A new word has entered the lexicon; anti-bacterial, and with it thousands of germ-killing products,
from hand gel and kitchenware to mouse mats and even children's toys.
I'm heading to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to find out whether these products really are better at keeping us clean.
Director of the school's hygiene centre, Dr Val Curtis, has offered to show me what happens to the germs on my skin.