Bacteria on Office Surfaces

When we think of the importance of cleaning certain businesses, there are a few that usually come to mind first. We know it’s important to keep a restaurant clean, as they are serving food products to a large number of people, and it’s also important to keep gyms or other businesses with equipment that is shared between many consumers clean as well. On the other hand, since most corporate offices typically use computers, some printing, and other administrative equipment, it can be easy to underestimate the cleanliness of a facility. Office surfaces may not seem like probable culprits for germs and bacteria, but how clean is your office, really?

Keyboard and mouse

These are at the top of the list for a reason. No matter how clean of a person you are, the number of germs and bacteria that can find their way to your keyboard and mouse can be surprising. These two items, even if operated by a single employee, are touched so often they become hot spots, so to speak, for germs and bacteria. Your keyboard likely has more germs than a toilet seat – one research determined it may be up to 20,000 times more than a toilet seat. That’s pretty gross, and most people don’t sanitize them very often.

Desk

In fact the entire desk, in general, is a breeding ground for bacteria. People spend so much time at their desk, and use so many tools and touch so many things, and yet they rarely get the same level of attention as a toilet or sink. Desks are among the most germy places in the office, especially considering how often coworkers touch each others’ desks, and then go back to their own. Keep your staff healthier and your office cleaner by ensuring all desks get sanitized regularly.

Refrigerator

Some companies have strict refrigerator policies, while many do not at all. Office fridges can easily become areas of heavy contamination due to the lack of accountability with storing items. Unlike at home, because so many people share the same appliance, it increases the chance of food being stored past its expiration date, as well as spills or molding that doesn’t get attended to often. Plus, a lot of people make contact with the door handle, making it a great carrier for spreading germs. If your office refrigerator is getting ignored, make sure it finds a spot on the regular cleaning checklist.

Common areas

Offices rely on many people needing regular access to a lot of common areas and shared equipment – conference rooms, break rooms, printers, staplers, tape, elevator buttons, and more – there are many opportunities for germs to be left and spread around. For this reason, they can quickly spiral out of control because it’s not as common to think of them as dirty in the way that one might a restaurant or gym. To combat this, a team of professional cleaners is often the most effective way to ensure every surface is being properly cleaned and sanitized, every single time.