Coming in contact with these bacteria-ridden office surfaces can lead to serious illnesses and infections. One study found that 96% of the 25 keyboards tested were contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria, including disease-causing microorganisms such as E. coli, which comes from fecal matter, and Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that causes infections.
To make matters worse, almost three-quarters of the Joblist survey respondents said they’ve gone to work while sick. And when someone in your office is ill, your risk of infection can be up to 90%, research from the University of Arizona shows. The study found that more than half of workplace surfaces, including the office coffee pot handle, doorknobs, phones, and desks, can become infected with a virus with just one sick person in the office. However, simple sanitation steps, such as washing your hands before you eat and regular cleaning with disinfectant wipes, dropped the risk of infection to less than 10%.
Although frequently touched desk items, such as your keyboard, phone, and computer mouse, can be difficult to keep completely germ-free, proper cleaning habits can seriously help. First and foremost, to prevent the spread of germs, wash your hands well and often, especially after using the restroom and before eating. Then follow these cleaning practices to regularly disinfect your desk and other office items. To keep your workspace sparkling, consider wiping down these office surfaces every evening before you leave work.
To clean and disinfect your desk area, start with the items on top.
- If you use a coffee cup or reusable water bottle, wash it daily with liquid dish soap and hot water or take it home or to the kitchen each night after work to run it through the dishwasher.
- Use disinfectant wipes to clean items such as your stapler, tape dispenser, scissors, and most-used pens, making sure to wipe down all sides.
- Consider washing other desktop accessories like pen holders with soap and water.
Next, you can disinfect the surface of your desk.
- Remove all items, including your computer (if possible), phone, pen holder, stapler, and other accessories, from the desktop (or move them to the side while you clean).
- Use disinfectant wipes to thoroughly wipe down the entire surface.
- Wait for the cleaning solution to dry before moving the desk items back into place.
