# How easily is ringworm spread? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 20, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-easily-is-ringworm-spread/291003 "2005-02-20T06:13:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-easily-is-ringworm-spread/291003/1 "2005-02-20T06:13:41Z")
Do the spores that cause ringworm get in your clothing and bedding or shoes? Can you transfer them if you touch a ringworm lesion and then put your hand on something else (like, say, your computer keyboard?) If they are spread very easily, how would one clean up and get rid of the spores? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-easily-is-ringworm-spread/291003/2 "2005-02-20T13:48:17Z")
No medical knowledge, only personal experience (durned rescue kitty had EVERYTHING that wasn’t fatal) I don’t think it’s quite that easy to spread. I had a kitten with ringworm and he managed to spread it to the other cats and me, but once the treatment had begun, that was it. No additional cleanup or disinfecting necessary to prevent further spread. Even the spot under my clothing stayed localized, the movement of clothing didn’t spread it further than dime sized. Keep your stuff clean, wash clothes, towels, sheets regularly and you should be ok. I like WebMD for a lot of these questions, you can find more info [here](http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/hw65255.asp) about ringworm. The right side of the screen has links on prevention and treatment.