Examples: furniture, decking

4 days

Examples: milk containers and detergent bottles, subway and bus seats

2 to 3 days

Examples: refrigerators, pots and pans, sinks, some water bottles

2 to 3 days

Examples: shipping boxes

24 hours

Examples: pennies, teakettles, cookware

4 hours

Examples: soda cans, tinfoil, water bottles

2 to 8 hours

Examples: drinking glasses, measuring cups, mirrors, windows

Up to 5 days

Examples: dishes, pottery, mugs

5 days

Examples: mail, newspaper

The length of time varies. Some strains of coronavirus live for only a few minutes on paper, while others live for up to 5 days.

Examples: takeout, produce

Coronavirus doesn't seem to spread through food.

Coronavirus hasn't been found in drinking water. If it does get into the water supply, your local water treatment plant filters and disinfects the water, which should kill any germs.

Examples: clothes, linens

There’s not much research about how long the virus lives on fabric, but it’s probably not as long as on hard surfaces.

One study tested the shoe soles of medical staff in a Chinese hospital intensive care unit (ICU) and found that half were positive for nucleic acids from the virus. But it’s not clear whether these pieces of the virus cause infection. The hospital’s general ward, which had people with milder cases, was less contaminated than the ICU.

There’s no research yet on exactly how long the virus can live on your skin or hair.

Examples: doorknobs, jewelry, silverware

5 days