathroom Top the List of Spring Cleaning Targets

• Product Effectiveness is Most Important Attribute for Spring Cleaners

• Statistic Recap Here

WASHINGTON, March 09, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Yearly spring cleaning is on the rise in 2022, according to new consumer data released by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI). The survey, conducted by Ipsos, found that 78% of Americans spring clean at least once per year, up nearly 10% from just one year ago.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220309005863/en/

Yearly spring cleaning is on the rise in 2022, according to new consumer data released by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI). The survey, conducted by Ipsos, found that 78% of Americans spring clean at least once per year, up nearly 10% from just one year ago. (Photo: Business Wire)

Although fewer Americans reported spring cleaning yearly in 2021 than in 2022, which could have been due to the increased amount of time spent at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans will pull out their spring cleaning supplies this year to help keep their homes healthy and safe. In fact, a majority (71%) of Americans are motivated to clean because they want to have a healthy home environment, emphasizing the intrinsic value cleaning plays in today’s society and its connection to a safe, healthy and robust future.

“At ACI, we know that cleaning is caring. For so many Americans, cleaning is no longer viewed as just a chore, but as a means of caring for one another and creating a healthy and safe home,” said Brian Sansoni, ACI Senior Vice President, Communications and Outreach. “After being cooped up for long periods at a time, many people are ready to open up their windows and get rid of a winter’s worth of dust, dirt and grime.”

Among those who spring clean, survey findings show Americans focus their targeted hygiene practices on the kitchen (64%), bedrooms (61%) and bathrooms (59%). When choosing their cleaning products, Americans who spring clean rank effectiveness (44%) as the most important, followed by multi-purpose (18%) and cost (12%).

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ACI offers a wide range of resources to make spring cleaning simple, easy and effective:

For more cleaning advice and guidance visit www.cleaninginstitute.org. View details of the cleaning survey data in ACI’s online newsroom.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between February 16 – February 17, 2022 on behalf of the American Cleaning Institute. For this survey, a sample of 1,005 adults age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii, was interviewed online in English. A subset of the questions were answered by survey respondents who report that they, or someone in their household, engage in spring cleaning (92% of the 1,005 survey respondents; the other 8% answered “I never spring clean”). The poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points for all respondents.

The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI – www.cleaninginstitute.org) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain. ACI members include the manufacturers and formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and chemical distributors. ACI serves the growth and innovation of the U.S. cleaning products industry by advancing the health and quality of life of people and protecting our planet. ACI achieves this through a continuous commitment to sound science and being a credible voice for the cleaning products industry.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220309005863/en/

Contacts

Kristin DiNicolantonio – 202-662-2526 / [email protected]

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Covid In China: China has reported hundreds of infections in recent weeks.

Beijing:

Thousands of Covid-negative Beijing residents were relocated to quarantine hotels overnight due to a handful of infections, as the capital begins to take more extreme control measures resembling virus-hit Shanghai.

Beijing has been battling its worst outbreak since the pandemic started. The Omicron variant has infected over 1,300 since late April, leading city restaurants, schools and tourist attractions to be closed indefinitely.

China’s strategy to achieve zero Covid cases includes strict border closures, lengthy quarantines, mass testing and rapid, targeted lockdowns.

Over 13,000 residents of the locked-down Nanxinyuan residential compound in southeast Beijing were relocated to quarantine hotels overnight Friday due to 26 new infections discovered in recent days, according to photos and a government notice widely shared on social media.

“Experts have determined that all Nanxinyuan residents undergo centralised quarantine beginning midnight May 21 for seven days,” authorities from Chaoyang district said Friday.

“Please cooperate, otherwise you will bear the corresponding legal consequences.”

Social media photos showed hundreds of residents with luggage queueing in the dark to board coaches parked outside the compound.

“Some of us have been locked down for 28 days since April 23, and we all tested negative throughout,” wrote one resident on the Twitter-like Weibo.

“A lot of my neighbours are elderly or have young children.”

“The transfer really makes us feel like we’re in a wartime scene,” resident and real estate blogger Liu Guangyu posted on Weibo early Saturday.

Liu told AFP that they were only notified of the move half a day in advance, but said he was satisfied with the hotel.

Residents were told to pack their clothes and essential belongings, and that their homes would be disinfected afterwards, according to screenshots shared on Weibo.

Last month, thousands of Covid-negative Shanghai residents were bussed to makeshift quarantine centres hundreds of kilometres away as the metropolis of 25 million doubled down on efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Weibo users expressed widespread anxiety that Beijing authorities were taking a similar approach to Shanghai, where residents have chafed under a months-long lockdown that has denied many people adequate access to food and medical care.

The Weibo hashtag “All residents of Nanxinyuan compound were dragged to quarantine” was blocked by Saturday morning.

“This is exactly the same as Shanghai, the first step is to cut off water and electricity, then demand keys… then disinfect homes. Electrical appliances, wooden furniture, clothes, food — they’re all done for,” read one comment.

Chaoyang District disease control authorities told AFP that it does not release information externally and to rely on the Beijing authorities’ Covid press conference.

Beijing authorities on Saturday extended work from home guidance to one more district, one day after halting the vast majority of public bus and subway services.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Gardening season is underway and you may have questions. For answers, turn to Ask an Expert, an online question-and-answer tool from Oregon State University’s Extension Service. OSU Extension faculty and Master Gardeners reply to queries within two business days, usually less. To ask a question, simply go to the OSU Extension website, type it in and the county where you live. Here are some questions asked by other gardeners. What’s yours?

Q: I think we have poison hemlock or a close, toxic relative on our property. Can you confirm the identification? If it is, how do we remove and dispose of it? – Linn County

A: Those do look like hemlock, which is deadly to humans and animals. You can tell the difference between cow parsley and hemlock by the purple splotches on the stems. Your pictures show the purple splotches which is the most distinctive difference on the hemlock plant.

Throw it away in the garbage, do not compost it. Only a small amount is needed to kill animals and humans. Here is a link with pictures of hemlock and the water hemlock for your review. Always handle with gloved hands and take it right to the garbage.

Do not allow it to go to seed. The seeds travel by the wind and with the abundant rain this year you will probably have it popping up everywhere.

There are other plants that do not have the purple blotches but look very similar and produce fantastic flowers for our pollinators. They put out an umbel of tiny white flowers that many of our very small pollinators, moths, butterflies and some insects love for the pollen. People confuse hemlock with cow parsley also known as wild chervil, wild carrot or Queen Anne’s Lace and many other names. – Sheryl Casteen, OSU Extension Master Gardener

Q: During this perfect (which is normally wet) spring our peach tree had an over-abundance of blossoms. Virtually all the blossoms are quickly growing into peaches and look perfectly healthy. But my wife and I noticed that we have very few leaves on the tree. I estimate that we only have approximately 20% of the leaves that this tree would normally have. Again, we probably have four times as many peaches and they are growing fast and look perfectly healthy. The tree is probably 5 years old. Do you have any suggestions or ideas? – Lane County

A: The lack of leaves is likely due to the weather. We had a relatively mild winter, followed by a cold spring. The late spring frost came after trees had budded out, and likely damaged some of the leaf buds. Other potential causes include lack of required chill hours (which should not have been an issue), or disease issues, such as bacterial canker or verticillium wilt, which can kill an entire branch.

You can check to see if the branches are still alive by gently scraping them to check that the cambium layer is still green. Just beneath the outer layer of every branch and twig is the cambium, a thin green layer. If there is no green and/or the branches are dry and break easily, the wood is dead. The best thing to do would be to prune the dead branches off.

Also look for pathogen symptoms, such as oozing cankers or blighted flowers. Light frequent applications of fertilizer and proper irrigation will give trees the best chance of recovery. – Erica Chernoh, OSU Extension horticulturist

TwinberryOSU Extension Service

Q: I noticed that my twinberry, which was planted earlier this spring, suddenly has developed discolored curly leaves. Should I treat it or remove it. If treatment is the best option, would pruning or topical insecticides work best? – Multnomah County

A: There are few diseases of Lonicera (twinberry or honeysuckle), but yellow vein would appear to be your plant’s problem. Read about it here. The now-dead leaves were probably infected by the virus and a lack of chlorophyll.

Since this is a relatively rare phenomenon, I suggest that you submit a sample to the OSU Plant Disease Clinic before you remove the plant, just to make sure.  Here is their webpage. – Kris LaMar, OSU Extension Master Gardener

These tomato starts aren’t loving the cool spring weather.OSU Extension Service

Q: What could be the cause of my heirloom tomatoes, started from seed, becoming spindly after transplanting into my raised beds. Seed was planted March 3 transplanted May 10. They were hardened off starting one week before with alternate protection into my garage. – Lane County

A: Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables grown in a home garden. They love the heat and require full sun and a long, frost-free season. Tomatoes that do not get at a minimum of at least six hours of sun per day will cause plants to be weak and spindly.

Most research suggests that tomatoes can be planted outdoors from late May through early June. This year with the unusually cool weather May 10 may have been too early to plant outside. Although time was given to hardened off your tomatoes, the soil temperature in your raised beds needed to be at least 60 degrees to prevent growing problems with tomatoes and their fruits and roots.

Here are two articles about planting tomatoes and other vegetables: Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden and Let Soil Temperature Guide You When Planting Vegetables. – Jan Gano, OSU Extension Master Gardener

HollyhockOSU Extension Service

Q: I recently planted a hollyhock start in a garden bed that was sprinkled with wildflower seeds and a tree planted by Friends of Trees (they used some soil from another dig site). I noticed a plant that looks similar, but it’s much bigger (and growing quickly). I’m worried it was a hitchhiker in the soil and want to know if I need to pull it asap. – Lane County

A: The plant does appear to be a hollyhock. Hollyhocks are considered a biennial or a short-lived perennial. They bloom for a long period of time, from June to August, and along with their colorful blooms, is one reason they make such an attractive addition to a garden.

Your “hitchhiker” hollyhock plant may have come from your wildflower seeds. Your mix may have included hollyhocks and other plants that you may not have counted on. The following article is cautionary about using wildflower seed mixtures: Wildflower Seed Mixes Include Some Wicked Bloomers. – Jan Gano, OSU Extension Master Gardener

Q: I received advice from this site about an edgeworthia I had and was told the disease was likely mosaic virus. The guidance was to remove and destroy the tree. Sad, but I did it. What should I use to disinfect my gloves and tools? Can I safely plant a new edgeworthia in this location? If not, what plants, if any, can I plant? – Multnomah County

A: You can sterilize your tools with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

The virus is transmitted on infected plant material. Provided you remove the existing plant entirely and you purchase a disease-free plant, you should be OK to replant. – Weston Miller, OSU Extension horticulturist

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ONE of the most insightful things I heard about actress Marian Rivera, and this story came from Beautéderm’s Corp. President and CEO Rhea Anicoche Tan, is when she once paid a surprise visit to the actress’ house and saw Beautéderm Home stuff like candles and diffusers in the Rivera-Dantes home.

This anecdote shows that as an endorser, Marian is someone who doesn’t just hold a product for the public to see. She really uses what she tries to sell to her fans. I also heard this from a friend who used to work for a multinational, which has a brand that Marian still endorses to this day. You will seldom see stories about how the actress is the one of the most in-demand endorsers right now, but she really is that. Marian’s endorsements are also always renewed.

The truth is, and I say this not as a fan but as a consumer, Marian Rivera can make me buy anything (if I can afford it, of course). Marian was signed on as Beautéderm’s Home’s ambassador in 2018. Recently, her contract was renewed for another 30 months.

“I usually don’t play favorites with my brand ambassadors but Marian is a favorite. She’s a close friend and someone who I consider as a family,” said Tan.

Tan said she appreciates how pro-active and involved Marian is with Beautéderm Home.

It’s a mutual admiration society.

Marian, meanwhile, recalls the time she attended a Beautéderm event in Clark and how what she saw left a good and long-lasting impression on her.

“When I got home, I told Dong [her husband, actor Dingdong Dantes] how happy the Beautéderm dealers and employees were and how Ate Rei took such good care of them.”

Beyond business, Tan and Marian share a common love for fashion and they’d usually be messaging each other when new collections drop. They also love talking about family, their kids and everything else under the sun.

Tan appreciates how thoughtful Marian is.

“She’s very sweet. She isn’t the type who’d message just because she needs something. She’s a real friend.”

The Reverie line—the name a play of words between the name of Beautéderm’s president and CEO, plus Marian’s maiden name, and the concept of the brand’s desired effect to its users—of Beautéderm Home includes Into The Woods (Bamboo Scent), Smells Like Candy (Cherry Scent), Time To Bloom (Fresh Rose Scent), Something Minty (Eucalyptus Scent), and Rest & Relaxation (Lavender Scent). The line was created, from formulation to individual packaging, in very close collaboration with Marian. In 2021, the line introduced two additional scents, namely, Matcha To Love and Take Me Away.

This year, Beautéderm Home levels-up as it introduces brand-new, essential products under the Reverie line.

Pour Tout Faire, a three-in-one multipurpose spray that deodorizes, disinfects, and protects as it is formulated to eliminate unpleasant odors, disinfect surfaces as it destroys bacteria and viruses upon contact, and protect. With its two variants—Fresh & Vibrant and Clean & Calm—Pour Tout Faire is good for sanitizing and freshening the air, and linens and all surfaces; and it may also be sprayed on the skin and on clothes while being 100 percent safe for children and pets.

Also, as a special treat to mark the partnership renewal of Beautéderm Home and Marian, Reverie is releasing a special limited-edition soy candle box set that includes three new scents, including Inviting Cherimoya, Irresistible Vanilla, and Tempting Pear and Melon.

Marian, who’s an accomplished cook, loves the Pour Tout Faire sprays for getting rid of cooking odors.

Meanwhile, here’s a short review of something I never thought I’d need:

American Crew Gray Shampoo is a product that works to minimize yellow tones that gray hair can get due to minerals in the water, impurities in the air and product buildup. Disclaimer: My hair is just around 50 percent gray or even less. Anyway, I started using this shampoo which I received as a press sample. Parts of my hair are bleached, and this shampoo works like a purple shampoo in that it helps prevent colored or bleached hair from being brassy. It’s also quite moisturizing and makes hair as soft and as shiny as it can get.

It removes yellow tones from gray hair and also eliminates dullness. If your hair is more than half gray or bleached blonde, this would work for you. Just remember to use it only twice a week or your gray or blonde hair will turn blue. I buy it from Hairmnl for P850. I also get my hair color from Hairmnl. Since the pandemic, I’ve been doing my own hair color most of the time and I realize the box colors in drugstores don’t really last long on me, so I get the Revlon Professional Color Sublime Ammonia Free Hair Color Set from Hairmnl for P895. It covers gray hair effectively and lasts longer than box colors.

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No one likes to clean the toilet. While other household tasks allow us to keep our distance from dirt and grime, scrubbing the bathroom requires getting up close and personal with one of the grossest places in the home. To make this chore easier, it’s helpful to tackle it with an efficient game plan so you can complete it quickly. If you don’t have one yet, fear not. We asked cleaning experts how to clean the toilet and keep it sparkling. Read on for their number one tip—plus, their cleaning tutorial from start to finish.

READ THIS NEXT: Never Use These Two Cleaning Supplies Together, CDC Warns.

iStock

Cleaning your toilet regularly is key to maintaining a hygienic home. “Doing so minimizes the build-up of germs and bacteria that can be detrimental to your health—especially if you’ve got small kids or immunocompromised people who live in your household,” says Diana Rodriguez-Zaba, president of Chicago-based home and business cleaning company ServiceMaster.

That said, you’ll want to clean the toilet at least once a week, suggests Rodriguez-Zaba. If you’re short on time and can’t complete an in-depth clean, simply scrub the inside of the toilet with a commercial toilet bowl cleaner for one minute and wipe down the seat and other parts of the toilet with a disinfecting wipe. This will keep your toilet nicely maintained so you never have to expend too much effort scrubbing old stains.

Shutterstock

There’s one household item that several of our cleaning experts recommended for keeping your toilet sparkling clean: hydrogen peroxide. You can use this product to disinfect your toilet in between deep cleans and for scrubbing stubborn stains.

Hydrogen peroxide is best used in between deep cleanings as a disinfectant. It’s a great alternative to bleach and kills bacteria, fungi, and viruses, according to the Cleveland Clinic. “Simply spray your toilet bowl with hydrogen peroxide and let it sit for a few minutes before flushing to maintain cleanliness and freshness,” says Leanne Stapf, chief operating officer and cleaning expert with The Cleaning Authority. Wipe with a microfiber cloth or paper towel for an instant refresh.

For tough stains, you’ll need to let things sit longer. Rodriguez-Zaba recommends adding around 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide to the toilet bowl and using a bowl brush to evenly distribute the solution around the toilet. Let the hydrogen peroxide sit for 30 minutes and then flush.

Shutterstock

For deep clean days, this method will help you get your toilet sparkling clean, says Adriana Aziz, operations manager for the home cleaning service MaidForYou. First, add 1/4 cup of borax into the toilet and swish it around using water and your toilet brush. Then, add a cup of vinegar and let the solution sit for 20 minutes.

While the solution sits, use a disinfectant spray on the other parts of your toilet. “This includes the toilet seat and cistern,” says Aziz. “Don’t forget to clean underneath the toilet seat, as this is one of the dirtiest areas of the toilet.” Once the borax and vinegar have had time to sit, use a toilet brush to scrub the inside of the bowl. Flush the toilet and it should be sparkling clean.

READ THIS NEXT: For more beauty advice delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

Shutterstock/Oleksandr Nagaiets

After you’re done scrubbing your toilet, you might be tempted to put away your supplies and get out of cleaning mode. Not so fast! Rodriguez-Zaba notes you’ll want to set your brush aside to care for it properly (and hygienically). “The biggest mistake I see is people scrubbing their bowl and putting the brush right back in its holder,” she says. “This will eventually make the brush very grimy and gross because it will be submerged in stagnant water that’s full of bacteria.” Instead, allow the brush to air dry by propping it between the toilet and toilet seat for about an hour. That way, you’ll have a sparkling clean toilet and toilet brush—so each clean can be just as effective as the last.

READ THIS NEXT: You Should Never Clean Your Toilet With This, Experts Warn.

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In light of celebrating 30 years of protecting generations, Purit welcomed and unveiled their latest Purit Mum, Nollywood actress and producer, Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi to the Purit family.

Speaking during the press conference, Managing Director, Saro LifeCare, Mrs Gbemileke Otun said:

“Over the last 30 years we have protected families, protected children and adults with the different ways you can use the Purit products…It can be used to disinfect your water, as a surface cleaner, in your laundry. It’s just complete and total protection”.

In her words, she said, “ What we say about Purit is that Purit protects what truly matters, from your family to your home. Everything that matters to you. We have a very robust portfolio for hygiene and we believe this will deliver the needs of consumers”.

In her unveiling speech, the new Purit ambassador Toyin Abraham gave a heartfelt story of how she fell in love with the brand Purit after the birth of her son, and ever since Purit became a household name in her family.

She went on to say, “One of the most important parts of my life is my family, I don’t joke with my family. My family matters and I will do everything within my power to protect them. One of the major ways I use to protect my family, especially my children, is by using Purit products to protect them from germs, diseases and sickness because it’s very gentle on the skin, hands, and the family.

She continued “Thank you so much Purit, Thank you for accepting me into the family, and I hope our partnership is going to bring a lot of goodness and goodies.”

Present also at the unveiling was the President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, Doctor Ibironke Shodeinde.

Gbemileke Otun talked about the long-standing relationship with the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria who endorsed Purit as she introduced Dr. Ibironke Shodeinde to speak.

Dr Ibironke who represented the National President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Dr Lilian Adekemi Otolorin spoke about MWAN’s role. She said, “MWAN is an NGO saddled with the responsibility of improving the health and well being of the whole populace, especially for women and children, and our motto is healing with the love of a mother.”

She went on to say “Women are role models and primary health caregivers, even girls who will become mothers in future are also health caregivers, and this is why MWAN is proud to be associated with the Purit brand and has solidly been behind Purit over the years to ensure every member of the family stays protected from disease-causing germs”.

 

Purit continues to play an important role in protecting families from germs and bacteria. It is in the light of this that, the Purit brand commemorates the 30th Anniversary with the theme “I PROTECT WHAT TRULY MATTERS.

Follow @puritnigeria and @toyin_abraham on social media as we fight germs and keep protecting what truly matters to us.

#PuritwelcomesToyinAbraham #Puritat30 #ToughonGermsMildonYou #IProtectWhatTrulyMatters

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This month, Gurls Talk – the community-led non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of adolescent girls and young women – launched a campaign inviting community members to write a letter to their pre-pandemic self.

The campaign is a way to process what we’ve endured, how we’ve changed through adversity – and who we’ve become. Here, Kara Douglas**, a writer from Northumberland who is studying Creative Writing and English Literature with the Open University, shares her letter to her pre-pandemic self…**

Dear Kara,

It is Saturday, 14th March 2020. You have just had a phone consultation with your doctor where he threw around words like ‘immune compromised’ and ‘vulnerable’. These are suddenly new slithers of your medical identity, and they sit brash and bold on the cover page of your ever-expanding hospital notes. It is decided that you are going to self-isolate. You like to think of it as a decision made against your will but honestly, you are relieved you didn’t have to make the call. The fear that the perpetual cycle of daily news instigates is beginning to penetrate and you wouldn’t want anybody to know it, but you’re scared. The suggestion of twelve weeks of quarantine feels like forever, and the reality of sixty-three would be incomprehensible.

You will slip into self-isolation like a duck that has migrated to a familiar, but small pond. The following Wednesday your mother will be sent home from work due to vulnerability too and you and your parents won’t leave the house again for some time. You should know that after the first week of learning how to disinfect packages properly and setting up zoom calls, the next three months will pass so smoothly.

You’ll develop a perfect daily routine, one that any well-established YouTube content creator would be envious of. Every hour will have structure, later you’ll realise it was all for distraction. You’ll use the time to learn new skills, watch films you have always put off and feel incredibly accomplished when you read everything ahead of time for your next literature module.

You will slip into self-isolation like a duck that has migrated to a familiar, but small pond.

You’ll learn so much about yourself in this period, and in turn, that self-security will seep into all your relationships. It’s in these times you’ll learn to appreciate the impact the people in your life have on uplifting your mental health, and the impact you have on theirs. You’ll see your friends struggle more than you are with smaller isolation time frames and sometimes you’ll resent it, but you’ll grow to understand that the grief of losing weeks of life hits everyone in different ways.

The hardest part of lockdown will be when you become unwell. Fortunately, it won’t be with Covid, but unfortunately, this will mean the threat of Covid denies you the surgical interventions you need. To this present day, you’ll still be waiting for that call that says; ‘it’s your time’. Visits to hospitals will be particularly unnerving. You’ll struggle to be heard in crucial treatment moments beneath your double masks and you’ll fear with every swelling or tender touch of skin that you’ll have to be checked into a ward, alone, and at risk of the virus. As these problems span months, you’ll begin to say you feel much better to the people who care to ask because you don’t want to bring the already sombre mood down in the group chat. You’ll regret that, denying people the opportunity to support you.

Kara Douglas

At the height of summer, restrictions will be lifted, and your friends will be back in beer gardens at comfortable distances. They’ll call you drunk, wishing you were there, and you’ll appreciate it, but the longer it goes on the more deflated you’ll feel. You’ll keep trying to find escapism in their conversations but only find irritation as you’re forced to hear about another great time your health made you miss out on. In some ways, you’ll revert to that avoidant disabled teenager that couldn’t get into the parties because of steps or couldn’t go on the girls’ holidays because of inaccessible flights and you’ll punish yourself for it.

Not only will you be isolating from Covid, but you’ll also withdraw from conversations and spend too much time in bed. It will feel as if you are slowly disintegrating from the scenes of everybody’s lives. As if you were once the main character that left with the promise of a spin-off show, only to be cancelled before the pilot even aired. To remedy this, you’ll start wearing red lipstick every day, and curling your hair or painting your nails and it’ll feel ridiculous getting dressed up to go nowhere, but you’ll realise it was all an act of self-care.

Wearing red lipstick and curling your hair will feel ridiculous but you’ll realise it was an act of self-care.

Sadness will reach its peak in 2021 when you finally get your vaccine and yet are still too afraid to go outside. You’ll feel alien in the line at the vaccine cabins as if everyone is staring at you. Which, in reality, they are, because people do stare at people in wheelchairs, but because you haven’t experienced it for a year it feels like an attack. It feels like you shouldn’t be there. You’ll go home and hide in your room for another two weeks and then you’ll wake up one day more frustrated than usual and finally, you’ll realise you’ve been ill for seven months and isolated for fourteen and you’re angry! You’re so angry that it had to be you, again! You’re angry that you can’t seem to let yourself bring it to an end! You’re so angry you go outside. Once you’re out you think you might as well get a coffee and walk through a park because fuck it, you’re already ill. That’s how it ends, or maybe how life started again.

It will take some time, but slowly you’ll begin to look back on lockdown, not as time lost but as so much time gained to discover who you are and what is important to you. Although terrifying at first, every offer to go see a film on a Sunday or to drive around your hometown listening to a new album in your best friend’s passenger seat or going to the same coffee spot to order the exact same thing, now will all feel so special. In the same breath, slow weekends at home or afternoons resting in bed alone will also feel special. Everything will become purposeful. I will be so proud of you in the end because you’ll experience so many fluctuating emotions throughout this time that you’ll finally stop making yourself feel guilty for not always feeling your best. You’ll learn that happiness, like sadness or anger, is just a feeling, not a destination. You’ll learn, through everything, to be gentle with yourself.

Some days, you’ll feel heavy again, like you did towards the end. Maybe you’ll hear someone clear their throat a little too close to you or catch a newsreader shouting on the BBC about a new aggressive variant and you’ll feel the yearning of your safe and comfortable bed, but the next day you’ll get out of it again. You’ll go outside, and you’ll notice a stranger staring and it won’t make you feel vulnerable, it will make you feel seen.

All my love, Kara

Follow Kara on Instagram @karajadedouglas

ABOUT GURLS TALK

Gurls Talk is a community-led non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of adolescent girls and young women. Following Adwoa Aboah’s personal experience with mental health, Gurls Talk was formed with the goal of creating safe spaces – both on and offline – where gurls can access mental health resources, share their experiences and support each other so they never feel alone or have to reach a breaking point. To help support their work donate here.

WANT TO WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER?

CHOOSE A DATE Identify a specific day before the pandemic (for example the first day of quarantine or the last ‘normal’ event) and write a letter to be received on that day.

ADDRESS THE LETTER TO YOURSELF and write it as you would a real letter. It can help to physically write the letter.

USE THESE PROMPTS

Honour the challenge: I want you to know the first three months will be… Days will begin to feel… You will lose… The hardest part will be…

Reflect on how you’ve changed: You will learn to appreciate… Moments of peace will be found through…

Celebrate your resilience: Care for you now looks like… Even though bad days will continue, you must remember… With time, you will recognise that quarantine brought meaning to…

WRITE / RECORD Once you have written your letter, record a short video (30-60seconds) reading it out loud or post a caption with the written letter

PUBLISH + TAG Send your recording or written letter to [email protected] and post your letter on Instagram tagging @gurlstalk and using the campaign hashtag #lettertomyprepandemicself

SHARE Spread the word with friends and family to encourage them to sit down and write a letter to their pre pandemic self

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Red Cross

The summer travel season kicks off with Memorial Day weekend, and Prisma Health encourages everyone to create travel first-aid kits before heading out since even small injuries, if left untreated, can derail a vacation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 44% of Americans do not have first-aid kits even though having a well-stocked and maintained kit is essential in being prepared for accidents. 

“We all like to think that nothing bad is going to happen to us, but injuries can happen anywhere at any time and to anybody,” said Dr. Nathaniel Mann, a Prisma Health emergency medicine physician who is also fellowship-trained in wilderness medicine. “Being adequately prepared by having all vital medical products in one accessible location may reduce the severity of an injury, save your vacation or even help save a life.”

He suggested that people create their own kits instead of buying pre-packaged ones. Augment your kit with items specific to you and your family’s needs.

Mann recommended starting with these essentials:

• Stop-the-Bleed kit, to include compression dressings or a tourniquet you’ve been trained to use
• Even if you don’t have severe allergies to bees or wasps, consider carrying an EpiPen. Familiarize yourself with its use ahead of time.  
• Include something sugary like gluose tablets or even gummy candies to treat episodes of low blood sugar
• Adhesive bandages of assorted sizes to cover minor cuts and scrapes
• Sterile gauze pads of various sizes
• Medical adhesive tape to attach gauze pads to skin around wounds
• Antiseptic wipes to disinfect wounds
• Non-latex gloves
• Pain relievers: ibuprofen (Advil), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and aspirin
• Antihistamines to relieve allergies or itching
• Dramamine or an anti-nausea medicine for motion sickness
• Consider an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection in open wounds
• Calamine lotion/hydrocortisone cream for bug bites or poison ivy
• A list of emergency phone numbers and allergies of family members

“The more remote you plan on going, the more prepared you should be to handle minor injuries by yourself. Remember that some of these medications can do double duty – for example, you may not be prone to motion sickness in a car, but Dramamine could mitigate vertigo or dizziness from an unexpected sinus infection,” said Mann.

Not every sickness or injury can or should be treated at home, said Mann. “Get as much training as you can, but trust your gut and know when to seek help.”

Prisma Health offers On Demand Video Visits for around-the-clock urgent care for everything from suspected strains, minor burns and cuts, dizziness, fever and minor head injuries. Learn more at PrismaHealth.org/VirtualCare.

For a complete list of first-aid kit supplies recommended by the American Red Cross, visit https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/anatomy-of-a-first-aid-kit.html..

 

 

 

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After two years of dodging COVID-19, Ashley Brown found herself struggling recently with some of the worst cold-like symptoms she’d ever experienced.

Then, she tested positive to COVID. 

“The first few days were awful. I had every symptom you could imagine. I couldn’t eat or sleep, was severely fatigued and had shortness of breath,” she says.

By day five she felt a slight shift in her energy levels. She missed her family and friends while she was isolating in her apartment alone and it made her determined to get better and back to normal.

“I opened all the windows and disinfected everything: My towels, pillows, blankets as well as the cushions in my lounge room. It was like a mini spring clean,” she says.

“I mopped the floor and wiped down all the benches, door handles and light switches in my house.

“Because my symptoms were still there by the second week, I cleaned my house again.”

Ashley hopes her mum can come over to visit soon, and so she’s taken extra precautions to clean her house given that her mum is immunocompromised.

People with compromised immunity have an increased risk of severe symptoms and treatments may be delayed if they are forced to quarantine.

“My mum has chronic diabetes and while we’ve had some medical scares in the past, she’s now at a good point where she’s learned how to manage it,” she says.

“I only have one mum and I wouldn’t forgive myself if she got really sick.”

Cleaning your house after having COVID

Research shows COVID-19 doesn’t survive long on surfaces.

Depending on where it’s found, the virus only lasts a couple of hours and in some instances a few days. To survive, it needs a “host” and the longer it’s been on that surface, the less infectious it is.

Despite this, there’s still some social anxiety around catching COVID from surfaces.

When COVID first broke out, there was plenty of advice about how to keep yourself safe. At the time, it included washing your hands, high-touch surfaces and wiping any items brought into your home.

It’s partly why cleaning product purchases rose by 50 per cent in 2020. Yet the Doherty Institute reported that 80 per cent of survey respondents did not feel they knew how to thoroughly clean their home after having COVID.

Dr Griffin says ‘in-wash’ disinfectants can be good for freshening up your home after having COVID.(Unsplash: Dan Gold)

Dr Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases specialist and microbiologist with the University of Queensland, says “deep cleans” (to remove dirt and bacteria from surfaces not cleaned regularly) aren’t as necessary anymore.

“We learned more about this virus every day from when it was first discovered,” Dr Griffin says.

“While there’s talk about deep cleans, and we saw pictures of people with fogging machines we [now know] that surface transmission has been shown to be a lot less important.”

Dr Griffin says simply wiping down surfaces with your household disinfectants will do a great job.

“What we typically recommend is just a simple wipe over of high touch surfaces like countertops and door handles [with disinfectant products].”

“If we’re trying to decontaminate our home environment, in-wash disinfectants [for clothes etc.] are useful as is simply hanging things on the line to let the sun get on them. But [it’s] not a common way of [COVID] transmission.”

Ventilation is key

The most common way to catch the coronavirus is through tiny droplets in the air passed through close contact.

Dr Griffin recommends sitting outside if you have people visit soon after your isolation period, maintaining social distancing and avoiding “high risk environments, like prolonged indoor close contact”.

“Opening windows helps dilute the amount of virus that’s around or even purchasing an air purifier with HEPA filtration will basically clean the air inside your home,” Dr Griffin says.

If you’re using your air conditioner or ducted system while infectious, opening the windows while it’s on can be helpful too.

“It can potentially [transmit through that system], although that’s not the most common method of transmission. Have the air moving [around your home] and look at opening the window, and have fans on or consider getting an air purifier so it can improve ventilation,” he says. 

With flu season just around the corner, Dr Griffin recommends having an air purifier not only to help with COVID but with influenza too.

How long should you wait to visit someone after having COVID?

Current health advice is that you are able to leave isolation seven days after you have received a positive COVID-19 result, and you no longer have symptoms.

“[The] bulk of the symptoms should resolve within that time but there are a lot of symptoms that can persist, that we don’t tend to associate with being infectious [like] fatigue and a dry cough,” Dr Griffin says.

Ashley hasn’t seen her mum for over three weeks and while she’s no longer infectious, it’s the lingering symptoms she’s worried about.

“I’ve tested negative now but wouldn’t feel comfortable inviting mum over until my symptoms are gone. Knowing I’ve thoroughly cleaned the house and my car after having COVID makes me feel a lot better,” she says.

If you’re visiting someone in an apartment block or shared housing, there’s a higher risk of spaces like lifts and hallways could be contaminated, so it’s good to take extra precautions.

“Doing your hand hygiene really well will protect those people from potentially being infected, if there are contaminated surfaces,” Dr Griffin says.

“They could also consider wearing a mask so if the air is contaminated, they’re going to reduce their chance of breathing it in.”

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Posted 6 May 20226 May 2022Fri 6 May 2022 at 3:58am, updated 10 May 202210 May 2022Tue 10 May 2022 at 4:36am

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• Business travel has changed and evolved since the pandemic started.
• There is a greater emphasis on road travel, flexibility, and health measures.
• Travel managers should choose companies that support them through changes.

Over the past two years, the scope of a corporate travel manager’s role has evolved. Now that many professionals are emerging from the crisis mode of the past two years, they’re preparing for the future of travel.

And while business travel started making a comeback in the second half of 2021, as new variants arise, companies need to account for ongoing uncertainty and evolving employee needs.

“Work and business travel are in a very different place since 2020,” said Don Moore, Senior Vice President of Global Business Sales at Enterprise Holdings, Inc. Moore’s team leverages the combined power of the Enterprise and National brands to offer customers comprehensive business rental programs.

Early in the pandemic, Moore and his team worked closely with travel managers to navigate the initial challenges that arose as travel rapidly shut down around the world. Now companies are building policies around redefined versions of business travel.

Here’s how travel managers can prepare, what they need to consider, and how the right relationships can help them navigate changes.

Get ready to provide cars as transportation

One of the greatest impacts of the past two years is that many travelers are choosing to drive instead of fly. Overall, driving activity in the corporate sector was up 30% in 2021 from the pre-pandemic average, according to a business travel trends report by Motus. Moore has seen this trend firsthand in corporate rental data and from customer feedback.

“A number of customers who used to take short flights between cities like St. Louis and Chicago are now opting to drive instead,” Moore said, adding that people have become more comfortable driving to avoid the airport.

“Customers now are getting used to driving to destinations. When they rent a car instead of flying, they have more flexibility and control over their trip,” he said. “I think this preference will continue.”

Travel managers can adapt to this shift to more regional ground travel by working with a business rental program so employees can easily pick up rental cars. Enterprise has over 9,500 locations in nearly 90 countries and territories across the globe, making it convenient and cost effective to pick up a rental anywhere – whether it’s near home, the office, the airport, or a client.

Supporting how employees want to travel

Since early 2020, one of the biggest business travel concerns has been safety. In a business travel survey by BTN Group, sponsored by Enterprise and National, 82% of corporate travel decision-makers said traveler well-being would be more of a priority in 2022.

Employers and business travelers want to know that rental car companies they work with are concerned with safety and cleanliness. Enterprise is a member of the Clorox™ Safer Today Alliance™, a coalition to help create healthy shared spaces now and into the future. In addition to thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting cars between rentals, a one-count Clorox® Disinfecting Wipe for use on high-touch, hard, non-porous surfaces is provided in every rental vehicle in the US and Canada.

Plus, picking up the car can be a low-contact, frictionless experience. Emerald Club loyalty members can bypass the rental counter altogether and pick up their reserved car directly.

In case of an emergency, account managers can also provide travel managers extra support and leverage their vast network of locations to help with anything from a flat tire to sending an extra car. Moore said that’s a benefit of working with a business rental program. 

Rethinking travel policies around employee expectations 

The definition of travel is changing, too. Flexibility in travel is now a top priority, according to the Motus study. This also translates to the workplace. Many white collar workers who have been working remotely want to continue doing so or move to a hybrid model. A study by McKinsey in July reported that over 60% of respondents want to work from home at least two days a week. 

Companies and travel managers will need to think about how this new model of work impacts what counts as corporate travel. For example, if an employee lives two hours from the office and comes in twice a week, is that a corporate travel expense? If an employee travels from home instead of from the office to a client meeting, do they use their personal car or a rental car?

Besides the desire for flexible work, employees have other expectations that impact travel policies. They expect their employer to put people first and support sustainability, according to an article about macro business travel trends. That may impact how travel decisions are made, especially if clients are involved.

There is not a one-size-fits-all answer to these changes, but a transportation company with knowledge of the latest travel trends and access to a network of mobility solutions can help. Moore added that Enterprise and National account managers can be that consultant to help travel managers make decisions and build a program that works for them.

“Our team of account managers has conversations every day with clients about the evolution of travel,” Moore said. “Transportation is one piece of the equation. We’re here to work through short and long-term solutions.”

Learn more about how your company can benefit from the Business Rental Program offered through the Combined Power of Enterprise and National.

This post was created by Insider Studios with Enterprise and National.

 

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