Or just run an OS that's designed not to allow random things on the internet to automatically install themselves and steal all of your data, and then not only do you not have to tiptoe through the internet hoping not to catch the muck, but you also don't have to travail an onerous and time-consuming restore process every second month after your computer-illiterate family members visit and trample all over the pristine Windows install with four new IE toolbars, infected Miley Cyrus MP3s obtained through [also installed] Limewire, and "that cute program that lets you send smiley faces through e-mail".
Working in the security field for some time now, and having dealt with malware infections myself, I have to admit he's probably right. Especially if you use the PC for serious purposes. Save your data on a separate drive, keep program installers archived, and you won't fear the re-imaging as much.