A method for treating a surface touched by people to reduce an amount of microbes transferred to people touching the surface, the method comprising the step of depositing a conformal coating onto the surface, the coating comprising an ablative layer, the ablative layer being formed of a material sufficiently soft or frangible such that the ablation layer is worn away in response to repeated human contact, said coating comprising a material that is hydrophobic when the conformal coating has cured.
