So you are spring-cleaning and want to know how to wash a house? In fact, the FDA issued a final rule stating that antiseptic wash products (including liquid, foam, gel hand soaps, bar soaps, and body washes) labeled antibacterial“ with ingredients like triclosan will no longer be on the market since the manufacturers haven't proven the effectiveness or safety of using these ingredients over an extended period of time.

Even if you're not sick, wash your hands after blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing. Thus it is best to turn your jeans upside down and then put it in machine for washing or for drying. A sanitizer with an alcohol content of at least 60 percent is effective at killing many types of germs, says the CDC.

In terms of hygiene, paper towels are best Hand dryers are OK, so long as you dry your hands thoroughly. Rinse your hands well to remove the soap. When washing your hands, always scrub with soap for at least 20 seconds, and turn off the tap with a paper towel. A simple 20-second hand washing remains one of the best ways to keep yourself healthy and stop the spread of bacteria and viruses.

By using water, a little soap and vigorous friction for 10-15 seconds, we can almost eliminate the organisms on the hands that put patients at such terrible risk. But in the microgravity (or close to zero gravity) environment aboard the International Space Station, it's not so easy to wash your hands.

Schools and hospitals with regular hand washing programs have fewer cases of infections on students, patients and hospital staff. Not everyone washes their hands after touching pets or animals, but they should, according to Nesochi Okeke-Igbokwe , MD, a physician and health expert.

Washing hands for 20 seconds with warm water works best. But believe it or not, one study from Michigan State University found that only 5% of 3,749 people washed their hands long enough to kill germs after using the bathroom. Washing with soap and water brought bacterial counts down to about 8% of where they were before washing.