We all know that public washrooms have their share of germs, but you probably never think about the places in your office that actually house the most dirt and microbes. Places that often go forgotten when it comes time to clean include some of the most frequently used items in the office. If you have a reliable cleaning service like Anago, you can rest assured that these areas are disinfected regularly.
Doors
Doorknobs and handles are the one thing that every single person in your office has to touch every day, multiple times a day. And let’s face it, not everybody’s hands are clean all the time. Whether it’s cold germs, food particles, or grime picked up from public transit, there’s a considerable amount of undesirable stuff on peoples’ hands, and it inevitably makes its way to the doors in your office.
Computers
Your mouse and keyboard are probably the dirtiest things in your office. In fact, a normal office mouse and keyboard have about 400 times more bacteria on them than your average toilet seat, because your hands touch them for hours at a time and constantly reapply bacteria throughout the day. Keyboards not only get microbes transferred from our hands, but also from food crumbs, dust, hair, and more.
Communal Kitchen/Break Room
The kitchen or lunchroom is one of the dirtiest places in the office, which isn’t exactly appetizing. Sure, people wash the dishes and wipe down the counters, but what about the forgotten places that everyone touches multiple times a day? Those might not be getting cleaned at all. For example, when is the last time anyone disenfected the refrigerator door handle? Probably awhile ago. But people are touching that all day, usually in between touching food and dirty dishes. The coffeepot handle and microwave door handle are also breeding grounds for germs that tend to go overlooked. And don’t forget the faucet! These are all places that everyone in the office is touching regularly and probably not cleaning afterwards, so grime and microbes build up.
Buttons
There are probably several buttons around the office that people press all the time but nobody ever cleans. Buttons in elevators, on printers and copiers (especially the “start” button), vending machines, water fountains, and microwaves are all examples of this.
Office Supplies
Pens, pencils, staplers, and any other office supplies that multiple people grab and use regularly are all hotspots for bacteria and germs. Pens are a particular one to watch out for because many people have a habit of biting on their pens, so you get germs from peoples’ mouths on them (and whatever germs are already on that pen go into your mouth if you bite it…yuck).
Telephones
Bacteria is transferred to a phone receiver both by your hand and your mouth. Phones are especially germ-infested when they are shared, but a personal telephone is still one of the dirtiest—and least often cleaned—areas in the average office.
What You Can Do
The information above may have you cringing a little, but now that you know these 6 office germ hotspots you can make sure they stay clean and safe to use. Get in the habit of using disinfectant wipes regularly on germy areas, encourage employees to wash their hands often, hire a reliable cleaning company, reduce office clutter, and keep a bottle of hand sanitizer at your desk or in the break room.
Anago specializes in office cleaning services. Get a quote today!