I totally believe in the value of dirt.

Dirt, grime, germs, even bacteria (like the saintly bacteria hanging out in my cherry vanilla yogurt). Those things are good for you, at least in moderation.

There's soap in my bathroom and my kitchen, of course. But it's not super-powered soap. It's just regular soapy soap.

I'm a fierce proponent of hand-washing at my job where I work with little kids. Especially because kids are disgustingly dirty. Seriously, today I saw two 2-year-olds licking a door. This month my work posted notices for strep, pinkeye, chickenpox and head lice. That's more than enough to get me to scrub my hands dozens of times a day.

Now scientists are saying that all that sudsy goodness isn't so good. We're cleaning too much, at least with too-serious stuff. Antibacterial/antimicrobial soaps and gels just aren't necessary. What is? Regular soap.

Regular soap lets the immune system get strong fighting off germs. Those easy fights prepare the immune system to fight off bigger stuff later, making you stronger and healthier.

And that's something to scrub about.