The kids are back in school and work is ramping up. That must mean that it’s time for your next seasonal cold to kick in, making you both miserable and less productive.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “common colds are the main reason that children miss school and adults miss work. Adults have an average of two to three colds per year, and children have even more.” Are you approaching your first or second? You probably already follow CDC advice to wash your hands often with soap and water and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. You also learned to sneeze into your elbow and wipe down your computer and phone at work.

However, you might still be vulnerable to getting sick at home, especially if you have children in school or daycare. Cold viruses can live on hard surfaces for several days, according to medical experts. All of the light switches, faucets and other shared surfaces in your home can be transmission points. Simply put, it’s quite possible that your freshly washed hands are picking up germs left by a family member on the light switch you just turned off.

This is where hands-free technology can be especially helpful this season. The fewer contact points between your fingers and shared household surfaces, the fewer germs are passed back and forth among family members. With that in mind, here are three fairly easy to implement strategies to help cut down on sick days this season.

Faucets

Replace your standard kitchen faucet with a hands-free model. This can cut down on viruses being transmitted between members of your household. It can also cut down on exposure to food-related contagions that can linger on surfaces and cause illness.