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What Does Clean Really Mean?
March 15, 2018
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
-Mother Teresa

"In essence, the battle about health boils down to sterility versus sterility – sterility in the germ-free sense, non-sterile in the sensory and aesthetic sense," wrote Jim Greenman in the popular book, Caring Spaces, Learning Places, recently revised by Mike Lindstrom. "Warmth and security for a young child come in part from a familiar home-like setting, physical contact with other bodies, and softness...definitely not a sterile experience. This sounds inviting. It also sounds germ ridden and very unsterile in a cleanliness sense...

"The environmental resolution to avoid sterility in a human sense and maintain sterility in a healthy sense is to recognize that clean and sanitary are not the same thing, even though we often act as if they are. Generally, a parent's first criterion for a children's program is cleanliness, but there is a difference between the 'unclean' of sand, water, and play dough in use and the 'unclean' of sloppy kitchen or bathroom clean up. Programs need to understand and articulate the distinction between the two."





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Comments (2)

Displaying All 2 Comments
Exchange Press · March 16, 2018
Exchange Press
Lincoln, NE, United States


Thank you so much for your important comment. The point that Jim Greenman was trying to make is that we do not want perfectly sterile environments for our children and we want parents to understand that certain things that might seem unclean are actually good for children to be exposed to, and, as you say, are indeed critical to their well being. However, we see how his play on words using the word sterile was actually misleading. I'm so glad you called this to our attention so we can be more thoughtful and precise with our wording in the future. We are very much in agreement with what you wrote, and are grateful that you took the time to help in this way.

Carolyn Willmer MS MPH · March 15, 2018
Cityof Phoenix Head Start
City , AZ, United States


Please be careful about the information you provide on health issues. Children should not be raised in a medically sterile environment, and there is a difference between clean and sterile. Doctor/scientists now recognize the "microbiome" - the germs that live on us and in us, as being critical to our wellbeing. In addition, studies have proven over and over again that children who are exposed to germs (such as children who live on farms and have lots of contact with livestock and crops) are HEALTHIER than children who live in more sterile environments. They have significantly reduced rates of asthma! So having germs around to challenge our immune system can be beneficial. Finally, in our quest to create germ-free environments for our children, instead of just washing with soap and water, we're exposing children to many potentially harmful chemicals. We don't understand the long-term consequences of exposure to hundreds of different chemicals, which are measurable in every person in the USA. I can back all of this up with documentation, if you're interested. You do have a responsibility to provide accurate information.



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