Chelsie,

Bacteria and viruses live on your skin. Many of those bacteria, however, are either neutral or beneficial to you, one way or another.

At our house, we avoid antibacterial products. When we know something really needs to be disinfected, we use bleach. But when it comes to hand-washing, the best technique is a little regular soap and a lot of scrubbing. (Sing "Happy Birthday" or the ABC song to yourself while you're washing, and you'll walk away with pretty clean hands.)

You're largely immune to many of the bacteria and viruses in your own house, gross as they may be. But visitors or people with compromised immune systems might not be. So keep scrubbing!