Sanitation and Safety

A few years back, I took a sanitation and safety course at my local JC. I took it because it was required to take any of the more interesting culinary classes, and I do like to cook. I passed the course with flying colors, a new respect for germs, and greater wariness for restaurants., where I see sanitation violations everywhere. And I am completely not OCD. I am the mom who picked up her daughter’s fallen binky, rinsed it off–maybe–then gave it back to my daughter. Bur what restaurants do? shudder

One of the things I was convinced to get back then was a fingernail brush–a professional quality type–one for every sink in the house. And yes, I use them. While clearing up a stack of papers, I found the instructions for them, along with the Web site where you can get more, and since they are very cheap, and because I am recycling that piece of paper. I wanted to (A) share the information with you and (B) post the information here in case I ever want to find them again.

The brush is an FB001 Fingernail Brush, and it can be gotten at http://www.retailfoodalliance.com.

Free and Easy Environmental Help

I am sure you have heard the expression “reduce, reuse, recycle.” That is a short-hand expression used by the environmentally hip to indicate the order in which you can and should act in regard to material things in order to help the environment.

• Reduce means to reduce how much you contribute to the waste stream. For example, use cloth diapers instead of disposable ones, or use a reusable steel bottle instead of buying water in plastic bottles, or buy products in bulk instead of in wasteful packaging. It also means to buy less, period. Just think of disposable anything as unacceptable (with very few exceptions), and you have a guideline that will help you a lot.
• Reuse means to take an existing item and use it again, possibly for another purpose. For example, take an old ceramic whatsit and create a planter out of it, or cut up old sheets to make napkins or curtains.
• Recycle means to take an item, crush it or melt it or whatever, then make something new out of it. For example, a lot of plastic bottles and bags are recycled into a large number of things.

There is one excellent, free way to reuse things. It is called freecycling. Here is how it works. You sign up for your local freecycling group. Then, when you have something you no longer want, something that you can’t or don’t want to sell because it isn’t likely to sell or it is too much trouble to sell, you post it as an offer on the freecycling list. Members of the freecycling group who are interested send you email, and you give it away to whomever you want.  (Thus, they are actually a freeusing group, since what they do is take existing items and reuse them, but I guess they thought freecycling sounds better.)

RFID-Blocking Wallets and Passport Holders

Newer passports and an increasing number of driver’s licenses and credit cards have an RFID chip embedded in them. Setting aside some larger concerns about privacy and safety, these chips have data on them that makes it very easy for thieves to steal your identity.

According to a video report done at the 2008 O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, a person can buy a reader for just a small sum of money that will take all the data from your RFID chip, allowing them to use your card as though it were their own.

So what to do? There are a number of choices for protecting your data. The least expensive solution is to make your own RFID-blocking wallet with duct tape and aluminum foil.

If the duct-tape-and-aluminum look is not your style, there are a several companies selling products that will do the job as well:

• DIFRWear’s leather wallets and passport holders
• Kena Kai’s collection of leather wallets and passport holders
• The Ogon aluminum wallet at Amazon.com
• Stewart/Stand’s collection of stainless-steel wallets
• Travelon’s line of ballistic nylon wallets, passport holders, and boarding pass holders

One place that sells a few of these products, sometimes for a discount. Also try Amazon.com.

None of these links get me anything, in case you are wondering; I have nothing to sell here and will not profit in any way. I am simply sharing the information.

The FURminator Really Works

I came across several Web sites that recommended a grooming aid for cats and dogs called the FURminator. I was skeptical at first, but our cats really needed something and nothing we’ve tried before has been of much use. Rakes, brushes, combs, those weird loop blade things—they all disappointed us.

I especially wanted something for my oldest cat, who is a bit stiff in her joints and thus has some trouble grooming herself, particularly in her hindquarters and the top of her back toward the nether end.  (Although Cosequin for Cats is helping her noticeably; she is more nimble and mobile and has even slimmed down a bit.) As for our long-haired cat, I wanted something that would reduce the amount of fur that he was ingesting while grooming himself. The other cats are less in need of grooming, since they spend a lot of time outdoors, which seems to help them shed more easily.

With our oldest cat before, whenever I petted her, I ended up with handfuls of fur. The best I could do to help her with this problem was to use a flea comb to pull out those loose hairs, which worked okay for her, but not so  well on our long-haired cat.

So, with some trepidation, I decided to order the FURminator, and I am so glad I did. The FURminator is to the other grooming aids we’ve tried as a Lamborghini is to a go-cart. It is a bit pricey, but is worth every penny. It has a very sturdy, comfortable handle, and it works incredibly well. Mind you, you have to pay attention to their fine-print instructions, and when they say to groom your beloved pet in an open area where it will be easy to clean up the fur, they mean every word of it.

The first time I used this tool on my oldest cat, she was a bit dubious about it—for about three seconds. Then she started to purr and knead as she felt me remove masses of loose fur from her coat. She was very cooperative. I was amazed at the results. I quickly pulled out an enormous amount of loose fur. I kept grooming her, and kept pulling out more fur than I thought was possible. Where was all that fur coming from? My poor cat!

I groomed her again two days later and got just as much fur the second time. I also groomed our long-haired cat, and although I didn’t get as much fur out of his coat, I did get a lot. For both cats, their coats look much healthier, shinier, and cleaner.

There are different sizes depending on your pet. There’s

• the cat size (which is what I am using)
• the small dog size (which the FURminator people say is recommended for small to medium-sized dogs, cats, rabbits, and ferrets)
• the medium dog size
• the large dog size
• and even one for horses

A reminder: It takes a very light and gentle touch. Be sure to read the instructions, or you might hurt your pet. Also, this tool is NOT recommended for certain breeds of dogs and cats. Be sure to see the FAQs at the FURminator Web site for the lists of recommended and not-recommended breeds as well as a complete set of instructions.

Legal stuff: This information is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, heal, repair, or otherwise affect your pet’s health in any way.

A Small Corner of Peace

Late last year I was in a room with a very large lamp made of Himalayan salt. The lamp had a soft, peaceful glow that seemed to emanate on more than the visible spectrum. I felt calm, safe, unhurried, and peaceful in that room. Intrigued, I looked into the subject.

If various sources are correct, Himalayan salt is mined in the Himalayans; its origin is from an eons-old ocean that dried up into a huge salt bed, which was then submerged under tons of earth so that it compressed into a very hard form of salt. Because the salt was laid down so long ago, it is free of modern pollutants. Because it was from an ancient ocean, it has the range of trace elements and minerals that natural sea salts have. (As a side note, normal table salt has had all but the sodium chloride removed from it and thus has very little to recommend its use.)

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