My sons start school this year on August 31st and my daughter starts preschool on September 11th – big year with all the McClelland kids heading to school! In all honesty, they can’t wait. They’re excited to see their friends. They’re excited to kick off a new year with new teachers. They’re excited for the bus. They’re excited for a whole bunch of it, just not the homework and tests!

I love everything about the back-to-school season, too! After a long summer, I’m ready to get the kids back into a solid schedule and routine. I love prepping them and getting everything ready for the first day – backpacks, outfits, lunches, etc!

There’s just one thing about back-to-school time that I’m not so fond of… GERMS.  Oh, yes. With back-to-school time here, it’s time for the spreading of germs, too. Fortunately moms and dads can combat the germs easily with the help of household cleaning products like Lysol. I was honored and super excited to host an event with Lysol, along with Vera Sweeney in NYC with 20 bloggers called – Lysol Germ School!

We wanted to share how germs are spread and what you can do to keep a healthy home throughout the school year in a fun and engaging way! With the help of 2 experts, we had a fun-filled “school day” for bloggers to enjoy, learn and participate in.

We set-up our event in a true school setting… full class, desks, name tags, pencil cases, pads of paper and backpacks! When we kick off our event and had school in session, it was a blast to see everyone having fun with the idea and really excited to learn.

We kicked off our Lysol Germ School with germ expert, Joe Rubino a microbiologist and the Research & Development Director, Hygiene Personal Care & Surface at RB giving us all a Pop Quiz!!  Joe has both authored and co-authored over 35 peer-reviewed journal articles on antimicrobial agents, transmission of infectious agents and infection control strategies. He is a member of several trade and professional associations and is currently a member of the Global Hygiene Council, a group of the world’s top experts in hygiene and hygiene-related fields. If there’s someone to talk about germs, it’s Joe!

I’m going to be honest, here… I didn’t get them all correct! How about you??

It was really interesting kicking off with this quiz because it set the scene for the event. Some quick facts that we learned:

• Colds are NOT caused by cold and wet weather.
• A flu virus can live on a hard surface for 48 hours.
• The flu season kicks off in October and goes through the end of May.
• 22 million school days are missed each year due to the common cold.

It was really interesting learning about germs and how they spread. I’m a total science lover, so hearing about the journey of a germ and the paths that they take to spread, it was so fascinating to me.

I’m not kidding, you could hear a pin drop while Joe spoke about germs – what kinds there are and how they spread. Every blogger was tuned in, taking notes and engaged!

What I loved learning was how we can help decrease the spread of germs in classrooms and at home. With 5 kids in our family, when one gets sick, it’s like dominoes – they all go down! I’m all about doing every single thing I can to prevent the spread of germs in our house.

Tips from Lysol?

1st…

And make sure you’re disinfecting surfaces…

We ALWAYS have Lysol on hand in our house, so it was awesome to hear from a germ expert that Lysol is a product that will definitely help during the cold and flu season. Lysol Disinfectant Spray and  Lysol Disinfecting Wipes are designed to kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria on hard surfaces. Cleaning with soap and water removes dirt, however, disinfecting kills germs on surfaces, providing additional protection for your family.

And when Lysol says it kills 99.9% of Viruses and Bacteria, it’s including: Influenza A Virus (H1N1), Human Coronavirus, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1.

• Removes more than 95% of allergens (Pet Dander, Dust Mite Debris and Pollen Particles)
• Thick Strong Wipe is great for cleaning up messes.
• For use on hard surfaces all around the house, including: Counter tops, sinks, door knobs, light switches, telephones, bathtub, toilet seats, glazed ceramic tiles, cabinets, shower door, vanity tops and chrome fixtures.

I mean, that’s some pretty awesome disinfecting!

During our Lysol Germ School, we also had Dr. Jennifer Zubler, a pediatric consultant with Carter Consulting, who works with national and local organizations, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, surrounding pediatric issues. She is board certified in pediatrics and has worked in private pediatric practice for 10 years with special interests in adolescent medicine, developmental delays, learning differences and developmental disabilities.

She was amazing chatting with us about creating healthy habits in your home for your families and also answering all of our questions! She was terrific because it was wonderful to have a doctor on-hand giving it to us straight and offering very helpful advice.

The Lysol Germ School event was a success! We all want to create a healthy back to school time for our kids and Lysol is helping us create that for our families! It was fun at the end hearing everyone tell us that they learned a ton and would definitely use these tips at home that they learned!

Thank you to Lysol for allowing us to host this event, but most important – help spread awareness! Also, we’re excited to share that Lysol has partnered with Box Tops for Education as the exclusive household cleaning brand to promote healthy habits across the U.S. by providing classroom disinfecting products eligible for
Box Tops redemption. Help support your child’s school one clean surface at a time with Lysol Disinfecting Wipes and Lysol Disinfectant Spray, both eligible for Box Tops redemption.

Lysol® has partnered with the National Education Association (NEA) and National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to create the Healthy Habits Program. A cornerstone of the Healthy Habits Program is
Healthy Habits Week taking place during peak back to school season – September 19, 2016. Kick off a healthy school year by teaching your children proper hand washing and sneezing techniques to help reduce the spread of colds and the days missed due to common illnesses. Family activities on healthy habits and additional resources to use around the home during Healthy Habits Week can be found at Lysol.com/HealthyHabits.

Thank you Lysol and may we all have healthy back to school years!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with Lysol.