Popular Soap Brand Lends Cincinnati Public Schools a Hand for Hygiene (and some freebies for kids)

Some good, clean news for a change (and local kids getting free, useful things).

Sure, the world may be in middle of a generation-altering pandemic, but that doesn't mean all the news has to be bad -- which is exactly why MyKirei by KAO decided to endow several American public school districts with the gift of good hygiene, a proper handwashing curriculum that makes hand washing fun and more effective, and absolutely adorable flower-creating hand soaps to seal the hey-hand-washing-isn't-so-bad deal for elementary school children.

The program is already rolling out at North College Hill Elementary in Cincinnati to rave reviews, and leaves kids with renewed excitement for good hygiene as well as a free bottle of smile-worthy hand soap.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

"Hand-washing prevents the spread of germs not just from person-to-person such as when children play with each other and touch each other's skin, but also in high contact locations such as a door handle," explains Heidi Goodarzi, MD, a dermatologist with a focus on children's skincare needs. "In medicine we say that children are petri dishes of germs because even in a healthy state they may be carrying bacteria and viruses. They are also always picking things off the ground, touching their mouths, noses and even other body areas. Hand-washing is so essential for kids and for them to develop healthy habits, especially during a pandemic."

The Clean Routine for Healthy Hands program, which actually started in 2009 in Japan, helps children care for themselves with proper hygiene, their society in keeping others around them safe and healthy, and their world by encouraging them to recycle and use packaging that creates less waste, and was built on the Japanese Kirei philosophy that caring for self, society and the world around you makes life more beautiful. Since then, Kao, the parent company of MyKirei soaps, has visited 3,000 schools and has plans to make it to 5,000 by the end of 2021. Schools benefitting from the program and free, eye-popping soaps that present in flower-form reach far beyond Cincinnati's borders, with participating schools spanning just about every region in the United States, all the way to Vietnam and Indonesia.

MyKirei hand soap

The six-step hand washing curriculum, brought to life by a pop-inspired custom created song, making the typically mundane act of handwashing fun and something to look forward to, is shared with teachers along with the brand's Yuzu Flower Foam Hand Wash and a UV-light germ detector box that helps students reveal germs that were missed through improper washing. It's a healthy, hearty dose of hands-on (see what we did there?) science and hygiene children won't soon forget, and an engaging way to get kids excited about participating in their own health.

"The purpose of the 20-second rule is to allow enough time to reach all the nooks and crannies of your hands," details Heidi. "Even vigorously scrubbing for five seconds won’t be enough to reach everything you need to. You want to make sure you cover your entire palm, in-between the fingers, under the nails and up to your wrist. The thumb is a really easy place to miss so don’t forget to specifically go over that area."

After each lesson, students will take home a free bottle of the brand's popular Yuzu Flower Foam Hand Wash in a reusable bottle, along with a discount code to shop for refills in the future should they decide they love the flowery, hygienic fun. Every pump of the soap leaves behind a foam flower in the palm of the user's hand, and offers a fun departure from ho-hum countertop soaps kids are used to seeing.

Follow me to see more articles like this.

...

Follow

"I really liked using this flower soap," Maya, a 7-year-old second grader told us. "The soap my mom normally gets is just plain and stinks like vegetables. This one makes a shape and is really soft and foamy and smells good. I washed my hands three times already today and [ my mom ] didn't even yell at me to do it!"

MyKirei by Kao Yuzu Flower Foam Hand Wash available on Amazon here

It's Maya's excitement that is getting educators even more eager to implement the program in their own school districts.

As part of the ongoing campaign, Kao USA and TerraCycle will hold the Clean Hands Clean World recycling contest that will award up to $5,000 in prizes, including a garden bed for their school made from recycled packaging, to the top three schools that recycle the most MyKirei by KAO refills. Schools have already been selected to be a part of the curriculum in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Cincinnati and Washington DC and selections will continue throughout the year.

Has your school been a part of the free soap and hand washing hygiene program? If so, we'd love to hear about your experience in the comments section below.