Your coworker is coughing. The guy behind you in the checkout line is sneezing. And the kids have the sniffles again. Is there any hope you won’t catch their bugs?

“No single factor is going to make the difference in whether or not you get sick,” says Glen Stream, M.D., of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “But a combination of preventive measures can reduce your risk.” Here’s what you can do to improve your chances of staying well this cold and flu season:

Keep your hands clean. “You’ve heard it before, but hand-washing works,” says microbiologist Kelly A. Reynolds, M.S.P.H., Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Arizona. “Since we often touch our faces throughout the day without realizing it, hand-washing keeps germs away from our noses, eyes and mouth.” Wash up before you eat or prepare food; after touching surfaces in the office such as the copier, file cabinet drawers or vending machines; and after doing errands when you’re touching surfaces such as elevator buttons and door handles. Teach the kids to wash their hands during the day and to wash them again as soon as they get home from school or the playground.