Germ Zones

PUBLIC RESTROOMS: Use a paper towel to turn faucets. And use the end stalls; most people use the middle stalls, so those tend to be, uh, buggiest.

KIDS: Along with mud, kids also trek in loads of germs. Especially during cold-and-flu season, make it a rule that they must wash their hands the minute they walk through the door, says William Schaffner, M.D., professor and chair of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

ATMs: There's no telling whose hands have been touching that keypad after a fit of sneezes. Dr. Schachter recommends stashing a travel-size bottle of an alcohol-based hand gel like Purell in your purse.

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