Is your finger on the pulse of places in your home where germs love to lurk? You don’t have to be a complete neat freak in order to keep your family healthy — just be aware of where everyone puts their hands. A good rule of thumb when cleaning is to give a hand to those areas that see a lot of hands — doorknobs, light switches, keyboards, telephones, remote controls, faucets, toilet handles and the like. Other hot spots include sink basins, showers and toothbrush holders. Cold and flu season always means more germs, especially when the family is exposed to infected people at work or school. Minimize your family’s risk of getting sick by being vigilant about germ exposure. A simple bleach and water mixture goes a long way in killing the most common germs that sicken people, like influenza, rotavirus (diarrhea), rhinovirus (common cold), salmonella and E. coli. A disinfectant spray such as Lysol can help quickly freshen up those nonporous surfaces, like handles and faucets. And encourage your family to use a disinfecting wipe every time they use the bathroom to get those surfaces even cleaner. In the bathroom, keep everyone’s toothbrushes as far away from the toilet as possible to avoid cross contamination. Keep toothbrushes separate as well to keep germs from sickening everyone. Use individual towels or guest towels, or at the very least, be sure that the towel on which everyone dries their hands is replaced often. Wash linens and underwear separately in a hot-water wash, followed by drying on high heat to kill germs. Pay special attention to kitchen items, such as sponges, which have been deemed one of the germiest items in people’s homes. Place in the microwave for a few seconds to disinfect, and replace often. Use that bleach and water solution every other day to disinfect the sink and surfaces around it, and use it on those cutting boards, where meats and vegetables may mingle.