Dear Mom, Dear Dad,

you all have so much to take care of, especially in these challenging times. Now it is more important than ever to pay particular attention to each other and put health first. We all carry responsibility – for ourselves, for young and old and for those who are already burdened by illness.

We at NUK take this situation very seriously and are here for you and your family. Our products are still available and our production in Germany continues without restrictions, taking into account our existing, very high hygiene standards and quality requirements. We can still be found in the NUK Online Shop as well as in drugstores and supermarkets. If you have any questions, suggestions or simply want to chat, you can reach us as usual on Facebook and Instagram, or at marketing@alj.com.sg.

Above all, we would like to say one thing: THANK YOU – to our suppliers and colleagues, to all doctors and midwives, to our partners in supermarkets and drugstores, and to you and all those who continue to care for our society and are there for each other.

We appreciate you very much and we will get through this together,

Your Team at NUK

Be There For Each Other

We collaborated with our hygiene expert Prof. Dr. Bockmühl and compiled helpful information and tips concerning your and your babies health care protection. Additionally we’d like you to keep track of official information such as WHO or your Federal Government.

Prof. Dr. Bockmühl is a professor for hygiene and microbiology at the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.

Basic Hygiene Measures

How do I cough and sneeze correctly?

The rule has always been - and not just since the corona virus - to sneeze or cough into the crook of your arm. The viruses are not likely to spread from there - unlike sneezing into your hand.

How do I wash my hands properly?

When washing your hands, it is first of all important to distribute the soap well. This works best if your hands are already wet. Don't forget to lather your fingertips and thumbs, as you use them the most! Also, work the soap in for 20-30 seconds before rinsing.

Hygiene and tips for our little ones

How can I protect my child and myself from becoming infected?

Apart from generally restricting your social contact, which we are all doing at the moment, you should keep at least 1.5 m distance from other people outside. When you are out and about, for example while shopping, it is good to make sure that after any contact with surfaces (shopping trolleys, door handles, etc.) you keep your own hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth and wash them thoroughly with soap as soon as possible.

Are all soaps equally good?

In principle, yes; there are differences between individual surfactants, but, in general, common hand soaps remove corona viruses and most other microorganisms very thoroughly.

Do I have to protect my baby or toddler in any special way from the corona virus?

Children seem to be largely spared from current infections with SARS-CoV-2, but this does not mean that they cannot carry and pass on viruses. So, according to everything we currently know, an example of a greater risk is when symptom-free children come into contact with risk groups (above all grandparents and great-grandparents).

What can I use to disinfect the soother when we are out and about?

As a rule, it is not necessary to disinfect soothers unless they have just fallen into something as unhygienic as mud! Thorough rinsing under running water is usually enough. Diseases can also be transmitted if an object is used by several people - this is not the case with a baby’s own soother. For this reason, however, cleaning soothers by licking them is taboo, because tooth decay is also an infectious disease!

Do I have to clean my child's toys with disinfectant?

Even in these times of the corona virus, normal cleaning is totally adequate; of course, toys should be cleaned with detergents that are suitable for this purpose, so that no questionable residues are left behind, as may well be the case with some disinfectant cleaners that are used in the home.

I have to use public transport/car sharing, what do I have to pay attention to (with children)?

In general, public transport carries one of the greater risks when you are out in public, because many different people come together in a relatively small space for some time. Keeping to social distancing rules and washing your own and your children's hands directly after any bus or train journey is especially important here!
In comparison, car-sharing is relatively problem-free, because only a few people share the car and do not come into direct contact with each other.
The biggest problem is certainly preventing your own children from touching their mouth, nose or eyes before they have had a chance to have their hands washed thoroughly.

General questions about hygiene and the corona virus

Where do most viruses collect (hotspots) or on which surfaces can the viruses survive? For example, at home (newspapers, pens, door handles) or in public (shopping baskets, trollies, PIN pads at checkouts).

Viruses are mainly transmitted onto surfaces via the hands, so the most critical surfaces in public places are those touched by many people. Although there are currently no known cases where the current corona virus or other corona viruses have caused infections in this way, it is theoretically possible. This is less of a problem at home, as, at present, the surfaces are only being touched by those people with whom we have close contact anyway.

How long can the viruses survive on surfaces?

It is reasonable to assume that corona viruses usually only survive for a few hours on surfaces. Although there are studies that indicate a survival time of several days, this depends strongly on the type of surface and other conditions (humidity, temperature, etc.). It is also important to know that usually there is also a sharp, initial decrease in the number of surviving viruses, so that after a longer period of time, only very few infectious virus particles are likely to be present – if any at all.

Can I spread the virus around the house with my shoes?

Theoretically yes, but from a practical point of view, the question is where the viruses would come from (nobody coughs onto the soles of their shoes) and how to become infected from viruses on the floor. So, this is not really a problem.

Can the virus stick to clothing? How can I clean clothes properly?

Viruses generally survive for a shorter time on textile surfaces than on smooth surfaces, although there is currently no good data with regard to corona viruses on textiles. Fortunately, washing easily removes enveloped viruses (which include the corona virus, but also the flu virus, for example). You should therefore frequently wash towels (especially shared hand towels), but also cleaning cloths, underwear or any textiles that could be contaminated in another way (coughing into the crook of your arm!) at 60°C with a powder laundry detergent that contains bleach.

Which areas of my home should I clean regularly and to what extent/or in any different way?

In your household, you can clean just as before. It is important, of course, not to neglect other areas of cleaning and hygiene (e.g. when handling food) because of the corona virus. If you should pay more attention to one particular area, then it should be the surfaces you touch a lot.

Does it help if I wear a face mask?

Face masks provide a certain amount of protection, especially if people who are already infected wear them in public, as this helps prevent transmission to healthy people. If you wear a mask to protect yourself, you should still remember the other precautions, so keep your distance and wash your hands! There are studies by the WHO which say that the risk of infection from protective masks can even increase because people feel supposedly safe wearing them.

NUK steam sterilisers: do commercially available sterilisers kill corona viruses?

With steam sterilisers, viruses can also be safely killed if the scheduled running time of 10 minutes is observed.

NUK bottle cleanser: does commercially available washing-up liquid also kill the corona virus? Are there washing-up liquids that are better suited for this purpose than others?

Surfaces can still be cleaned with conventional cleaners, as corona viruses are among the enveloped viruses that can be easily removed and killed with surfactants. However, it is also important to leave the cleaners on the surface long enough for them to work properly.

Does laundry detergent also kill the corona virus? What do I have to take into account when washing clothes?

For textiles to be hygienically clean when you wash them - even in times of the corona virus - we recommend a wash cycle at 40-60°C using a powder laundry detergent that contains bleach. In particular, shared towels should be washed frequently, even if there is no known case to date of viral infections spreading via textiles. When using liquid detergents, the 60°C boiling/coloured wash programme should always be used for towels, cloths or underwear, or an oxygen-based, bleaching agent should be added.