I would not wash my dishes in the bathtub -- at least not without
disinfecting it carefully (including the drain).
 One reason why hospitals are such dangerous places (in terms of stubborn
pathogens) is that infection control is irregularly practiced.  I continue
to be surprised at how many hospital pumps are crusty with secretions in
spite of information (for a good review consult Riordan and Auerbach) about
how many pathogens can be grown from cultures taken from the surfaces of
these pumps.

 A simple solution to the washing-up question is to have the mother use a
plastic tub for washing up (not directly in the sink) that is designated
solely for this purpose.  As people who are supposed to practice according
to evidence, we are required to read the infection control literature as
well.  A useful new article is:

D'Amico CJ, DiNardo CA, Krystofiak S:   Preventing contamination of breast
pump kit attachments in the NICU, J Perinat Neonatal Nurs. 2003
Apr-Jun;17(2):150-7.

Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Premature infants are at higher risk of infection because of their
immature physiological status as well as environmental factors. The 2
principle sources of newborn infection are the nursery environment and
the mother. There is limited information available regarding appropriate
cleaning of breast pump attachments to minimize the risk of infection.
The following article describes one hospital's efforts to minimize the
risk of infections to the infants in the neonatal intensive care unit,
that could result from ineffective cleaning of breast pump kit
attachments used in the hospital. On the basis of the findings, the
cleaning policy was revised for the neonatal intensive care unit.

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BS, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
LactNews Press
www.lactnews.com
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