Desk Germs

People commonly name the bathroom as one of the dirtiest locations inside a home or office building. The truth is kitchens or break rooms and dining tables or desks typically harbor higher amounts of bacteria by comparison. These are high-use, high-touch areas. Consider this: the average desk at work can be 400 times dirtier than the average toilet seat! As for the equipment that sits on top of the desk, your computer’s mouse can carry over 1,500 microbes per square inch, the keyboard is host to 3,000+ microbes per square inch, and that office telephone can get really nasty at over 25,000 microbes per square inch. In some ways it’s not a surprise because these are the components that get handled the most.

So what are some of the sources of all of this bacteria? One is eating at your desk, especially because the crumbs tend to find their way into the keyboard cracks. Another is employees not washing their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom. Also, not cleaning your desk often enough to prevent the bacteria from breeding.

But your cubicle is not the only spot at work that acts as a bacteria magnet. Make sure the cleaning crew is paying special attention to high-touch items in common areas like handles on the microwave, coffeepot, and refrigerator. Also focus on frequently cleaning the buttons on vending machines and water fountains as microbes from a cold or flu and survive on a non-sanitized surface for up to 3 days.