These Are the High-Touch Surfaces You Should Clean and Disinfect Daily
Updated: May 06, 2020
Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces in your home is something we all should do, even if we aren't leaving the house. Here are high-touch surfaces to clean and disinfect daily.
Strike your home’s high-touch surfaces
Whenever you bring in the mail or takeout meals, or anytime people come and go, there’s a risk of exposure to new germs. Transmission from person-to-person is a much greater possibility than transmission from surfaces, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends we clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in our homes daily to be safe.
According to the CDC, “High-touch surfaces are surfaces that are handled frequently throughout the day by numerous people.” Everyone’s home is a little different, so the surfaces we touch the most will vary depending on habits and routines. Some examples of high-touch surfaces in homes include:
- Doorknobs
- Sink faucets and knobs
- Light switches
- Phones
- Computers
- Table surfaces
- Dining chairs (seat, back and arms)
- Kitchen counters
- Bathroom counters
- Toilets (seat and handle)
- TV remote controls
- Game controllers
- Toys
These high-touch surfaces can become contaminated by direct contact with bodily fluids or indirect contact with other contaminated objects, such as ineffectively-cleaned sponges or badly-washed hands.
How to clean these surfaces
Begin cleaning your often-used surfaces by getting rid of dust or dirt. Wipe with soapy water or a multi-purpose cleaning spray. Use a fresh hand towel for each surface cleaned.
Next, apply a surface-appropriate disinfectant. Some examples include Clorox, Lysol, isopropyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide.
