That’s the key to how infectious-disease experts rank risk: The things that feel gross and the things that actually make you sick aren't always the same. It’s an oddly freeing distinction. Sort the genuine threats from the merely unpleasant ones, and a surprising amount of everyday dread will dissipate.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, has a simple way of deciding where to focus his attention: “I respect air more than surfaces,” he says.
That doesn’t mean surfaces never matter. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cleaning food-preparation surfaces with hot, soapy water—and sanitizing those contaminated by raw meat or poultry. If someone is sick, clean frequently touched surfaces first, then apply a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered disinfectant according to its label. But a slightly dusty coffee table isn’t where Chin-Hong directs most of his energy. Improving the air typically gives you “a bigger bang for your buck,” he says.
Washing their sheets constantly
For most healthy people, bedding isn’t a major source of infectious disease. Roberts would much rather see people focus on washing their hands at important times—like before eating and after using the bathroom—and handling raw food safely.
Chin-Hong doesn’t seek out soap with an antibacterial label. “I just use plain soap, because regular soap works really well,” he says.
“It’s about habit of mind rather than using technology or fancy additives,” he says. In other words: You don’t need the bougiest bottle on the shelf. You need to remember to use the ordinary one next to the sink.
Their winter coat
Socks are a different story: They should be washed regularly because fungi thrive in warm, damp environments. The distinction illustrates how Roberts evaluates risk. Rather than treating everything we wear as equally germy, she considers where microbes are likely to grow—and whether the item could realistically help spread them.
To reduce her risk, she’s selective about where she eats them. She looks for restaurants that appear clean, have good health-department ratings, and are busy enough that ingredients aren’t sitting around for days. “I’m not gonna pick up that gas-station sushi,” she says.
Washing their reusable bags after every grocery trip
The tote bags living in your trunk are technically supposed to be washed, and almost nobody does it. Roberts is relaxed about that, within reason. "You grocery shop once a week? You probably don't need to wash them all that much," she says. However, it’s a different story if you shop daily, or if you skip the produce bags and let loose vegetables roll around in the tote. Then they've earned a trip through the laundry.
Chin-Hong doesn’t dread getting on a plane or visiting a new part of the world. “I don’t worry about travel,” he says. What does he do instead? Prepare.
That advance work is what allows him to relax once he gets there. He identifies the handful of precautions that match the destination—and doesn’t spend the trip imagining everything that could go wrong.
Following a perfect phone-cleaning routine
Yet the experts aren’t necessarily disinfecting theirs every night. Dr. Ashley Drews, medical director of infectious diseases and system epidemiologist at Houston Methodist, readily admits she doesn’t clean hers as often as recommended. “Between you and me, I’m not that good about it,” she says. “Maybe this is one of those do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do.”
Hand sanitizer isn’t a lazy or inferior choice in every situation. “A lot of people ask, ‘Well, can I just use the hand sanitizer?’” Roberts says. “And sure—they’re very effective.”
There are exceptions. Alcohol-based sanitizer doesn’t work well against norovirus, Griffin says. If someone nearby is vomiting or has diarrhea, he makes a point of washing thoroughly with soap and water. Sanitizer also isn’t ideal when your hands are visibly dirty. But for ordinary use when you’re out and about, there’s no reason to feel guilty about reaching for it.
Eliminating every possible risk
Her goal is to minimize risk, not eliminate it. That might mean choosing the reputable sushi restaurant, skipping the overcrowded hot tub, or washing her hands before eating. It doesn’t mean avoiding every food, destination, or activity that carries even a remote possibility of illness.
Chin-Hong thinks about risk as a continuum, rather than dividing the world into safe and dangerous. “I want to engage with the world,” he says. “I’m not afraid of most things. I just prioritize things different ways.”
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