While none was found, researchers did note that homes using anti-bacterial products tended to have fewer disease-causing bacteria. Why, though, is a matter of conjecture. It could simply be that people who are concerned about infectious disease and buy those products "are more in tune with cleaning," Cole said.

There's no question that cleaning is important for health. Cole noted an individual's home is a major health-care environment. Most who are sick — with a cold, flu, intestinal illness, whatever — do their suffering and recovering at home.

To provide benefit, though, products must contain enough anti-bacterial agent, and that's not always something consumers can check, Cole said. Although no product will kill every organism on every surface, he believes it's important that manufacturers play fair and see that the products they make are what they claim to be.

He recommends the Soap and Detergent Association's Web site for consumers who want to know more about types and proper use of cleaning products. The association is online at www.sdahq.org.

Reckitt Benckiser, a maker of anti-bacterial cleaning products, sponsored the study. But Cole said great care was taken to ensure the study was accurate and independent, with agreement from the beginning that the findings would be made public, regardless of what they were. At the time of the research, Cole worked for a company that conducts studies, including for federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other researchers included R.M. Addison, K.E. Leese, P.D. Dulaney, M.S. Newell, J. Wilkins, T. Wineinger and D.A. Criger of DynCorp Health Research Services in Morrisville, N.C.; and J.R. Rubino and D.J. Gaber of Reckitt Benckiser, Inc.

"We are in an era of emerging and re-emerging infectious agents," Cole said. "We wouldn't think of taking these out of hospitals. The second-largest health-care environment is the home. . . . That gets us into regular and routine cleaning of the home environment, home hygiene."

And these can reduce the risk of transmission of these things in the home environment.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com