I prefer to use my white blood cells to keep the flu at bay. To keep them in prime disease-fighting form, I eat healthy food, get a good night's sleep, exercise reasonably, and don't stress too much.

When (and if) I wash my hands, it is usually just with water, and only for about two seconds; I wipe my hands on my pants; I touch door-handles fearlessly and shake hands with whomever; I eat food that falls on the floor, or that is well past its best-before date... And I have barely EVER had the flu, and get colds no more often (and with much less severity) than most people I know.

People I know who have always washed their hands as thoroughly as this post suggests (and who I'd say are OCD) seem to me to be ALWAYS getting sick. IMHO, bacteria and germs and your exposure to them don't have that much to do with getting sick-- you're going to be exposed to SOME of these things no matter what, even if you are successful in reducing the numbers. Having healthy-immune-system is the thing you are after.