Worthington Direct Explores New Anti-Microbial School Furniture for the Flu Season

October 14, 2009 --Worthington Direct (http://www.worthingtondirect.com), a supplier of school, church and early learning furniture and equipment for over 12 years has acted on the new growing trend for anti-microbial school furniture and has added some "healthy" products to their lineup. As the flu season continues, the concern about the spread of flu viruses amount school children has prompted many school furniture manufacturers to begin making anti-microbial finishes available on their furniture lines.

Jonti-Craft hand washing portable sink for the classroom.

During the week of September 27-October 3, 2009, influenza activity continued to increase in the United States. Flu activity is now widespread in 37 states. Nationwide, visits to doctors for influenza-like-illness increased over last week and are higher than expected for this time of year. In addition, flu-related hospitalizations and deaths are increasing as well, and are higher than expected.

Correll's anti-microbial blow-molded plastic folding table as extra defense against germs and bacteria. The anti-microbial compound is blended into the tabletop mold, so it will never scratch or wear off. Perfect for classrooms, cafeterias and event venues, this table has sturdy steel legs that hold up in any setting.
Also look for the adjustable height, non-folding plastic resin activity table with the same anti-microbial features.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted a situation update reminding us why germ control is important. "During the week of September 27-October 3, 2009, influenza activity continued to increase in the United States. Flu activity is now widespread in 37 states. Nationwide, visits to doctors for influenza-like-illness increased over last week and are higher than expected for this time of year. In addition, flu-related hospitalizations and deaths are increasing as well, and are higher than expected."

Hand washing is a key factor in controlling the spread of germs that are at a hands reach in every school. Worthington Direct has severalportable sinks available that make washing hands more accessible within the classroom without sending students into an unsupervised public restroom. Portable classroom sinks are also great for teachers that need to stay in the classroom yet require a clean set of hands.

How does this technology work? Anti-microbial finishes are often coatings made up of silver ions. These attack the outer cell of the microbe, break down its DNA and then mulch to prevent cell replication. Bretford, a maker of school computer tables and classroom AV carts, has also created their new Microbe Barrier Technologies that actually acts like a bed of microscopic spikes that pierces the cell walls of microbes.

Educating students, staff members and facility guests on the importance of hand washing and other healthy tips is key. Designate a bulletin board in the classroom or hallway that can be used to post helpful tips or directions to the nearest hand-washing station. Vinyl covered tack boards are ideal as they can be easily wiped down with disinfectants and other cleaning products.
Guests can also find a germ-free refuge when you provide anti-microbial vinyl stack chairs for you lobby, waiting room or office.

NPS Stages with Free Shipping!

Working a play, musical or talent show? Need stages and have a small budget? Well, you're in luck with the latest promotion from Worthington Direct. Order $800 worth of any NPS brand Stage, Riser or staging accessories and the shipping is FREE!

Choose from hardboard or carpeted portable stages or straight and tapered risers. Create your ideal stage with this modular units that are easy to set up and built strong to last. Also included in the free shipping promotion is the Transport folding riser that can be assembled with just one person. Simply fold out to use and then fold back up for easy storage and transport.

Don't forget the accessories! There are guardrails in various sizes for the perimeter of stages and the backs of riser and also steps to access taller stages.

Fall concerts and evening plays are just around the corner, so take advantage of this great deal on free shipping. Standard tailgate delivery only. Offer ends 10/31/2009.

Church Chairs Ready for the Holidays

Worthington Direct has just posted a new blog entry about overflow seating and planning additional seating for the holidays. Churches often end up buying folding chairs at the last minute, but with these tips churches can order pew style seating that match the color of their existing pews or church furniture arrangement and have them ready for events like banquets, children's church theater, auditoriums, lectures and more.

School Furniture Straight from the Warehouse to your Schoolhouse

Worthington Direct is a great resource for teachers and school administrators that find themselves needing classroom furniture before the tardy bell rings. Many times there are more students that enroll than there were originally planned and the Quick Ship program is just the thing for last minute furniture purchases. All classroom furniture essentials can be easily found by visiting their online store or by browsing through one of their 3 color catalogs that are free upon request.

One of the most essential classroom needs is a chair. Everyone needs a place to sit and Worthington Direct has plenty of chairs to choose from. Student stack chairs in all sorts of styles and colors are available in a range of sizes that can accommodate toddlers all the way up to college students. Teachers will also find many comfortable chairs; from traditional padded office chairs to super sleek stools that can stand above the crowd. While there are an endless array of chairs to choose from, Worthington Direct has conveniently grouped the fastest shipping of these classroom chairs into their School Chairs, Stools and Folding Chairs Quick Ship section.

Now that you have a seat, how about a nice desk or a table with a great work surface? Open front desks, combination chair desks and classroom activity tables can all be found within the Worthington Direct Quick Ship Desk category. Several laminate options are available, but the Medium Oak color can ship in 24 hours or less.

Worthington Direct welcomes purchase orders from all public schools and offers simple credit applications for other institutions that would like to open a credit account. Visit their website for freight quotes, helpful tips or to chat live with a customer specialist. Full color catalogs are also available that showcase all of their school furniture, church furniture or early childhood furniture lines as well as an online Catalog PDF.

Message Board Hits Prime Time

Take a look at this screencap of a recent episode of The Office, the hit TV show starring Steve Carrell (no relation to Smith Carrell, makers of study carrels) as Michael Scott. Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) of The Office sure looks excited about something as he stands in front of a Ghent letter board. What isn't there to be excited about? His office's name is clearly displayed in the easy to read office park directory made by Ghent. Ghent makes a variety of boards, including letter boards, corkboards and combinations of the two, in durable aluminum (as shown), and timeless oak.




Ghent also makes a variety of easels, from oak-framed whiteboards to classic aluminum-framed chalkboards, suitable for any college, classroom or conference room. Looking for something more casual? Best-Rite offers their Rubber-Tak tackboards in a variety of colors, which allows quick posting by anyone in the office, without leaving ugly pinholes when the thumbtack is removed. Rubber-Tak boards come backed and framed, or can be purchased alone with an adhesive backing to create an entire wall of ideas.

Such a wide variety of ways to get your message across, how to choose what's right for you? Try contacting Worthington Direct, or visit their website at www.worthingtondirect.com for great deals on these boards and more.

Great Deals on Booktrucks for National Library Week

National Library Week is April 13th -April 19th, so go out and support your local library. In perfect time for this event, Worthington Direct is offering discount flat shipping rates for all of their Smith System booktrucks. Whether you need a new booktruck for the library with sloped or flat shelves, an Everything cart for the teacher who shares a classroom or the Gorilla Cart that hauls it all, buy from Worthington Direct and save! Order 1 or 2 book trucks and the shipping is $85, order 3 or 4 and the shipping cost is only $99!

Other great library furniture carried by Worthington Direct includes library tables, library chairs, library bookcases and library study carrels. Perhaps instead of outfitting an entire library, you want to create a reading area inside a classroom, well Worthington Direct can help their too. Browse their website at http://www.worthingtondirect.com/ for early childhood furniture that includes big book display cases, media book towers and the always fun reading train station.

The HON Company Revitalizes New York Showroom

Located in the heart of New York City, the company's Fifth Avenue location provided SmithGroup, a Chicago-based design group, with an ideal space to reflect The HON Company's core values—office furniture that is flexible, durable, and environmentally preferential.



HON’s most notable initiative, Nature Core™, takes center stage in the New York space. Designed for use inside the company’s Initiate® panel systems, Nature Core is made from an annually renewable crop, kenaf. This panel “filler” provides sustainable benefits and can improve indoor air quality when used in Initiate panel systems.

The showroom houses other products that fulfill stringent indoor air quality requirements. In addition to Initiate, more than 90% of HON’s seating line, laminate desking, and its Accomplish™ line of classroom furniture have received various levels of Indoor Advantage certification from Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). As a third-party auditor, SCS helps manufacturers, like HON, meet the highest certification of environmental and quality performance.

Other products that have a notable presence include HON’s Park Avenue Veneer line, Accomplish classroom furniture, F3TM seating with ilira® - stretch, 10500 desking series, Perpetual® Nesting tables, and TerceroTM conference tables.



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