Mothers value grandma's advice during cold and flu season, a recent national survey said. The majority of moms also gave themselves an "A" for teaching their own children about avoiding germs.

American moms believe they give their children good advice about preventing colds and flu, and they think their own mothers did a good job, too.

Those are among the findings of a recent national survey by the Alliance for Consumer Education, a Washington, D.C.-based foundation. Most of the moms (nearly 60 percent) gave themselves an "A" for educating their children about preventing the spread of cold and flu germs, and gave their own mothers the same grade.

Mom's and grandmom's top advice? Wash your hands often (59 percent), cover your nose/mouth when you sneeze/cough (35 percent), and wash your hands properly (33 percent). Nearly all (94 percent) believe that just hand washing alone will help prevent getting a cold or the flu.

Dr. Dennis Clements, chief medical officer at Duke Children's Hospital in Durham, N.C., agrees that hand washing is one of the most important steps to take in halting the spread of colds and flu in the home.

"But, families need to take other measures as well and clean household surfaces where viruses that cause colds and flu can lurk," he said. "This includes the banister, all handles, light switches, kitchen counters, even computer keyboards and the trash cans where used tissues are discarded.

If someone in the family is ill with a cold or the flu, it is important to keep surfaces that others may touch germ-free. Cold and flu viruses can survive on household surfaces from a few minutes to up to several weeks, depending on conditions, according to Clements and other experts.

For more information on the places germs lurk in the home, visit www.stopgerms.org.