Coffee spilled on the desk while working

Your office has a dirty secret according to an infographic by the Cleaning Services Group. The bad news is that you’re probably cozying up to it right now.

According to the Cleaning Services Group, the average desk can be 100 times less hygienic than a kitchen table, and 400 times dirtier than the average toilet seat.

With many workers not washing their hands regularly, eating at their computer or storing who-knows-what in their desk drawers, it’s no wonder a desk can be a breeding ground for germs.

For instance, the infographic says, a keyboard may be home to 16 million microbes. Also:
• An office telephone has 25,127 microbes per square inch
• A computer mouse has 1676
• In comparison, the toilet seat has 49 microbes per square inch

Why is this? According to the Cleaning Services Group, the typical office worker’s hands come in contact with 10 million bacteria per day and aren’t being washed very well – if at all.

Check out the infographic and listen to a CleanLink webcast on infection control practices that reduce the risks of spreading germs in an office setting.

The webcast offers tips on identifying the cleaning protocols that provide effective infection control. Dr. Charles Gerba, a noted microbiologist, details a range of key findings from his research, and highlights the sometimes surprising areas in which germs lurk, how germs spread and what you can do to reduce the exposure to germs.