Food Preparation: Keep It Clean

The first cardinal rule of safe food preparation in the home is: Keep everything clean. The cleanliness rule applies to the areas where food is prepared and, most importantly, to the cook.

Wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before starting to prepare a meal and after handling raw meat or poultry. Cover long hair with a net or scarf, and be sure that any open sores or cuts on the hands are completely covered. If the sore or cut is infected, stay out of the kitchen.

Keep the work area clean and uncluttered. Wash countertops with a solution of 5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) of chlorine bleach to about 1 liter (1 quart) of water or with a commercial kitchen cleaning agent diluted according to product directions. They're the most effective at getting rid of bacteria.

Materials That Harbor Bacteria

Also, be sure to keep dishcloths and sponges clean because, when wet, these materials harbor bacteria and may promote their growth. Wash dishcloths and sponges weekly in hot water in the washing machine.

While you're at it, sanitize the kitchen sink drain periodically by pouring down the sink a solution of 5 milliliters of bleach to 1 liter of water or a commercial kitchen cleaning agent. Food particles get trapped in the drain and disposal and, along with moistness, create an ideal environment for bacterial growth.

Use smooth cutting boards made of hard maple or plastic and free of cracks and crevices. Avoid boards made of soft, porous materials. Wash cutting boards with hot water, soap, and a scrub brush. Then, sanitize them in an automatic dishwasher or by rinsing with a solution of 5 milliliters of chlorine bleach to about 1 liter of water.

Clean Your Utensils

Always wash and sanitize cutting boards after using them for raw foods, such as seafood or chicken, and before using them for ready-to-eat foods. Consider using one cutting board only for foods that will be cooked, such as raw fish, and another only for ready-to-eat foods, such as bread, fresh fruit, and cooked fish.

Always use clean utensils and wash them between cutting different foods.

Wash the lids of canned foods before opening to keep dirt from getting into the food. Also, clean the blade of the can opener after each use. Food processors and meat grinders should be taken apart and cleaned as soon as possible after they are used.

Do not put cooked meat on an unwashed plate or platter that has held raw meat.

Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly, rinsing in warm water. Don't use soap or other detergents. If necessary-and appropriate-use a small scrub brush to remove surface dirt.

Costly Coupon Scams

Cents-off coupons are providing big bucks for scam artists who offer business opportunity and work-at-home schemes featuring coupon certificate booklets and coupon clipping services. Using the Internet to market these so-called opportunities, fraudulent promoters are promising entrepreneurs, charity groups and consumers earnings of "hundreds per week" and "thousands per month" simply by selling coupon certificate booklets or cutting coupons at home.

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Preventing Foodborne Illness

The idea that the food on the dinner table can make someone sick may be disturbing, but there are many steps you can take to protect your families and dinner guests. It's just a matter of following basic rules of food safety.

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The Lowdown on Chain Letters

Everybody's received them - chain letters or email messages that promise a big return on a small investment. The promises include unprecedented good luck, mountains of recipes, or worse, huge financial rewards for sending as little as $5 to someone on a list or making a telephone call.

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Are Cosmetics Safe?

Serious problems from cosmetic use are rare, but sometimes problems arise with specific products. For example, FDA warned consumers about the danger of using aerosol hairspray near heat, fire, or while smoking. Until hairspray is fully dry, it can ignite and cause serious burns. Injuries and deaths have occurred from fires related to aerosol hairsprays.

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Still Paying Private Refinance Insurance?

If you put less than 20 percent down on a home refinance, lenders often require you to have Private refinance Insurance (PMI). PMI protects the lender if you default on the loan. The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 - which became effective in 1999 - establishes rules for automatic termination and borrower cancellation of PMI on home refinances.

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Home Equity Borrowers Beware!

Do you own your home? If so, it's likely to be your greatest single asset. Unfortunately, if you agree to a loan that's based on the equity you have in your home, you may be putting your most valuable asset at risk.

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Avoiding Home Equity Scams

You could lose your home and your money if you borrow from unscrupulous lenders who offer you a high-cost loan based on the equity you have in your home. Certain lenders target homeowners who are elderly or who have low incomes or credit problems—and then try to take advantage of them by using deceptive practices.

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Work-at-Home Schemes: Ask the Right Questions

You can find work-from-home ads everywhere - from the street light and telephone pole on your corner to your newspaper and PC. While you may find these ads appealing, especially if you can't work outside your home, proceed with caution. Not all work-at-home opportunities deliver on their promises.

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Avoid Email Address Harvesting

Is your in-box clogged with junk email messages from people you don't know? Are you overwhelmed by unsolicited email offering products or services you don't want? It's no wonder. According to research by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and several law enforcement partners, it's harvest time for spammers. But, the consumer protection agency says, the good news for computer users is that they can minimize the amount of spam they receive.

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A Consumer's Guide to E-Payments

The Internet has taken its place beside the telephone and television as an important part of people's lives. Consumers use the Internet to shop, bank and invest online. Most consumers use credit or debit cards to pay for online purchases, but other payment methods, like "e-wallets," are becoming more common.

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Tips For Joining a Gym

If you're looking to get in shape, a membership at a gym, fitness center, health spa, or sports club could be a good option. But joining a gym often means signing a contract, and not all contracts are the same. To avoid a problem down the road, find out more about the business and what you're committing to before you sign up. People have told the FTC about high-pressure sales tactics, misrepresentations about facilities and services, broken cancellation policies, and lost membership fees when gyms go out of business.

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Stopping Unsolicited Mail, Phone Calls, and Email

Tired of having your mailbox crammed with unsolicited mail, including preapproved credit card applications? Fed up with getting telemarketing calls just as you're sitting down to dinner? Fuming that your email inbox is chock-full of unsolicited advertising? The good news is that you can cut down on the number of unsolicited mailings, calls, and emails you receive by learning where to go to "just say no."

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Generic Drugs and Low-Cost Prescriptions

Generic drugs have the same active ingredients as the brand-name drugs they’re based on. They cost 20 percent to 70 percent less, according to estimates from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If you want to make sure you’re getting generics when possible, talk to your doctor and pharmacist. You can ask your doctor to write a prescription allowing a generic drug product when it’s appropriate.

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Guide to Buying a Hearing Aid

There have been many technological advances in hearing aids in recent years, and finding the right one for your lifestyle and budget can make a big difference if you’re coping with hearing loss. Before you buy a hearing aid, it’s important to understand the various types of hearing loss and what to consider when you’re shopping, so you get the product that’s most appropriate for your particular kind of hearing loss, your lifestyle, and your budget.

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Medicare Part D Solicitations

Unfortunately, not everyone who contacts you about Medicare Part D has the best intentions. Scam artists also follow the headlines, and they are reportedly contacting eligible people claiming to represent a Medicare Part D provider. All they really want is your personal information, like your Social Security number or your checking or credit card account numbers, which they use to try to commit financial fraud.

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Buying Health Products and Services Online

The Internet is convenient for comparing prescription drug prices, researching health products and services, and preparing for your next medical appointment. Use these tips to be smart and safe when researching health products and services online.

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Anti-Aging Products

Some modern marketers of pills and sprays claim to have found a Fountain of Youth in a substance called HGH – Human Growth Hormone. But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, says a closer look at these non-prescription products suggests that they may be nothing more than hype.

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Indoor Tanning

Ads for tanning salons and tanning systems promise a bronzed body year-round, but experts agree that ultraviolet (UV) radiation from these devices damages the skin and poses serious health risks. Sunburns and tans are signs of skin damage. Deliberate tanning, either indoors or out, increases your risk of skin cancer.

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