sanitary painting for swine flu

How is everyone changing their ways to ensure a more sanitary way as NOT to possibly pass these germs from child to child. They DO NOT have to show symptoms yet to be contagious! Any suggestions? I have quite a few kids functions coming up with approx 300 per.

It shouldn't be any different from your normal painting I would think!

Swine flu is still a flu bug similar to the others- if they have germs they will get to people one way or another and there's not a whole lot extra you can do.

My usual is 1 clean 1/2sponge (or 1 end of 1 1/2 sponge) per face so as not to pass on snot etc. I also won't paint anyone obviously ill.

In HK people getting/with colds/ flu wear face masks - all the newsagents etc sell them - but a Dr mate of mine pointed out they are fair;ly useless as any material fine enough to stop a bacteria/ virus getting through would not be easy to breathe through!

cat x

I have had some people say just to strictly use straight alcohol to rinse brush after it touches a face then put in water for paint. I felt this was a little extreme unless painting in a hospital ward.

and if you don't get all the alcohol off, it can irritate their skin and/or eyes.

I wash my brushes between every person, always have. I wipe off excess paint, then swish in compartment #1, then rub over bar of soap (I use Ivory) then back in compartment #1 to work the paint out, then rinse in compartment #2 and then in rinse in compartment #3, then dip and swish violently in container of 70% isopropyl alcohol to saturate, then I place the brush in the holes around the edges of my water tub to air dry completely before I can re-use.

Once the brush is dry the alcohol is gone.

The alternative is to use a commercial brush cleaner/sanitizer but they are too expensive, and, don't work well to get the face paint out - I've experimented with Parian Spirit and it does not remove the paint from the brush (works fantastic for oil based products but NOT water based.) I use the Parian to clean my make-up brushes when doing regular make-up.