If there is one thing I could not do without in the kitchen, it would be….

Since I seem to be into lists, here is another. 

Maybe I should have set up one of those online polls for this post.  I am sure for everyone who reads this, there would be a different answer. 

The first thing that hit me was the garbage disposal.  Even though I gather most of my scrapes for my animal friends in the windbreak, it is still nice to wash the rest down the drain.

Then there is the RO water purifier.  I feel this is could be considered a luxury item.  However, this is the water that is in most bottled waters that I don’t buy.  Now that we are home all the time and need to drink more water, maybe it could be justified.

My little dish soap pump.  I use dish soap for hand soap so it’s an inexpensive way to get that little bit of soap for a pan to soak.

But, the one thing I use daily is the instant hot water for tea.  It keeps enough water hot for one large or two smaller cups of tea. We bought the first one of these on a markdown shelf years ago.  When it finally wore out, we missed it so much, we purchased another.  I think it’s one of those things that seems almost silly.  But, I do love mine. 

Germiest Places

The March Prevention magazine had an article entitled, “Germiest Public Places.”  Definitely made me wash my hands.

Starting with the least:  (7) crosswalk buttons  (6) vending machine buttons  (5) parking meters  (4) ATM buttons  (3) escalator rails  (2) sidewalk mailbox handles

And, number one most germ covered surface—gas pump handles!

And, that is just on the commute to work.

There are others, restaurant menu, condiment dispenser, soap dispenser, restroom door handle, grocery cart, lemon wedges.

More?   Search “germiest places”  on the internet.  Frightening.

There is no doubt we should be extra careful of germs.  They are getting bigger, braver and harder to knock down.  Still, I don’t always have a disinfectant bottle handy.  I’ve probably been known to eat something with my hands after putting them on a shopping cart. 

Having said that, there are two things I am very careful about.  When we travel, I wash my hands in the bathrooms and also use a disinfectant wipe when I get back in the vehicle.  If I do have a cold, I constantly wash my hands, throw away my toothbrush when I feel better, cough and sneeze into my shirt or crook of my arm.  The last place I want to be sick is when I travel.  If I am, I certainly don’t want Dan to get it too.

A habit of cleanliness which includes keeping from passing germs on to others is about all I can do.  Well, that and wipe off my cell phone with a disinfectant wipe once in a while—you don’t want to know why…