Ever since the coronavirus pandemic has hit the world, cleanliness and hygiene have taken a lot of importance. Regular cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization have become the core procedures to be followed in every facility and premise, and corporates and other commercial houses are constantly focused on keeping the working environment safe and healthy for all.
However, with so many people moving in and going out of the facility, maintaining proper cleanliness can be quite difficult. As people use the facility, they leave traces of germs, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens on different surfaces. Now, you never know how long these pathogens keep lurking on these surfaces, and if you come in contact with them, you shall be prone to diseases and infections.
So, how would you even plan your cleaning and disinfection schedule? Well, a good option would be having an idea about how long a pathogen lives on surfaces. If you are aware of the same, you can plan your cleaning and disinfection schedules accordingly, making sure that the pathogens are eliminated from the surfaces in time before they can become a deadly threat to anyone.
So, let’s get an idea about the same!
How Long Does Pathogen Live on Surfaces?
There’s no set timer for a pathogen to live on surfaces. As far as it can be mentioned, pathogens can live on surfaces for hundreds of years. Now, that’s scary, and you surely must have shuddered reading it. Well, you can relax because most pathogens don’t really last that long, especially when you are careful about cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization.
Generally, how long a pathogen lives on surfaces depends on a lot of factors, temperature and humidity being the major ones. The more the temperature and humidity, the longer the pathogens live on the surfaces. It is for this reason that most commercial premises have an air conditioning system installed within them to keep the temperatures ideal within the work area.
Besides the temperature and humidity, the type of surfaces also plays a major factor as regards the shelf life of pathogens like bacteria and viruses.
Generally, pathogens last longer on hard surfaces such as desks, tabletops, doorknobs and door handles, etc. Even the type of material these hard surfaces are made from plays a role in determining the life of pathogens on them. As such, pathogens last longer on surfaces like metals, plastics, and glass.
In fact, studies reveal that most pathogens can last for up to four to five days on such surfaces. Moreover, if the temperature and humidity are higher, then they can last even up to nine to ten days.
It is for these reasons that regular cleaning and disinfection have become necessarily crucial and inevitable. With regular sanitization, you eliminate the viruses living on these surfaces, thereby making sure that they do not live there longer than a day at the most.
Now, that was about the surfaces that you frequently come in contact with as you make your way through work and use the facility and premises. However, what about the surfaces that are in constant and direct contact with you? What about those clothes that you are wearing?
You shall be surprised to know that pathogens last and live on your fabrics as well. However, how long?
Well, you can relax as the life of pathogens on fabrics is not very long, and they will die there in a matter of a few hours. Additionally, how long pathogens shall last on your fabrics will also depend on the types of fabrics.
Generally, natural fabrics like cotton, wool, hemp, etc., are more prone to getting contaminated by pathogens like bacteria, viruses, fungi, molds, etc., in comparison with synthetic and human-made fabrics such as nylon, rayon, etc. Even silk is safer, for that matter, despite being a natural fabric.
However, considering the risk facing you, it’s essential that you ensure regular cleaning and disinfection of fabrics as well.
How to Clean and Disinfect Surfaces to Eliminate Pathogens from Them?
Now that you know how long pathogens last on different surfaces, you would want to know your resort. The only precaution is regular cleaning and disinfection.
When cleaning surfaces, you must ensure that you are cleaning them with an alcohol-based disinfectant that contains at least 70% alcohol content. For fabrics, you can clean them with water that is running at a temperature of at least 86Farheneit. This means that the water needs to be extremely hot. But make sure that it’s not too hot to eventually spoil the fabrics.
With proper cleaning and disinfection, you shall be safe from the risks and threats posed by these pathogens lurking over the surfaces around you.
Final Words
Proper cleaning and disinfection of the surfaces are extremely important to eliminate the pathogens living on them. We hope that you found this article insightful and shall now be able to better plan your cleaning schedule.
If you need any help with the cleaning process in your premises or facilities, you can simply reach out to AmeriStar Facility Solutions in the following ways-
- Visit out website: https://ameristarfacilitysolutions.com/
- Call us: (570)-675-5525
- Email: info@ameristarfacilitysolutions.com
They are experts at cleaning and disinfection and shall ensure complete safety in your place of work. So, get in touch with them, and eliminate the pathogens lurking on the surfaces in your premises and exposing you to unnecessary risks!