Re: To rinse, or not to rinse?

[Guest guest]

Thad,

It could also be that some baby's heads are ultrasensitive to the alcohol.

To rinse, or not to rinse?

I note the Hanger site, too, advises rinsing after the alcohol. I assume that means, with water? That's not what I got from STARband, so it seems there is some discrepancy between the two.IMHO, it is counterintuitive to re-introduce water, the foundation of microbial life, after having largely displaced it with alcohol. Between the rinse and the helmet drying, it seems likely that something from the towel or the water itself would start colonizing the helmet. Disinfectant alcohol, followed directly by the more rapid air-drying it causes, is a relentless assault on all microorganisms.If the helmet is allowed to dry, either way, there should be no liquid residue to consider. Alcohol might be more chemically reactive with the Hanger helmet than the STARband, but I doubt that. I speculate that Hanger believes the cleaning effect of the rinse, removing detritus from the microenvironment, is more beneficial than any lost gains in disinfection.But I believe that by using a generous amount of alcohol, making the helmet wet, brushing the helmet, and toweling with a well-wrung, damp microfiber cleaning cloth, I can both remove all the crud and disinfect to the max. The key is to apply the alcohol with a spray bottle, minimizing waste.-- Thad LaundervilleMontpelier, VTClara age 20 months, 4 months in STARbandOn Dec 13, 2009, at 12:42 AM, stacyolagundoye wrote:> woops, sorry, is assumed that everyone knows to clean with rubbing > alcohol. i should have made that step 4. we were advised to clean > the band with shampoo first, rinse thoroughly, and then clean with > rubbing alcohol and rinse thoroughly. Works amazingly well for us.>> >>>> le ->>>> I'm not sure what type of band you have but all of the major >> brands (Hanger,>> Star, Doc) specifically recommend cleaning the band with rubbing >> alcohol.>> Do not use shampoo or water on them. The liners of the band are >> porous so>> any water or other cleaning solution will get absorbed into it. >> It might>> feel dry but it really isn't and then the water will slowly eek >> back out and>> cause skin problems with the moisture sealing against skin. Worse >> yet, skin>> irritations can develop from baking soda, Clorox, dial soap, etc. >> that the>> sensitive skin of some infants just can't take. Rubbing Alcohol >> evaporates>> and won't irritate the skin.>>>> Molly>> Novato, California>> Nicolas, 4, tort & plagio, STARband (CIRS Oakland) 4/24/06-9/12/06,>> Graduate!>> , 6.5>> , 10

[Guest guest]

I was wrong about the liquid residue. Check this out, particularly

the second reply:

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem07/chem07023.htm

Since the days have gotten shorter, and our window sills are

inaccessible, I have been leaving Clara's STARband to dry atop one of

two inverted light fixtures we have in the house that contain compact

fluorescent bulbs. (Makes a great lampshade.) I was doing it for

the sanitizing effect of the light, but it is a bit warmer than room

temperature there, and I bet the radiation itself improves evaporation.

--

Thad

On Dec 13, 2009, at 1:55 PM, wrote:

> It could also be that some baby's heads are ultrasensitive to the

> alcohol.

On December 13, 2009, at 12:14 PM, Thad Launderville wrote:

>> If the helmet is allowed to dry, either way, there should be no

>> liquid residue to consider.

[Guest guest]

My son has a Hanger helmet, and we were told to use only alcohol to clean it and nothing else. I did ask about if concern if it gets wet from rain and she said it doesn't matter if it gets wet, that it's a closed foam or something that its Ok if gets wet, but was never told to rinse it. I will ask about that at the next visit. That is good advice about the spray bottle. I have been pouring it in the helmet and scrubbing with a wash cloth/and soft brush, but not actually drying it out, thinking it would be good to let the alcohol evap on its own(kill the smell better?) do most people then dry it out, how long do you think till its dry, since we are not leaving it off an entire hour at bedtime, more like 30 minutes.

le

mom to 6 mos> woops, sorry, is assumed that everyone knows to clean with rubbing > alcohol. i should have made that step 4. we were advised to clean > the band with shampoo first, rinse thoroughly, and then clean with > rubbing alcohol and rinse thoroughly. Works amazingly well for us.>> >>>> le ->>>> I'm not sure what type of band you have but all of the major >> brands (Hanger,>> Star, Doc) specifically recommend cleaning the band with rubbing >> alcohol.>> Do not use shampoo or water on them. The liners of the band are >> porous so>> any water or other cleaning solution will get absorbed into it. >> It might>> feel dry but it really isn't and then the water will slowly eek >> back out and>> cause skin problems with the moisture sealing against skin. Worse >> yet, skin>> irritations can develop from baking soda, Clorox, dial soap, etc. >> that the>> sensitive skin of some infants just can't take. Rubbing

Alcohol >> evaporates>> and won't irritate the skin.>>>> Molly>> Novato, California>> Nicolas, 4, tort & plagio, STARband (CIRS Oakland) 4/24/06-9/12/ 06,>> Graduate!>> , 6.5>> , 10

[Guest guest]

we always used alcohol, scrubbed with a washcloth, never rinsed, alcohol is safe for the skin anyway and it evaporates away

On Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 12:14 PM, Thad Launderville <p38thadl@...> wrote:

 

I note the Hanger site, too, advises rinsing after the alcohol. I assume that means, with water? That's not what I got from STARband, so it seems there is some discrepancy between the two.IMHO, it is counterintuitive to re-introduce water, the foundation of

microbial life, after having largely displaced it with alcohol. Between the rinse and the helmet drying, it seems likely that something from the towel or the water itself would start colonizing the helmet. Disinfectant alcohol, followed directly by the more

rapid air-drying it causes, is a relentless assault on all microorganisms.If the helmet is allowed to dry, either way, there should be no liquid residue to consider. Alcohol might be more chemically reactive with the Hanger helmet than the STARband, but I doubt that.

I speculate that Hanger believes the cleaning effect of the rinse, removing detritus from the microenvironment, is more beneficial than any lost gains in disinfection.But I believe that by using a generous amount of alcohol, making the

helmet wet, brushing the helmet, and toweling with a well-wrung, damp microfiber cleaning cloth, I can both remove all the crud and disinfect to the max. The key is to apply the alcohol with a spray bottle, minimizing waste.

-- Thad LaundervilleMontpelier, VTClara age 20 months, 4 months in STARbandOn Dec 13, 2009, at 12:42 AM, stacyolagundoye wrote:> woops, sorry, is assumed that everyone knows to clean with rubbing

> alcohol. i should have made that step 4. we were advised to clean > the band with shampoo first, rinse thoroughly, and then clean with > rubbing alcohol and rinse thoroughly. Works amazingly well for us.

>> >>>> le ->>

>> I'm not sure what type of band you have but all of the major >> brands (Hanger,>> Star, Doc) specifically recommend cleaning the band with rubbing >> alcohol.>> Do not use shampoo or water on them. The liners of the band are

>> porous so>> any water or other cleaning solution will get absorbed into it. >> It might>> feel dry but it really isn't and then the water will slowly eek >> back out and

>> cause skin problems with the moisture sealing against skin. Worse >> yet, skin>> irritations can develop from baking soda, Clorox, dial soap, etc. >> that the>> sensitive skin of some infants just can't take. Rubbing Alcohol

>> evaporates>> and won't irritate the skin.>>>> Molly>> Novato, California>> Nicolas, 4, tort & plagio, STARband (CIRS Oakland) 4/24/06-9/12/06,>> Graduate!

>> , 6.5>> , 10

-- -mommy to Emma, Becca, , and A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.  ~Author Unknown

[Guest guest]

We never dried ours either, we let it air dry

On 12/13/09, mylameoww@... <mylameoww@...> wrote:

> My son has a Hanger helmet, and we were told to use only alcohol to clean it

> and nothing else.  I did ask about if concern if it gets wet from rain and

> she said it doesn't matter if it gets wet, that it's a closed foam or

> something that its Ok if gets wet, but was never told to rinse it.  I will

> ask about that at the next visit.  That is good advice about the spray

> bottle.  I have been pouring it in the helmet and scrubbing with a wash

> cloth/and soft brush, but not actually drying it out, thinking it would be

> good to let the alcohol evap on its own(kill the smell better?) do most

> people then dry it out, how long do you think till its dry, since we are not

> leaving it off an entire hour at bedtime, more like 30 minutes.

> le

> mom to 6 mos

>

>

>

>> woops, sorry, is assumed that everyone knows to clean with rubbing

>> alcohol. i should have made that step 4. we were advised to clean

>> the band with shampoo first, rinse thoroughly, and then clean with

>> rubbing alcohol and rinse thoroughly. Works amazingly well for us.

>>

>>

>>>

>>> le -

>>>

>>> I'm not sure what type of band you have but all of the major

>>> brands (Hanger,

>>> Star, Doc) specifically recommend cleaning the band with rubbing

>>> alcohol.

>>> Do not use shampoo or water on them. The liners of the band are

>>> porous so

>>> any water or other cleaning solution will get absorbed into it.

>>> It might

>>> feel dry but it really isn't and then the water will slowly eek

>>> back out and

>>> cause skin problems with the moisture sealing against skin. Worse

>>> yet, skin

>>> irritations can develop from baking soda, Clorox, dial soap, etc.

>>> that the

>>> sensitive skin of some infants just can't take. Rubbing Alcohol

>>> evaporates

>>> and won't irritate the skin.

>>>

>>> Molly

>>> Novato, California

>>> Nicolas, 4, tort & plagio, STARband (CIRS Oakland) 4/24/06-9/12/ 06,

>>> Graduate!

>>> , 6.5

>>> , 10

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

--

Sent from my mobile device

-mommy to Emma, Becca, ,

and

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his

hands are empty. ~Author Unknown

[Guest guest]

here's what works for our hanger band, per our orthosits' instructions

(roseville, ca):

- rinse with warm water

- wash with CA baby shampoo, rinse thoroughly

- wash with alcohol (i put it in a dish brush where you pour it into the

handle), rinse very thoroughly

- air dry (we put it directly in front of a plug in fan), let dry for 45 min.

best,

stacy

mom to alena, 9 mos old

11 weeks in hanger band

sac, ca

> >>>

> >>> le -

> >>>

> >>> I'm not sure what type of band you have but all of the major

> >>> brands (Hanger,

> >>> Star, Doc) specifically recommend cleaning the band with rubbing

> >>> alcohol.

> >>> Do not use shampoo or water on them. The liners of the band are

> >>> porous so

> >>> any water or other cleaning solution will get absorbed into it.

> >>> It might

> >>> feel dry but it really isn't and then the water will slowly eek

> >>> back out and

> >>> cause skin problems with the moisture sealing against skin. Worse

> >>> yet, skin

> >>> irritations can develop from baking soda, Clorox, dial soap, etc.

> >>> that the

> >>> sensitive skin of some infants just can't take. Rubbing Alcohol

> >>> evaporates

> >>> and won't irritate the skin.

> >>>

> >>> Molly

> >>> Novato, California

> >>> Nicolas, 4, tort & plagio, STARband (CIRS Oakland) 4/24/06-9/12/ 06,

> >>> Graduate!

> >>> , 6.5

> >>> , 10

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

> --

> Sent from my mobile device

>

> -mommy to Emma, Becca, ,

> and

>

> A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his

> hands are empty. ~Author Unknown

>