Stay Cold Free This Winter (@prevention.com)
Every year around November, I begin getting a little more paranoid about using peoples’ phones, pens and doorknobs. Here are 6 tips from prevention.com to always keep in mind, but particularly during flu and cold season:
Flick switches with the side of your hand or wrist, which makes you less likely to pick up or pass along germs on your hands.
Make all calls on your cell to avoid getting germs from other phones.
Carry your own pen everywhere. Borrowing others’ is a prime way to pass germs.
Clean up often. Use a soapy sponge to wipe surfaces you touch frequently.
Sneeze into your elbow if you’re caught without a tissue (and teach kids to do the same). It keeps germs off your hands.
Toss all tissues promptly. Making others do it puts them at risk.
Personally, I also do the following:
- Wash my hands frequently. Every time I use the restroom, before cooking a meal, while cooking a meal any time I touch raw food – I probably wash my hands at least 8 times a day. Use warm water and soap.
- Carry alcohol-based hand-sanitizer in your pocket. Hand sanitizers are not meant to replace soap and water, but are useful for situations you can’t wash up after. Shaking hands, borrowing a pen, exiting a sick person’s house or car – these are all good situations to break out the sanitizer. You should look for alcohol-based gels based on ethanol or isopropanol of 60% or higher strength. If the bottle doesn’t display this information, look for one that does. I’m partial to gels that also include aloe or some other agent that helps prevent chapping skin.
- Eat lots of vitamin C. During the flu/cold season, I start taking 500mg or so of vitamin C a day to supplement my diet.
What are your favorite tips to prevent getting the crud?
