Studies have revealed that your office desk or workstation could be harbouring 400 times more germs than the average toilet seat.
That’s a pretty sickening thought, isn’t it?
One study, overseen by the University of Arizona’s Dr. Charles Gerba (aka the ‘Germ Guru’), found that the typical office desk could be home to around 10 million bacteria at any one time.
Warning us about the dangers of an unhygienic office desk, Dr. Gerba says: “We don’t think twice about eating at our desks, even though the average desk has 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet. Without cleaning, a small area on your desk or phone can sustain millions of bacteria that could potentially cause illness.”
So what can you do to make sure you banish all of those horrible germs? What tips can we give you to ensure that your desk is (almost) clean enough to eat your dinner off?
Avoid eating at your desk
Not only is the desk an unhealthy surface to eat from, but the crumbs and spills that inevitably occur provide the right environment for bacteria to thrive. Avoid eating at your desk in favour of using a dedicated breakroom or outdoor lunchtime spot.
Keep some tissues to hand
We all know that sneezing and coughing spread germs, but how many of us have tissues on our desks to catch and bin those germs? Eliminate the risk of spreading germs to your desk and surroundings by ensuring your desk is stocked with tissues at all times.
Clean your whole desk area regularly
The average office desk simply isn’t cleaned often enough – or thoroughly enough.
It is recommended that your desk surface, telephone, keyboard, mouse and any other desktop items are thoroughly cleaned at least twice a week – and, preferably, even more often than that.
Don’t be tempted to take short cuts. Simply brushing the area is a waste of time which can see germs regroup in no time at all.
Get in every nook and cranny. Move your intray and clean behind it. Check between the keys of your keyboard for stray crumbs and other debris. Wipe off any dust from seldom-used stationery.
And, while you are at it, now is also a great time to declutter. If there is anything on or around your desk that doesn’t need to be there then get rid of it. Otherwise, it is nothing but a magnet for bacteria and dust.
Disinfect
If you want your desk to be not just nearly clean, but really clean, then use disinfectant wipes or solutions.
Studies have regularly shown that the use of disinfecting wipes on desk surfaces can boast a 99% reduction in bacteria levels over a 48 hour time frame.
Without the use of disinfectant wipes, research suggests that bacteria levels on desktop items like telephones and keyboards can rise by up to 30% within just one day!
Rinse and repeat
This is not a one time process. Once you’ve got your office desk clean, decluttered and disinfected, get a system of regular, effective office cleaning in place to keep it that way.
Put your office cleaning in safe hands
Many of us simply do not have the time to ensure that our individual workstations are always clean- let alone if you’re an office manager overseeing the workspace of your whole organisation. If you feel that you might not be up to the task and worry that some bacteria might still be lurking around the desks in your office then maybe it’s time to give us a call.
We can eliminate germs from your office workstations and prevent them from getting a foothold again in the future. Get in touch now for a competitive cleaning quote…