The COVID-19 virus spreads mainly through exposure to airborne droplets infected with the virus. While it's possible to be infected with COVID by coming in contact with a surface with the virus on it, it's very rare.
However, you should still clean and disinfect surfaces in your home, especially if someone has tested positive for the virus. This alone can help reduce the spread of infection. CDC guidelines suggest using disinfectants in your home within the first 24 hours of a positive diagnosis.
How Long Does COVID Live on Surfaces?
It's unlikely you'll catch COVID from a contaminated surface, but the risk still exists. So how long does COVID live on surfaces? Studies show that how long COVID can survive on surfaces depends on several factors, including:
- How much infection is in your community
- How much virus infected people are expelling
- How the virus is deposited onto different surfaces
- Environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity, which can damage the virus while it's airborne
- The length of time between contamination and contact
- How much virus is transferred (if any) to the mucous membrane
In the early stages of the pandemic, there were cases reported that were thought to have spread through surface transmission. But they were difficult to prove because airborne transmission couldn't be ruled out. A more recent study from 2023 compared in vitro and real-life cases of how COVID could survive in the environment. The study was small and included 10 participants with COVID who coughed on steel, cardboard, plastic, and their hands. None of the real-life samples showed infected cells from the COVID virus at any time during the study, while laboratory-adapted samples remained viable on surfaces for varying amounts of time.
How long does COVID last on surfaces in the car?
How long the COVID virus will last on surfaces in your car will depend on things such as the size of your car and the level of virus present on things like the dashboard. But other conditions, like the temperature inside your car, also play a role. If your car is parked in the sun, for instance, and its temperature goes above 72 F, the virus won't live much longer than 5-30 minutes.
How long can COVID live on bedding?
The COVID virus has more success surviving on hard surfaces, such as glass and plastic, than on porous ones like bedding. Once the virus lands on a porous material like a fabric, the droplets evaporate much quicker than they do on a hard surface. However, studies have shown the virus can last about two days on some fabrics.
It's unlikely you'll get COVID from your bedding, though. Just be sure to wash your bedding if you or anyone in your household has COVID, and disinfect your home's surfaces.
How long COVID can live on other surfaces?
| Material | Average Survival Time |
|---|---|
| Plastic | 4 days |
| Glass | 4 days |
| Stainless Steel | 7 days |
| Cardboard | 1 day |
| Paper | 30 minutes |
What You Can Do
The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to practice good hand hygiene and clean the surfaces of your home. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says if you use normal cleaning practices using soap and water, you're not only removing dirt and germs but also reducing the spread of COVID. If you're going to use a disinfectant, use only those that are on the EPA's approved list for COVID.
How to clean your home to protect you and your family from viruses like COVID:
- Clean frequently touched surfaces (such as doorknobs, handles, tables, countertops, and light switches) regularly.
- Clean any surface in your home when it's noticeably dirty.
- Make sure that you use a cleaning product suitable for the type of surface. Follow the instructions on the product.
If Someone in Your Household Has COVID-19
If you live with someone who has COVID or have had a guest with a positive case in your home within 24 hours, disinfect your house in addition to regular cleaning. This will kill any leftover germs and lower the chance of the virus spreading.
- Read the instructions on the disinfectant first.
- Wear gloves while disinfecting and cleaning.
- If your disinfectant doesn’t have a cleaning agent, wash dirty areas with soap first, and then use the disinfectant.
- Wash your hands often for 20 seconds with soap if you're cleaning a household with a positive COVID case. Always clean your hands after removing gloves.
- Make sure you have good ventilation while using a disinfectant.
Once the person is no longer sick, it's important to clean the area they stayed in. Wear a mask when you clean and disinfect. Wait as long as possible before you do this. If you can wait for 24 hours before you clean their area, you only need to clean that space, not disinfect it.
Takeaways
It's unlikely you'll catch COVID from a contaminated surface, but the risk still exists. The virus can survive on hard surfaces like glass and plastic longer than on porous ones like bedding. Studies have shown it can remain alive for as short as 30 minutes on paper to as long as seven days on stainless steel. But simple cleaning of these surfaces with soap and water is enough to kill the virus and prevent its spread.
FAQs About How Long COVID-19 Lives on Surfaces
How long does COVID stay in the air?
Although it depends on several factors, studies have shown the COVID virus can linger in the air and remain airborne for hours.
