The Invisible Enemy: Top 10 High-Touch Areas You’re Probably Forgetting to Disinfect

As facilities managers, business owners, or anyone responsible for keeping buildings clean and safe, we all make sure the obvious areas get attention: countertops wiped down, floors mopped, restrooms sanitized. But what about the sneaky spots? The surfaces everyone touches dozens of times a day—without even thinking about it?

These high-touch areas can turn into silent germ spreaders, quietly impacting the health, safety, and productivity of everyone in your building.

One thing I've consistently seen while working with businesses and organizations is that we often focus on the obvious when it comes to cleaning. However, it's the surfaces we touch without thinking – the ones we often forget – that can pose a real risk. Today, I want to make sure those frequently touched, yet rarely disinfected, areas are firmly on your radar.

The Usual Suspects… and the Ones That Slip Through the Cracks

We all know about doorknobs and light switches – they’re Disinfection 101. But let’s dig deeper and identify the high-touch areas to disinfect that might not be top-of-mind:

1. Faucet Handles (Beyond Restrooms)

   We all know restroom faucets need regular sanitizing. But what about the faucet handles in your breakroom sink, the utility sink in the janitor’s closet, or science lab sinks in schools and daycares? These often get touched dozens—sometimes hundreds—of times a day. Every time someone turns the water on before washing their hands, they’re leaving germs behind for the next person. Breakroom sinks especially see heavy use between coffee breaks, meal prep, and handwashing after handling shared equipment.

   
   

2. Appliance Handles and Buttons

   Microwave handles, refrigerator doors, coffee maker buttons, and even the control panels on copiers and printers—these are true high-traffic surfaces. And think about it: people are often touching these before they’ve had a chance to wash up. In busy offices and industrial breakrooms, these surfaces can become germ magnets by mid-morning, and without proper attention, they’re a silent way to pass bacteria around your entire team.

   
   

3. Shared Pens and Writing Utensils

   That pen at the front desk for signing in visitors? Or the shared highlighters near the office printer? These small tools can act like “germ taxis,” transferring bacteria and viruses from one person to the next with barely a thought. In environments like daycares, medical clinics, and even corporate offices, these shared items can quietly undermine your larger sanitation efforts.

   
   

4. Vending Machine and ATM Buttons

   Grabbing a snack in your factory’s breakroom or withdrawing cash from the company credit union kiosk—both involve pressing the same small buttons touched by dozens (or hundreds) of other fingers daily. Research shows that public vending machines and ATMs can harbor up to 10,000 bacteria per square inch if left uncleaned. These high-touch points deserve regular disinfecting, especially in busy work hubs.

   
   

5. Handrails (Stairs and Walkways)

   Handrails are critical for safety, especially in multi-level offices, schools, and public buildings. But every hand that slides down that rail—from employees rushing between meetings to kids running to lunch—adds another layer of bacteria. Especially during cold and flu season, stair railings and hallway handrails become one of the highest-risk overlooked touchpoints in a building.

   
   

6. Chair Armrests

   Waiting room chairs, conference room chairs, breakroom seats, even office desk chairs—people naturally rest their hands on armrests throughout the day. With multiple users, those cozy, supportive armrests can turn into a cozy home for bacteria. Unless they’re part of your daily disinfecting routine, they can quietly undermine all your other cleaning efforts.

   
   

7. Water Fountain Buttons and Spigots

   While the water itself is usually treated and safe, the mechanical parts—the push buttons and drinking spigots—get heavy, repeated use. In schools, manufacturing plants, and healthcare facilities, these areas can be particularly risky because of the direct mouth-to-button or spigot contact that sometimes happens, especially with younger children.

   
   

8. Cabinet and Drawer Handles

   Whether it’s reaching into a kitchen cabinet for coffee supplies, grabbing a form from a filing cabinet, or pulling open a supply closet, cabinet and drawer handles are touched countless times a day. And because they’re often in “back of house” areas, they can easily slip under the radar during routine cleaning schedules.

   
   

9. Keypads and Touchscreens

   Entry code pads, security system panels, cafeteria kiosks, touchscreen directories—these surfaces see hundreds of taps, presses, and swipes every single day. Research by the National Institutes of Health has shown that touchscreens can harbor bacteria and viruses for up to 72 hours. Think about daycare sign-in tablets or multi-tenant office building entry systems—prime examples of easy-to-miss, high-risk surfaces.

   
   

10. Table Edges and Surfaces (Beyond Meal Times)

    We often remember to wipe down lunch tables after meals—but what about the edges of tables in waiting rooms, conference rooms, training centers, and shared workspaces? People lean, tap, and run their hands along table edges while talking, thinking, or moving around. These casual touches add up to real germ build-up—especially in high-traffic areas.

    
    

    Quick Note:

    By adding these surfaces to your regular disinfection checklist, you’re not just checking a compliance box—you’re truly protecting your employees, clients, visitors, and students from unnecessary health risks.

    
    

Why These Forgotten Spots Matter

In busy workplaces where people work, learn, and interact closely, high-touch areas to disinfect often go unnoticed—but they can play a major role in the spread of illness. Overlooking them can lead to:

• Increased Sick Days: Germs lingering on these surfaces can easily transfer to hands and then to faces, leading to colds, flu, and other infections, impacting productivity and attendance in your business.

  
  

• Spread of Contagious Illnesses in Sensitive Settings: In daycares, where young children have developing immune systems, thorough disinfection of all high-touch areas is crucial to prevent outbreaks.

  
  

• Negative Perception of Cleanliness: Even if the obvious areas are clean, neglecting these smaller high-touch areas can contribute to a general feeling of unease about hygiene, especially in healthcare facilities or customer-facing businesses.

Your Action Plan: Bringing These Forgotten Spots into Your Disinfection Routine

Making these high-touch areas to disinfect a regular part of your cleaning protocol doesn't require a massive overhaul. Here’s a practical approach:

• Educate Your Cleaning Team: Ensure your cleaning staff is aware of these often-overlooked high-touch areas and understands the importance of disinfecting them regularly.

  
  

• Implement Checklists: Add these spots to your cleaning checklists to ensure they aren't missed during routine cleaning.

  
  

• Increase Frequency: Consider disinfecting these high-touch areas multiple times a day in high-traffic zones, especially during peak illness seasons in MA and RI.

  
  

• Provide Disinfectant Wipes: Make disinfectant wipes readily available in common areas and encourage employees and visitors to wipe down high-touch areas before and after use.

  
  

• Focus on Touchless Solutions: Where feasible, consider switching to touchless options like automatic faucets, soap dispensers, and hand dryers to minimize contact with these surfaces.

  
  

By making a conscious effort to identify and regularly disinfect these often-forgotten high-touch areas in your Massachusetts or Rhode Island facility, you can create a significantly healthier and safer environment for everyone.

Ready to take a closer look at the high-touch areas to disinfect in your business or facility? Schedule a Free Walkthrough with our experienced team at Jan-Ex Commercial Solutions. We can help you identify these critical spots and develop a comprehensive disinfection plan tailored to your specific needs in MA and RI.

For immediate commercial cleaning assistance, email us directly at cstanza@jan-ex.com.

Works Cited

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Cleaning and Disinfection for Community Facilities.

• World Health Organization. (2020). Cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces in the context of COVID-19.