Astral Hygiene

  Lets talk dirty.....  4th July 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus We often forget who we clean our homes for. For me it's not for the visitors who come across my door, it is for my family; and of course for myself. I'm easily annoyed by mess, and I find it harder to have clear and ordered thoughts in a very messy environment.  I find in an uncluttered environment, my thoughts flow more easily, and inspiration comes more readily than in an unordered environment. I find too much stimuli just clouds my ability to think and to compose my thoughts.  So which are the most dirty areas of your home....Lets talk dirty!  1. Dirt on the top of the cupboards........ This may sound like the last place you would look... but have you had a look on the top of your cupboards? How much dust is up there, and are there any insect corpses or anything undesirable up ther...

  Monkeypox Virus  2nd June 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus Transmission Transmission Spread of Monkeypox may occur when a person comes into close contact with an infected human or animal, or materials contaminated with the virus. Monkeypox has not been detected in animals in the UK. The virus can enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth). Person-to-person spread is uncommon, but may occur through: direct contact with Monkeypox skin lesions or scabs coughing or sneezing of an individual with a Monkeypox rash contact with clothing or linens (such as bedding or towels) used by an infected person The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced by cleaning and disinfection, or by washing clothes or domestic equipment with standard detergents and cleaning products. In the home transmission can be re...

  Why Hand Washing Is So Important... Why is hand washing so important? Does it really have such an impact on your health?  10th March 2022  | By Rhea Crosbie   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Coronovirus 80% of known diseases are passed on through hands and touch alone; hands are the main culprit for spreading bacteria and this is why hand washing is a useful habit to encourage from an early age. In this blog, I want to give you all a clear understanding of hand hygiene and, in detail, explain how not washing your hands correctly can be extremely dangerous. Surprisingly, what people believe to be a simple task, if not done properly, can be life threatening.   Four of the most common ways bacteria is spread is: From the hands, eyes, nose, and mouth to other people From hands to food From food to hands to food, through handling raw vegetables or meat for example From children to adults In all of these examples above, you...

  What is PPE – Things you need to know  1st March 2022  | By Rhea Crosbie   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus Personal Protective Equipment, also known as PPE has become crucial over the last few years due to COVID-19, to the point where it is now used daily by almost everyone across the world, including myself. Protective equipment such as face coverings, gloves and gowns are now vital to people’s lives, even more than they were before the virus. In some workplaces across the world, it is a legal requirement to wear PPE. However, yes, it may save hundreds of thousands of lives; but some choose to ignore this out of personal choice – but why? Do people really understand how important PPE is?   There are many different types of PPE but the term usually relates to clothing, headwear, or eyewear that has been specifically made to protect an individual who may face a health risk or danger i...

What does food safe actually mean? What does Food Safe actually mean? Is it different than food grade, and in what circumstances would food grade and food safe actually be the most pertinant?  17th February 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus Yesterday, I was preparing a large pot of Minestrone Soup and this got me thinking about what food safe actually means?  I chopped all the vegetables on a chopping board, and popped them  in the pot.  Afterwards; as usual, I tidied up, put the peelings in the compost bin and sprayed down the work top with the closest sanitiser.  A quick glance at this sanitiser told me that this sanitiser wasn't food safe; and the next thing on my to do list was to prepare the chicken for BBQ chicken we were having for dinner that night.  My time here at Astral Hygiene has taught me what food safe means, how it is different t...

  What the professionals do with their blocked drains.....  8th February 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus From a customers point of view there is nothing more unappealing that going into a facility that needs more than a little maintenence. From overflowing sinks and toilets, to toilets that reek of urine due to a build up of uric acid, to damp walls and puddles one definately shouldn't be stepping in!  Winter actually magnifies the likelyhood of your drains becoming blocked, as typically your pipes become colder, meaning that kitchen oil and fat, and even body fat which will collect in your pipes solidify and block drains (bet you didn't know that)! So lets talk about each blockage and what you would use to ensure your water is free flowing. In your bathroom, showers and communal showers, sometimes; particluarly if your showers aren't maintained you will see...

  Ways to prepare your workplace for winter.....  13th January 2022  | By Anna Armstrong   |  Cleaning Tips ,  Environmental Health ,  Hygiene ,  Sustainability ,  Coronovirus It’s that time of year again. The days are shortening, temperatures are dropping, and snow is knocking at the door in many parts of the country. But this winter season will be unlike any we’ve seen before. With the COVID-19 pandemic altering how we work, convene, and communicate, it will be more important than ever to ensure your workplace is prepared for the cold months ahead. This winter season will bring new challenges for which businesses everywhere must be ready. Over the last several months, we have seen a massive shift toward remote work. Under stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines, teleworking has become the new norm. Most of us underestimate how cold the UK can get in the depths of winter, and we often neglect the small steps that make winters sa...

  REACH and Biocidal Regulations explained……  15th September 2021  | By Anna Armstrong REACH and Biocidal Regulations explained……   Chemicals and other potentially harmful substances and stringently regulated by the EU legislation in order to ensure that they are being used, safely and responsibly.    REACH (Regulation, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals)  and the  BPR (Biocidal Products Regulations)  are two of these pieces of regulations – and compliance with these regulations can be quite difficult for some small businesses – especially when you don’t have an informed distributor.  Regulations are complex and some buisnesses really do struggle with both following and understanding the rules but also compliance with them.   So what implications does  REACH  have? The REACH regulations came into force in June 2007, and is concerned with authorisation, restriction, and authorisation of chemicals. ...