Tips for Teachers: How to Help Reduce the Spread of Germs in Classrooms

Tips for teachers: Preventing the spread of illness-causing germs in classrooms starts with protecting the teacher

In schools, the teacher’s focus is on the kids all day, every day: cleaning up their desks, encouraging them to wash their hands, and making sure they are learning and getting what they need. But all that attention on the students often leaves the teacher’s own possessions neglected. In a 2026 CloroxPro classroom surface study, our CloroxPro research team found that the teacher’s desk and computer are actually the most contaminated items in the classroom. Because teachers interact with every student, if their hands, computer and desk are the dirtiest spots in the room, that contamination can translate directly to the students.

Key Takeaway: The most contaminated surfaces in a classroom may not be the student desks. In a 2026 CloroxPro classroom surface study, teacher’s desks and computers were the most contaminated items measured. Daily disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces reduced contamination by nearly 50% within two weeks, highlighting the importance of classroom disinfection during the school day.

We know from other settings that people and shared objects can be vectors for germ transmission. In hospitals, for example, researchers found that while surfaces in patient rooms were disinfected between uses, portable equipment that moved between rooms was not, and that equipment carried significant contamination. In one study, a DNA marker placed on shared portable equipment in intensive care units spread widely to surfaces in patient rooms, provider work areas, and even other pieces of equipment, demonstrating that shared, mobile items can be an underappreciated vector for pathogen transmission1. The same principle applies in a classroom: the objects and people that move and get touched the most can quietly spread germs throughout the space.

Challenges in cleaning classrooms

Research has shown that a virus placed on one person’s hand can be detected on every commonly touched surface within hours2. That means a virus can transfer from one person to nearly every surface in a classroom over the course of a single school day and quickly end up on student’s hands. Ultimately, this tells us that the most effective time to disinfect classrooms to reduce the spread of germs is during the school day.

While janitors typically disinfect a classroom at the end of the day, they generally do not clean the teacher’s desk or electronics. And end-of-day cleaning may not be enough to keep surfaces sufficiently protected from germs to prevent them from spreading to others, especially during cold and flu season.

Daily classroom disinfecting can reduce surface contamination

Providing teachers with wipes is an effective solution for reducing illness-causing germs on surfaces. Our CloroxPro study found that after just two weeks of disinfecting desks daily with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes or Clorox EcoClean Disinfecting Wipes, contamination on surfaces was reduced by a median of nearly 50% (p = 0.02), and levels of Staphylococcus (staph) bacteria were significantly reduced (p = 0.0052).

Additionally, daily disinfecting has been shown to help reduce illness-related absences: in a published elementary-school study, children in classrooms without daily disinfecting were more than twice as likely to be absent due to illness than those in classrooms with daily disinfecting3. This can ultimately save money for the school district.

To learn more about potential cost savings from implementing daily disinfecting in classrooms, view our CloroxPro classroom disinfecting cost-savings calculator.

As a bonus, teachers in our 2026 CloroxPro classroom surface study found that disinfecting desks and objects in the middle of the school day only took a few minutes and was easy to make a habit. Plus, they felt better about the safety and cleanliness of their classrooms.

Key findings

The following table summarizes the core findings and their sources for quick reference.

Top Tips for Classroom Cleanliness During Back-to-School Season

To close out, here are four easy-to-implement and impactful ways to reduce the spread of illness-causing germs on surfaces this school year:

1. Provide teachers with disinfecting wipes and instructions to use them daily on student desks and their own desks. It only takes a few minutes to wipe everything down!
2. Provide Clorox Screen+ Sanitizing Wipes to wipe down teacher and student electronics once per week. This helps keep contamination levels on electronics low.
3. Encourage frequent handwashing and provide hand sanitizer in classrooms. Hand sanitizer is a convenient option to increase hand hygiene in classrooms that don’t have sinks.
4. During cold and flu season, wipe down shared objects between uses. Toys, whiteboard markers, and shared computers can all be a reservoir for germs.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What are the most contaminated surfaces in a classroom?
A: According to CloroxPro research, the teacher’s desk and computer are the most contaminated items in the classroom, because teachers interact with every student and their personal items are rarely cleaned.

Q: How often should classroom electronics be sanitized?
A: Teacher and student electronics should be wiped down once per week with Clorox Screen+ Sanitizing Wipes to keep contamination levels low.

Q: Do disinfecting wipes reduce student absenteeism?
A: Daily disinfecting of classroom surfaces is associated with lower illness-related absenteeism; a published elementary-school study found children in classrooms without daily disinfecting were more than twice as likely to be absent due to illness.

Q: How much can daily wipe use reduce surface contamination?
A: Daily disinfecting with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes or Clorox EcoClean Disinfecting Wipes reduced surface contamination by a median of nearly 50% (p = 0.02) and significantly reduced Staphylococcus levels (p = 0.0052) within two weeks.