Increase your odds of staying well with these strategies:

1. Wash your hands TWICE every time you wash them.
When Columbia University researchers looked for germs on volunteers' hands, they found one handwashing had little effect, even when using antibacterial soap. So wash twice if you're serious about fending off colds.

2. Use this hand-drying strategy in public restrooms.
Studies find a shockingly large percentage of people fail to wash their hands after using a public restroom. And every single one of them touches the door handle on the way out. So after washing your hands, use a paper towel to turn off the faucet. Use another paper towel to dry your hands, then open the door with that paper towel as a barrier between you and the handle. It sounds nuts, but it's an actual recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control to protect you from infectious diseases like cold and flu.

3. Carry hand sanitizer with you.
Colds are typically passed not from couching or kissing (although those are two modes of transmission) but from hand-to-hand or hand-to-object contact, since most cold viruses can live for hours on objects. You then put your hand in or near your mouth or nose, and voila! You're sick. Carry hand sanitizer gel or sanitizing towelettes with you and you can clean your hands anytime.

4. Use your knuckle to rub your eyes.
It's less likely to be contaminated with viruses than your fingertip. This is particularly important given that the eye provides a perfect entry point for germs, and the average person rubs his eyes or nose or scratches his face 20-50 times a day.

5. Run your toothbrush through the microwave on high for 10 seconds to kill germs that can cause colds and other illnesses.
Sterilize it in the microwave before you use it, or store it in hydrogen peroxide(rinse well before using), or simply replace it every month when you change the page on your calendar and after you've had a cold.