[Question #6304] Herpes contraction questions
69 months ago
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How long does the herpes virus live on a glass surface outside the human body?
How long after contracting herpes would you expect a first outbreak?
What kind of rubbing alcohol can kill the herpes virus?
This is our cleaning process, would this kill most transmittable diseases including herpes?
Is our cleaning process as sanitary lass sanitary or more sanitary than silverware you put in your mouth from any restuarant?
How long after contracting herpes would you expect a first outbreak?
What kind of rubbing alcohol can kill the herpes virus?
This is our cleaning process, would this kill most transmittable diseases including herpes?
Is our cleaning process as sanitary lass sanitary or more sanitary than silverware you put in your mouth from any restuarant?
1. Dedicated team members are assigned to thoroughly clean each, individual item after every rental period.
2. These team members wash hands with antibacterial soap and put on non-powdered, latex free gloves.
3. All accessories are cleaned with a 91-99% Isopropyl Alcohol solution with a ratio of salt - acting as a scrubber when mixed with the alcohol - to assure all resin is removed.
4. All accessories are then put through an Ecolab Omega 5E dishwasher to sanitize.
5. Pipe cleaners and small bristle brushes are used to clean devices, and all respective tools are disposed and/or sanitized after each use.
Thank you,
Renée Nahum
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
69 months ago
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1. That depends upon how you define "live on a glass surface". Live, like be able to recover some virus or live, like enough virus to infect another person. They are different questions, but essentially, we do not believe that the virus can live long at all on a glass surface. If someone drank from a glass when they have an obviously oozing cold sore and someone else drank within seconds from that same glass, there might be a very tiny risk.
2. Rubbing alcohol is an good sterilizer, not a perfect one but a very good one. But add salt for a scrubber and that likely increases the efficacy as well.
3. Your cleaning process is exemplary, and WAY more thorough than any restaurant process I have ever heard of. In fact, I work as a volunteer at a Meals on Wheels kitchen and their dishwashing process is no where near this complete. The herpes virus is surrounded by a lipid layer, and the function of soap and cleaning products is essentially to destroy that lipid layer. That why we tell people if you touch an active sore, just wash your hands with soap and water to a round of "happy birthday"and you have no worries. But you go way beyond that. You run it through an alcohol wipe with salt AND a dishwasher? My goodness! You ARE being very careful. I cannot imagine for a moment that herpes virus could live through even the beginning of this cleaning process. You are doing an excellent job and should have zero worries about someone contracting herpes from one of your glasses if this is your process. I don't fully understand the nuances of why you are asking me this question but if someone is claiming that they acquired HSV by using one of your glasses, they are mistaken. I would bet my 35 year herpes expert career on it.
Terri
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