of hot water for 15 to 20 secondsand if you happen to have an alcoholbased hand sanitizer use that too prefer a more natural route check out this diy natural effective hand sanitizer quicklist 6category germiest public placestitle grocery cartsurltext the handles of almost twothirds of the shopping carts tested in a 2007 study at the university of arizona were contaminated with fecal bacteria in fact the bacterial counts of the carts exceeded those of the average public restroom swab the handle with a disinfectant wipe before grabbing hold stores are starting to provide them so look around for a dispenser and while youre wheeling around the supermarket skip the free food samples which are nothing more than communal handtogermtomouth zones 10 germ hot spots at home quicklist 7category germiest public placestitle airplane bathroomsurltext when gerba tested for microbes in the bathrooms of commercial jets he found surfaces from faucets to doorknobs to be contaminated with e coli its not surprising then that youre 100 times more likely to catch a cold when youre airborne according to a recent study in the journal of environmental health research to protect yourself try taking green tea supplements in a 2007 study from the university of florida people who took a 450milligram green tea supplement twice a day for 3 months had onethird fewer days of cold symptoms see what other supplements you need with the 100 best supplements for women quicklist 8category germiest public placestitle doctors officeurltext a doctors office is not the place to be if youre trying to avoid germs these tips can help limit your exposure 1 take your own books and magazines and kids toys if you have your children or grandchildren with you 2 pack your own tissues and hand sanitizers which should be at least 60 alcohol content 3 in the waiting room leave at least two chairs between you and the other patients to reduce your chances of picking up their bugs germ droplets from coughing and sneezing can travel about 3 feet before falling to the floor