Bacteria easily collect in backpacks and school lunchboxes. Try these 10 tips to keep them, and your child, germ-free.

By Denise Mann

This article is from the WebMD Feature Archive

Your son or daughter's lunch box may have more in it than that juice box and peanut butter sandwich you packed this morning. Experts tell WebMD that lunch boxes as well as backpacks can harbor germs that cause colds and flu.

Here are 10 tips to keep these school accessories free from unwanted visitors:

• Wash it out once a week.
• Don't make lunch while you do the laundry.
• Teach your child to wash hands before lunch at school.
• Pack two juice boxes.
• Cut up sandwiches and snacks.
• Pack a healthy lunch.
• Wipe down the eating area.
• Hang backpacks in the restroom.
• Pack functional tissues.
• Prepare lunch on clean, disinfected surfaces.