According to the CDC, harmful pathogens Live on desktops for 3-days or longer
According to the CDC and confirmed by the World Health Organization and documented in the New England Journal of Medicine, any infected employee can cough or exhale and release droplets of infected fluid on surfaces, which can live and infect others for 3 days or longer.
From the CDC Website:
Regularly cleaning surfaces and disinfecting in your facility helps prevent the spread of germs that make people sick.
Cleaning
Cleaning : with commercial cleaners that contain soap or detergent decreases the number of germs on surfaces and reduces risk of infection from surfaces in your facility. Cleaning alone removes most types of harmful germs (like viruses, bacteria, parasites, or fungi) from surfaces.
Sanitizing : reduces the remaining germs on surfaces after cleaning.
Disinfecting : can kill harmful germs that remain on surfaces after cleaning. By killing germs on a surface after cleaning, disinfecting can further lower the risk of spreading disease.
If you do sanitize or disinfect, clean surfaces first because impurities like dirt may make it harder for sanitizing or disinfecting chemicals to get to and kill germs.
Consider the type of surface and how often the surface is touched. Generally, high touch surfaces are more likely to spread germs. If the space is a high traffic area, you may choose to clean more frequently or disinfect in addition to cleaning.
When to Clean Surfaces
- Clean high-touch surfaces regularly (for example, pens, counters, shopping carts, door handles, stair rails, elevator buttons, touchpads, restroom fixtures, and desks).
- Clean other surfaces when they are visibly dirty.