The sales of disinfecting sprays and wipes skyrocketed in recent months as the public scrambled to more frequently disinfect commonly touched surfaces and items that could spread the coronavirus . We were told to wipe down groceries, packages, doorknobs, counters, toilet seat handles you name it. People were worried that contaminated objects could be a significant way of contracting COVID-19.

But as time went on, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clarified that transmission through surfaces might not be as common as originally feared. While disinfecting objects can still help curb the transmission of contaminated droplets, COVID-19 largely spreads from person-to-person contact meaning that disinfecting your personal items will not totally protect you from contracting the coronavirus.

Relative to other things that one might want to do, such as wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings and maintaining distance from other people, the importance of disinfecting surfaces after being outside is not the highest of priorities, said David Dowdy , an associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University.

Im not going to say there is zero risk we know that this virus can be transmitted from surface to surface. But if you think through the amount of virus thats likely to be on many of these surfaces relative to the amount of virus that is in one cough or sneeze, the surface is relatively small compared to the size of the cloud of particles that someone can generate with one cough or one sneeze, Dowdy said.

While other precautions are more crucial to preventing COVID-19, David Mushatt , chief of adult infectious diseases at the Tulane School of Medicine, encouraged the public to continue disinfecting high-touch surfaces in addition to following all the other CDC guidelines .

Mushatt noted the value of the Swiss cheese model when considering COVID-19 risk reduction. The Swiss cheese model essentially means that when something bad happens, it is rarely due to one mistake. Its more commonly a series of things that were done improperly like the multiple holes in Swiss cheese. And the way to fix the problem is by fixing the system, or plugging the holes, at all levels. To get past this pandemic, we need to plug the holes by hand washing, social distancing, mask-wearing and disinfecting, Mushatt said.

Its rare for one change in infection control to lower infection rates. Usually, its trying to improve every step that you can identify, Mushatt said. In the end, it doesnt really matter how much of the virus is spread by door handles or how much is through the air. Its a matter of addressing all of those areas because we may never know, we still dont know exactly how the flu is spread.

So the disinfection of surfaces will still help protect you from contracting COVID-19. Below, infectious disease experts share the most important areas to clean, along with the most important precautions to take, to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy.

Disinfect digital screens and surfaces.

Were arguably spending more time on our phones, computers and tablets than ever items that even before the pandemic were known for their germy surfaces . Now they possess a slight risk of COVID-19 transmission.

As far as common surfaces to clean during the COVID-19 pandemic, the most obvious surfaces are the most touched surfaces such as cellphone screens and covers, said Avisheh Forouzesh, founder of Advanced Infectious Disease Medical LLC in New Jersey.

She also suggested disinfecting your computer mouse, touchpad and keyboard, since they are highly touched surfaces throughout the day and we are prone to touching our face, nose and eyes constantly.

If we could keep the surfaces that are repetitively touched throughout the day disinfected, then there is less chance of transmitting germs or viruses if we accidentally touch our eyes, nose or face, Forouzesh said.