Your Desk
You might think that common tables like those in the meeting rooms or break rooms are dirty since other people touch them, but your desk is also a gathering place for germs. According to Jason Tetro, author of The Germ Code, your desk is an open surface that’s frequently touched, typically with some kind of pressure to hold up a portion of a person’s weight. Even if it’s your personal desk, Tetro shared that there’s a likelihood that others will touch it at some point, spreading microbes along the way, like your boss, someone dropping off a file, or a cleaning crew. The best way to minimize germs is to avoid contact, which may be unrealistic, so occasionally, give your desk a good wipe down with disinfectant spray.
Your Keyboard
You spend your weekdays typing away, but have you ever thought about the keys you’re constantly typing on? Dr. Ron Brown, a 20-year emergency medical physician, said that over 3,000 organisms can be found per square inch on a keyboard. More and more people are now working jobs where they’re put in front of keyboards and computer screens for up to eight hours a day, almost 2,000 each year. If you think of co-workers who bring lunch to their desks without washing their hands, that bacteria is being transferred directly into their mouths. So, next time you wipe down your desk, it’s a good idea to also give your keyboard a little wipe down.
Door Handles
You grab the door handle and turn it to enter the bathroom. You do the same to go into the break room, the supply closet, the company gym, and your boss’ office. Do you see the pattern? Now consider all the other people who do the same thing all day long. By far, doorknobs are the germiest places in an office due to the sheer number of hands touching them every day. The best way to curb the sickness they could expose you to is with hand hygiene. You don’t have to use hand sanitizer immediately after touching a doorknob, but you should sanitize your hands once you get settled at your workstation and right before eating. One study found that the door push bar on the main exit of a building is one of the germiest places in the office.
The Kitchen
The break room is a high-traffic area, with co-workers coming and going throughout the day. Consider all the people who pop in to heat their leftovers or grab something from the company fridge. These are the most vulnerable places because they’re touched right before you eat. If you have doubts about your office being cleaned, you can wipe down these areas with Clorox wipes. You could also wash your hands immediately after taking your food out of the microwave.
The Water Cooler
You visit your job’s water cooler almost every hour to gossip with co-workers, stay hydrated, and stretch your legs, but is all this filtered water keeping you healthy or harming you? Some studies found that these water coolers can be hot spots for bacteria, so how can you get around this? Think about investing in a home filtration system and bringing your reusable bottle, or maybe campaign for some regular water cooler maintenance.
The Bathroom
For office bathrooms and public bathrooms, most people spend more time and work than they do at their homes sometimes, meaning that restrooms get used a lot and most times, employers don’t clean them as often as they should. Therefore, it’s essential to minimize using your phones in the bathrooms, and please wash your hands afterward.
Elevator Buttons
Research on hospital elevator buttons has found that the number of bacteria present on an elevator button is higher than that of a public toilet seat. Elevators are typically found in hotels, offices, airports, apartment buildings, and more, where hundreds of people touch the same elevator buttons daily after they’ve come into contact with different levels and types of bacteria. If they’re not cleaned regularly, these high-traffic points can easily become breeding grounds for the spread of illnesses and bacteria. You can try to touch them with something that’s not your bare hands, or you can buy a touchless elevator tool that you can put on your keychain or store in your purse, which you’ll occasionally need to sanitize as well.
