Your Desk: The Office Hot Zone

A breeding ground for germs, bacteria and viruses.

By Jason Sugar
Staples Editor

"This sickness doth infect the very lifeblood of our enterprise."
– William Shakespeare

Look at your desk. It's absolutely filthy.

We're not talking about the jumbled blanket of papers, supplies and file folders obscuring your desk. The dirt we're worried about is the seething mass of germs, bacteria and viruses underneath your clutter. The typical desk surface has 400 times more bacteria than an office toilet seat.¹ That should make you think twice about where you eat your lunch.

And the germs don't stop at the desk. Keyboards, mice and telephones are also popular breeding grounds for bacteria.

So where are all these little guys coming from? Well, it's actually a very "touchy" subject. Many germs are picked up and transferred around the office via your hands, which means they can hitch a free ride from the bathroom doorknob or copier lid straight to your desk. So it may be time to wipe down that tacky–to–the–touch keyboard and fingerprint–stained mouse.

Food is another reason why desks have become a Woodstock for germs. Crumbs, spills and remnants attract a ton of the biological little buggers.

"A lot of people eat and slop on their desks all the time, so it basically turns into a bacteria cafeteria during the day," said Dr. Charles Gerba, who conducted a 2002 study on germs in the workplace.²

So how many people grab a bite at their desks? A report from the American Dietetic Association showed 75% of people eat lunch at their desks at least 2–3 times per week.³ When you throw in snacks, soda and coffee, it's a safe bet everybody eats or drinks something at their desk every day.

And with every inevitable soda spill or meatloaf mishap, the number of germs on your desk multiplies. The bad news is that some of these germs could result in a nasty 24–hour stomach bug or even a full–blown case of the flu.

The good news is that it's fairly easy to keep the germs in check. It just takes a little diligence. Here are five ways to cut down on germs:

1. Don't eat at your desk

One way you can shut down the bacteria cafeteria is by actually going to cafeteria to eat lunch. Don't worry your desk will still be there when you get back.

2. If you do eat at your desk, use a placemat

A placemat gives you an extra barrier between your food and the bacteria.

3. Clean regularly

In a perfect cube, you would disinfect daily. It's not as dreadful as it sounds. Just set aside a few minutes before lunch or at the end of the day to do it.

Cleaning is the single biggest way to reduce germs. Workers who cleaned their desks daily with disinfectant wipes reduced bacterial levels by 99%.⁴

4. Clean thoroughly

Use a disinfectant spray or wipes and clean all of the desktop surface areas and anyplace that you regularly touch. Remember, your phone, mouse and keyboard are all hot zones for germs.

5. Keep some disinfecting wipes handy

Wipes

Get to that food splatter before the bacteria. The quicker you clean up your mess, the less chance there is for germs to grow attached to it.

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¹2002 study conducted by the University of Arizona.

²From "Is your desk making you sick?," CNN.com, December 13, 2004.

³From "Desktop dining: It's unsanitary, unhealthy, unfriendly and we all do it," WashingtonPost.com, January 11, 2006.

⁴From "Dishing the dirt on office germs," CNN.com, Februrary 11, 2004.

The information contained in this article is only an overview of the subject matter made for general guidance to the reader, and is subject in all cases to limitations and disclaimers set forth in Staples' Legal Terms and Conditions.