Surface Cleaning and COVID-19: What You Should Know?
COVID-19 can spread through droplets, direct contact with an infected person, or airborne transmission of the virus. Although the cases of this infection spreading through contaminated surfaces are quite low, they still can infect a person, and it’s better to take necessary precautions to help you and others stay safe and healthy.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, and loss of taste or smell. You can also diagnose coronavirus with a rapid antigen test kit in the comfort of your home. If you are looking for a lateral flow test, you can buy it here and quickly confirm your symptoms to prevent the virus from spreading. Nevertheless, in this article, we’ll discuss everything related to surface cleaning and disinfecting. Keep reading to learn!
How Can Surfaces and Objects Transmit Coronavirus?
The surfaces and objects that significantly come in contact with people are high-touch surfaces and objects. For example, light switches, door knobs, mirrors, windows, electronic devices, etc. When these surfaces/objects are touched by a person carrying the virus, the virus can bind to them. If a normal, healthy person touches these surfaces/objects, the virus can enter their body through the eyes, nose, or mouth.
How Long Can Virus Remain Active on Surfaces?
There is no set time duration when the virus remains active on surfaces. However, it varies from surface to surface. In general, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is more active in temperatures under 20 degrees Celsius and on smooth surfaces like steel, metal, and plastic than on porous surfaces like paper, wood, and cardboard.
Here is an estimate (in hours/days) for both smooth and porous surfaces:
Smooth Surfaces
Steel – 2 to 3 days (refrigerators, pans, and sinks)
Plastics – 2 to 3 days (milk/juice containers, bus seats, and detergent bottles)
Glass – up to 5 days (windows, drinking glasses, and mirrors)
Metal – 5 to 9 days (jewelry and doorknobs)
Porous Surfaces
Wood – 4 days (furniture)
Cardboard – 24 hours (shipping packaging)
Paper – Can live up to 5 days, depending on the variant. (newspaper and mail)
How to Clean the Surfaces?
Cleaning high-touch surfaces in your home or office such as door knobs, tables, pens, phones, sinks, faucets, light switches, and stair rails with soap (or detergent) and water once a day should be made mandatory as they contain a higher risk of infection. Don’t forget to wash your hands properly for at least 20 seconds after you remove the gloves. If soap and water aren’t available, you can use sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. This way, you will be able to minimize the number of viral germs present on the surfaces.
How and When to Disinfect Surfaces?
Only cleaning won’t help if a person with coronavirus recently visited your place or if there’s a sick person. That’s when you need to disinfect the high-touch surfaces and objects to kill the germs. After cleaning, you must disinfect the surfaces with your state’s health authority-approved disinfectant. Otherwise, you can use a diluted bleaching solution. You must properly follow the instructions mentioned on the disinfectant for added effectiveness. Generally, you may need to use gloves and protective eyewear. In addition, you should allow the disinfectant to stay on surfaces for a specific time before removing it.
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