Quillie

Thank you, that helps me to find some scientific data.

Hello all, First off, I am not a scientist, I am hoping someone can answer a question for me. Probably a simple question but... How long does a virus (cold) live on surfaces that are used in the nose and mouth of the infected individual, such as the thermometer, a plastic nasal saline spray bottle nozzle, etc? These items are usually covered by a plastic cap or case, and the spray bottle nozzle might still be somewhat humid for a time. I find facts like these to be difficult to find. Would these items necessarily have more virus on them than their hand or a pen that they touched? It seems families go around and around with a cold virus, they keep infecting each other. Is this because the virus mutates? Can cold viruses mutate on a hard surface so you can catch the cold you deposited on a thermometer a week ago, again, if you put it your mouth without cleaning it? Any scientific fact link you have would be appreciated. I even tried the CDC website and they don't seem to have this type of info. Thank you so much