The Average Desk is 400x Dirtier Than a Toilet Seat

While most people associate the bathroom with being the epitome of filth, some of the items we encounter on a daily basis actually harbor a staggering amount of harmful bacteria… up to 10x as many germs as a public toilet! Attention to detail can mean the difference between safe and dangerous; even the smallest missed cleaning opportunity can lead to the spread of bacteria which can mean lost time for employees, bad first impressions for new customers an even low office morale.

With over 10 million bacteria living on a typical office desk, employees not washing their hands and cleaning companies not doing a thorough job, offices are increasingly being labelled dirty. Keyboards, refrigerator doors, microwave ovens and faucet handles are some of the most unhygienic of all surfaces in the office. The average desk can hold up to 400x the amount of bacteria as a public toilet.

DESK AREA

You spend the most amount of time at your desk, so it understandably needs the most attention. However, studies have shown that most offices are cleaned once a month or less, making it easy for undesirable bacteria to breed. Consequently, the average desk is home to about 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat, with some of these bacteria types being incredibly harmful and contributing to the spread of disease. And with more than half of workers admitting to eating lunch at their desk, that accounts for a lot of germs that can breed nasty infections.

KEYBOARD

Your fingers touch your keyboard for the majority of the day, passing germs such as E-Coli onto the keys, where they can then stay and breed. You probably then pick up food and drinks without first washing your hands. This can be quite a health risk and lead to illness or infection. To reduce this risk, clean your keyboard once a week, or every time you eat at your desk. To clean, disconnect the keyboard from your computer and wipe with a damp microfiber cloth or anti-bacterial wipe. Also be sure to clear out any dust or crumbs from beneath the keys with a can of compressed air.

MOUSE

In addition to your keyboard, your mouse is one of your desktop items that will be the most used throughout the day. Your mouse can harbour hordes of bacteria, which can be passed onto other communal objects. To avoid this transfer of bacteria, clean your mouse once per week. To clean, simply wipe the mouse with an antibacterial cloth.

PHONE

The office phone is one of the largest breeding grounds for germs and is also something you can rarely avoid touching. Your phone gets used numerous times during the working day, making it the perfect place to harbor different types of bacteria. Testing has shown that everything from Helicobacter pylori, to E- Coli can be present. While it is not possible to completely rid your surfaces of all these bacteria, you can reduce the numbers by cleaning your phone handset with antibacterial wipes or spray at least once a week. You should occasionally dedicate some time to deep-cleaning your telephone with cotton buds and anti-bacterial cleaner, to help rid the device of hard-to-reach germs.

CHAIR

You have probably never questioned the cleanliness of your office chair, but the seat and arms of your chair can harbor germs such as Staphylococcus aureus. You need to vacuum your office chair at least once a week and give it a deeper clean approximately once a month. How you clean your chair will depend on its type of upholstery fabric so be sure to check for cleaning instructions on the furniture tags to avoid any damage.

At OctoClean, we know where the dust and dirt like to hide and we are experts at getting rid of it! To help make sure your facility gives the best possible first impression to visitors and employees, call the cleaning experts at OctoClean.