How Sanitary is Sanitary?

[drgirlfriend]

I realize I may be jumping the gun (the pd class is Wednesday) but I have issues. I have read that the manual pd must be done in a sanitary place in your home, office, etc. We just moved into a place with hardwood floors. The previous tenant wasn't terribly tidy & had a dog, so I've been freaking out about getting the place clean in general. I've never had to deal with hardwood before, so every time I look down I feel the need to get the broom out!      I've been told that that is a common reaction and that I'll get over it soon. I hope so!

I'd like to set up my boyfriend's pd supplies and manual set up in his office, but all the extra boxes are in there and, of course, the floor from hell. Would the potential dust from the boxes be a problem? Should I get an area rug? Should I mop in there frequently? Should I just hose the whole place down with bleach? Ack!!

[billybags]

First of all    drgirlfriend.do not get your knickers in a twist about dust. It is every where, no matter how clean you are. All you need is a good clean surface to put your bits and bobs and bags on. Have you got a bathroom you could use? because you do need to be near a sink. We have got a bit of Formica over the bath which we take on and off, when ever we do an exchange. Clean it and away you go. Make sure windows are closed. the biggest thing is hand washing that is a must and surface cleaning the board you are using for your exchange. I am presuming you will be doing PD 4 times a day, if that is the case it only takes about half an hour. Good luck you will soon get in to the flow of things.

[jeannea]

That's right. Hand washing is the most important. Don't run any fans while you do the connection. I use baby wipes as my surface so they're clean. But just your normal house cleaning is sufficient. You don't need to be able to lick the floors.

[drgirlfriend]

 
Ok. I think I understand and will stop freaking out. I will move my plans to the guest bathroom. Having a removable surface is a nice idea and I'll keep it in mind. And no floor licking. Got it. Thanks a ton!!

[HouseOfDialysis]

Plus, I used to do exchanges in my truck and still do while driving long distances.

[drgirlfriend]

HoD: that's awesome! I'm looking forward to the day when we know how all this works and can make it how we want it to be.

[looneytunes]

GF, my hubby has done exchanges in many places when he was on PD...airports, offices, vehicles, hotels, tents, lawnchairs, you name it.  We have a little folding portable table (about 24 x 18) that has a fiberglass type top and I used a bleach solution to clean it with, then we set up all the supplies on it's top.  Handwashing (and very throrough washing) is the most important thing you can do.  I would wash with anti-bacterial soap and then use an anti-bacterial rinse before I would touch anything.  In almost 2 years of PD, he never had peritonitis. 

Best of luck to you both.  Soon you'll be "old hands" at it.   

[JLM]

I was told during my training NOT to do an exchange in a bathroom no matter how clean it was.

[lmunchkin]

Oh my Goodness, now we are "licking the floors?"  Jeanne, you cracked me up with that one! You are a hoot!     When hubby was on CAPD he basically just made sure that table and instruments used for exchange was sterile. Handwashing is a big key!  Sometimes I would wash mine till they got really raw over time.  Mask are another very important thing when doing PD!

Just be carefully and be watchful of everything you touch!   I think you will do just fine!

lmunchkin     

[Jie]

I was told during my training NOT to do an exchange in a bathroom no matter how clean it was.

It is good to avoid them. However, sometimes, there are no choices. For example, when traveling, sometimes, a family room at an airport may be the only option for exchanges. I did it a few times.

[M3Riddler]

I realize I may be jumping the gun (the pd class is Wednesday) but I have issues. I have read that the manual pd must be done in a sanitary place in your home, office, etc. We just moved into a place with hardwood floors. The previous tenant wasn't terribly tidy & had a dog, so I've been freaking out about getting the place clean in general. I've never had to deal with hardwood before, so every time I look down I feel the need to get the broom out!      I've been told that that is a common reaction and that I'll get over it soon. I hope so!

I'd like to set up my boyfriend's pd supplies and manual set up in his office, but all the extra boxes are in there and, of course, the floor from hell. Would the potential dust from the boxes be a problem? Should I get an area rug? Should I mop in there frequently? Should I just hose the whole place down with bleach? Ack!!

Cleanliness is very important with Dialysis no matter whay method. It may sound wacky, but scrubbing down with chlorox would not be a bad idea. If you are worried about the PD boxes, just cover them with a sheet. 
If your floors are that bad, you may want to think about refinishing them, but before you bring in the equipment as refinishing is very dusty and takes a while to get rid of the dust.
You can never be too clean, but then again, you dont want to be spastic about it either. Animals are another issue. The room you treat in should be pet free. Others may disagree as they think they are part of the family, but when it comes down to your health, always go with the side of caution....

[Willis]

Another thing that has made a big difference at my house was changing to high quality furnace filters. My wife always bought the very cheapest filters that have that blue open weave filter material that you can actually see through.

Before going on home D I switched the filters to a 3M Brand fan-fold type filter. These are rated by how good a job of filtering they do. I got the highest rated filter which was 2200 I believe (I'm going from memory so could be wrong on the exact number). The downside is that these filters cost about $20 EACH instead of a few dollars like the ones from Wally World. But the difference in the dust levels are absolutely AMAZING. Highly recommended.

 

 

[drgirlfriend]

Well, since we have been to the clinic to flush his catheter, I have learned a couple things. From what I was told, JLM has it right. The bathroom is only for washing hands and draining the bag. So I'm going back to my plan of doing exchanges in his office. We'll turn off the a/c while connecting/disconnecting. Good idea about the filter, Willis! Thanks for that! We don't have pets, so that's not a big concern.

Thanks to all for your input!   

[*kana*]

When I was doing manual exchanges I always did them in my bathroom without any issues.  My clinic was ok with it and advised me to never use a public bathroom and to just go dry if I were traveling and that would be my only option.

I'm not a clean freak when it comes to my house, but I do have a tub of Clorox wipes that I use to clean my machine and area.       

[Desert Dancer]

Handwashing is like breathing around here - up to the elbows, followed by ExSept on the fistula arm.

I regularly scrub down everything with a bleach solution - inside and out - paying particular attention to anything that gets touched often.

Gloves, gloves, gloves... and if I put on my gloves and touch anything other than the needle, gloves get changed.

Masks! Don't forget the face masks. Something like 80% of the population is walking around with Staph in their noses, and you can't just hold your breath the whole time you're exchanging!

Once I'm ready to start the cannulation process, ceiling fan goes off. I second the notion of good furnace filters, and also agree with keeping pets out of the room. If you really want to be anal you can spray the air with Lysol (I don't go this far).

I don't think I'd ever do an exchange in a bathroom, though. I saw a news report years ago that showed how far and wide everything flies when you flush the toilet, even with the lid down.  Put it to you this way, it made me seriously re-think keeping my toothbrush in the bathroom at all.

Oddly enough, to address your original point, I think I would prefer wooden or linoleum floors. Carpeting or rugs just seem to me like dust and bacteria havens. Hard surfaces can be bleached!

[drgirlfriend]

Thanks everyone!

A follow-up question: those of you who don't use a disposable disinfectant wipe, how do you go about wiping stuff down? Do you use a bleach solution? If so, what strength? Towels or paper towels or what? We are ready to start home manual dialysis tomorrow and I'm not sure if I want to go the disposable route.

[The Noob]

hey girly, i had a ziplock bag i kept sterile blue chux pads in. i would put one down on the surface, just for safe measures. yes, i did the lysol thing too. you will get into a routine before long and it will be second nature.

[Desert Dancer]

Thanks everyone!

A follow-up question: those of you who don't use a disposable disinfectant wipe, how do you go about wiping stuff down? Do you use a bleach solution? If so, what strength? Towels or paper towels or what? We are ready to start home manual dialysis tomorrow and I'm not sure if I want to go the disposable route.

I keep a giant Gladware container of bleach solution and a steady supply of shop towels. As to the strength of the solution, it's probably about 20% bleach and 80% RO water - enough that's it's good and yellow. I wipe down everything inside and out before every treatment.

[drgirlfriend]

Desert Dancer - do you wash and reuse the shop towels or just a one time use?

[Desert Dancer]

Desert Dancer - do you wash and reuse the shop towels or just a one time use?

Eh, just a one time use. I know. I should think about designating some regular rags for the job. It is bleach, after all.

[drgirlfriend]

Hey, not trying to change your mind about anything. You do what works for you. I'm just cheap and have an aversion to disposable stuff - that is until I'm spending all day washing!

[*kana*]

Hey, not trying to change your mind about anything. You do what works for you. I'm just cheap and have an aversion to disposable stuff - that is until I'm spending all day washing!

If you have an aversion to disposable stuff you really are going to freak when you see how fast the trash piles up on PD.   

[drgirlfriend]

You ain't lyin', kana! Good lord!

And we ended up using Clorox wipes. The bf prefers them.

[Willis]

If you have an aversion to disposable stuff you really are going to freak when you see how fast the trash piles up on PD.   

Our city has rollout bins for recyclables and we don't have to sort anything...just toss it in. So all the boxes and outer plastic wrappers get recycled; the empty bags and tubing go into the trash.

 

[lmunchkin]

That's the way it is in our little town too, Willis!  I remember that about PD, was all the heavy boxes and loads of trash.  Not so much with the NxStage system! But anything is better than going In-center.

lmunchkin