Although the news has at times been mixed about the severity of the H1N1 outbreak, there’s no question that the potential for serious illness is real. While no over-the-counter product will protect you or your family 100% from coming down with H1N1, there are a few grocery store finds that may help you ward off the swine flu along with your regular household germs. Here are three products you may want to try:

• Anti-bacterial wipes. Wipe down counters and other common area surfaces like doorknobs and cabinet handles with a disinfesting product like Lysol, advises Svetlana Kogan, an internal medicine doctor in New York City and the director of Doctors at Trump Place.
• Masks. You can find non-surgical masks next to the pharmacy at your neighborhood grocers. Dr. Kogan asked friends and family to wear masks when they visited her apartment last spring since both Dr. Kogan and her daughter had come down with H1N1. Despite coming in close contact with Dr. Kogan, none of her mask-wearing visitors ended up getting the swine flu.
• Soap. Maurice A. Ramirez, an emergency room physician and the author of the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Disaster Preparedness, explains that the number one prevention product for families is inexpensive and easy to find: soap. When asked whether certain varieties of soap are more effective than others, Dr. Ramierz advises that it’s not so much the kind of soap but the method of washing that matters. Children should be encouraged to thoroughly wash their hands. The father of four suggests that children (and adults!) sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice while using soap to scrub their fingers and palms under running water.

Along with using these products to keep your home and hands as germ-free as possible, you may also want to purchase one more item at the store: Tylenol. If you or a family member does come down with H1N1, the first advice your physician will most likely give you is to get the fever under control. (Aspirin should not be used to treat flu-like symptoms.) Dr. Ramirez also advises that you drink plenty of fluids to keep your body from becoming dehydrated, which is a potentially serious side effect from H1N1.

If you have any questions about your health, make sure to contact your primary care physician right away.