We asked more than 20 questions regarding the cleanliness of your home and your body -- and more than 20,000 of you delivered the dirty details. Armed with your responses, we went to the germ experts, including Philip Tierno Jr., M.D., Director of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at New York University Langone Medical Center and author of "The Secret Life of Germs." Read on as the experts review our daily habits to see if we're falling within healthy guidelines.

Dirty Details About Personal Hygiene

Nose Picking Be honest, do you pick your nose? Seventy-one percent confessed to doing so, while 29 percent say they don't. While picking your nose isn't harmful to yourself, Dr. Tierno says you risk spreading pathogens to others. "If you do pick, wash your hands," he says.

Cleaning Your Ears Remove earwax carefully, clearing just the canal, advises Dr. Tierno, cautioning that large, waxy build-up should be removed by a professional. Seventy-three percent of you clean your ears every few days to a week, and 20 percent clean them a few times a month. Those who never clean their ears (eight percent) need not worry. Although earwax can cause auditory problems, Dr. Tierno says hygienically it isn't a major problem.

Re-wearing Clothes: No, or a Go? Sixty-four percent of poll-takers admitted to re-wearing clothing once or twice, which the doctor says is just fine (so the 23 percent of you who said you never re-wear clothes can give your washer a breather). The 11 percent who claimed to re-wear clothes three to five times and two percent who said you re-wear clothes more than five times might want to remember we shed 40,000 skin cells per minute, not to mention perspire.

Re-wearing Underwear Seventeen percent admit to re-wearing your undies once or twice, and five percent of you 'fessed you re-wear them more than three times, which Dr. Tierno isn't so keen on. "Undergarments should be changed daily," he says. "Maybe wear them twice in an emergency."

Re-wearing Bras Dr. Tierno says that if left to air dry, wearing your bra a couple of times between washings is fine. Almost 90 percent of the ladies fall within these guidelines -- 65 percent switch to a clean bra after a day or two and 23 percent after a week. Six percent wait a couple of weeks, three percent wait more than a month and another three percent never re-wear their bras.

Bathing When it comes to keeping clean, Dr. Tierno suggests bathing once a day in the morning because we perspire at night and typically spend about eight hours of shuteye between dirty sheets. If you haven't perspired excessively, Dr. Tierno gives you permission to skip a day. And if you do something to warrant a second shower at night, just remember to take another in the morning. Sixty-five percent of our poll-takers reported showering daily, 21 percent say they shower every other day, 10 percent are stretching it at a few times a week and four percent do it more than once a day.

Hand Washing "If 80 percent of infections are transmitted by direct and indirect contact, hand washing is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself," according to Dr. Tierno. Wash your hands before eating, after using the bathroom and any time before you touch your mouth, nose or eyes. Nineteen percent wash after going to the bathroom, two percent wash before eating and 77 percent do both. The two percent who never wash their hands may want to take Dr. Tierno's advice.

Hair Washing When it comes to caring for your luscious locks, the American Academy of Dermatologists (AAD) says you don't have to wash every day, as over-washing can strip the hair of oil and make it dull and coarse. However, most of you (39 percent) say you wash your hair at least once a day. Thirty-one percent lather up every other day, and 25 percent do it once or twice a week. A few of you (five percent) skip a week in between shampooings.

Time to Toss it?

Cleaning the Trash Can Only 10 percent of us fall in line with the weekly trash-can cleaning Dr. Tierno recommends. The remaining 90 percent of us vary in our diligence in keeping a clean bin -- seven percent clean their trash cans every other week, 34 percent do it once every few months, 18 percent do it monthly, 16 percent clean once a year and 15 percent never do. "If trash cans are soiled, they should be cleaned immediately. If not, once a week will work fine." His can-cleaning prescription? Rinse with soap and water or a sanitizing agent, like bleach. Not doing so on a weekly basis raises the risk of "dealing with dead animals and even plants that can carry harmful diseases, like E. coli, and salmonella," says Dr. Tierno.

Taking out the Trash When it comes to garbage, there is no set timeline for how often you should ditch it, because of varying trash can sizes and contents. The goal here is to beat the stink. "Where there is smell and odors, there is bacterial build up," says Dr. Tierno, so as soon as you smell something, "Get rid of it!" he advises. Another word of warning: If a trash bag rips, you risk contaminating the whole area of the kitchen. As for how our readers compare? No one admitted to leaving their trash lying around for more than one week. Thirty-four percent toss their garbage every other day. Second place is a tie with 26 percent taking it out daily and another 26 percent taking out twice a week and 14 percent take it out once a week.

Keeping House

Doing the Dishes "You can wait a day, but not more than a couple of days," says Dr. Tierno. Almost half of you don't even bother waiting a day -- 49 percent you’re your dishes immediately, and 37 percent wait just a day. Ten percent wait two to three days, which is Dr. Tierno's maximum delay time. The four percent who wait at least a week might want to wash the dishes more frequently, or at the very least leave the dishes soaking in soapy water to avoid growth -- even if it's a huge pain.

Washing Fresh Produce Only seven percent of you always wash your produce. Fifty-seven percent never do and 36 percent remember to wash sometimes. At a minimum, you should soak your fruits and veggies in water and a small amount of citric acid to loosen up the grime, advises Dr. Tierno. "E. coli 0157 and salmonella have been found on fruits as well as veggies. So it is more than just washing pesticide residue off."

Cleaning Out Your Refrigerator Food and drink spills should be cleaned up right away to limit exposure to E. coli or Salmonella. But assuming there are no major spills, Dr. Tierno says you can get away with cleaning your fridge every couple of weeks. This is good news for the 22 percent who do just that and the 15 percent who clean their fridges weekly. The once-a-monthers (21 percent) can probably get away with their current cleaning schedule. But, those who go every three months (19 percent) or once a year (21 percent) may want to clean more frequently. And the two percent who never tackle the fridge may want to start!

Scrubbing the Tub/Shower Even though water and soap are key parts of bathing, your tub or shower should be given its own bath once a week. The reason, Dr. Tierno explains, is that biofilm, a substance that builds up on the inside of the tub, gets left behind. "Biofilms only go away with mechanical action like scrubbing with a sponge and soap." And if you think you're getting away with spray-on cleaners like Tilex or Scrubbing Bubbles, Dr. Tierno says it's not enough -- a little elbow grease is needed. For those who shower, take note: Mold tends to grow on shower curtains -- even the mold-resistant ones. The good news is that 45 percent of respondents scrub the tub on a weekly basis, and some go above and beyond, cleaning daily (six percent) while others get to the job once a month (28 percent) or every few months (12 percent). For some of you, this chore can be daunting and you only get around to cleaning the tub every few months (12 percent) or don't get to it at all (two percent).

Cleaning the Toilet Add this to your weekly cleaning list. About half of you (51 percent) opt for an every-seven-days cleaning, and 15 percent go at it a few times a week. Twenty-two percent clean every couple of weeks and eight percent get to the task once a month. Very few of you wait every few months (four percent) or don't clean at all (one percent). Dr. Tierno warns that moisture allows bacteria to grow, so rooms like the bathroom should be disinfected regularly.

Dusting "Surface disinfection is really important," says Dr. Tierno. He recommends making it a weekly habit, or more often if you have allergies, as letting dust accumulate can aggravate allergies. But keep in mind, there's more to dust than just your bookshelves and TV stand. The living room is not the most unsanitary room in the house, that honor is reserved for the kitchen. Twenty-nine percent of you are in good shape with your weekly dusting, although the highest percentage of you (33 percent) opt to do it every couple of weeks. Some dust monthly (14 percent), while others get around to it every few months (15 percent). Five percent diligently dust a few times a week, and four percent never do.

Washing Your Sheets Forty percent of you change them weekly, which is how often Dr. Tierno recommends people wash their sheets -- as long as you have a protective cover to protect from dust mites and debris that build up in your mattress. "You could do it more, but that can be excessive and a waste of water," he says. To the 16 percent who wash their sheets monthly and 10 percent even less than once a month -- you might want to consider changing your bedding more frequently.

Tossing Out Old Pillows "In five years, 10 percent of the weight of the pillow is dust mite and dust mite debris," says Dr. Tierno. To fight the mites, he recommends a protective cover for your pillow in addition to using a pillowcase. The National Library of Medicine recommends purchasing allergen-impermeable pillow covers, or replacing your old pillows with synthetic, washable pillows and wash them in hot water weekly. So let's hope the 15 percent of survey respondents who said they never throw away their pillows are making every effort to keep the mites away.

Cleaning Your Towels "The best thing to do with a towel is to let it air dry," Dr. Tierno says, "because folding keeps in moisture." As long as you air dry your towels, Dr. Tierno says they can be used two to three times, four max. So instead of dumping your towels in the washing machine based on the amount of time that's passed, Dr. Tierno suggests tracking the number of uses. However, the two percent who admitted to changing their towels monthly or even less than once a month (one percent) should probably throw in an extra load.

Are You Protecting Your Smile?

Brushing Your Teeth The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing twice a day, which 41 percent of you do. Forty-two percent brush slightly less frequently, but still daily. Some of you skip a day (five percent), while others tend to their teeth more than twice a day (12 percent). Be aware, leaving your teeth un-brushed allows decay-causing plaque to build.

Flossing Your Teeth Ah, the one habit we all seem to have trouble picking up. Sixty-eight percent of you skip a day or more before you floss. Twenty-six percent manage to floss to once a day, which falls in line with the ADA guidelines. A few of you go above and beyond, flossing twice a day (three percent) and some are flossing fanatics who do it more than twice a day (two percent). These over-flossers might want to come back to the ADA's recommendation of once per day.

Replacing Your Toothbrush The ADA suggests replacing your toothbrush every three to four months as bristles become frayed and worn, rendering them less effective. Over half of you (51 percent) replace your toothbrush every three months, while others (nine percent) replace it monthly. Thirty-seven percent wait a little longer and replace it once or twice a year, while some wait longer, replacing it every two years (three percent) or never get a new toothbrush (one percent).