6 places germs hide in your office

6 Surprising Places Germs Are Hiding in Your Office

Some contact with germs is inevitable, but most people don’t realize just how many germs can hide in a workplace environment. Your office may seem clean. Maybe the floors are swept, desks wiped down, bathrooms cleaned, and door handles disinfected. But germs often hide in unexpected places in your office.

Fact: 80% of infections spread via contact with contaminated surfaces (not coughing and sneezing).

In this post, I’ll explain some of the most germ-infested office items and places to avoid. The best and easiest way is to make sure your office has a top-notch janitorial service, but there are other things you can do on your own to keep yourself and your space clean and healthy.

Grab your hand sanitizer and get ready. Let’s get started.

What Are Germs, Anyway?

The technical definition of germs isn’t very specific. Basically, a germ is a very small living thing that causes disease. Fungi and viruses are types of germs, as are bacteria like E.coli.

Not all germs are bad. In fact, without certain healthy bacteria, our bodies couldn’t function. Unfortunately, not all the germs that hide in offices are healthy, and the bad ones are all mixed in with the harmless ones.

Here are a few places they tend to hide:

Coffee Mugs

office coffee mug

Did you know 1 in 5 office coffee mugs is tainted with fecal bacteria? When mugs don’t get thoroughly washed after every use, those bacteria can get passed on from person to person.

You might consider bringing your own designated mug and washing it every time you use it.

Your Desk

Statistically, your desk is probably dirtier than the office toilet — 400 times dirtier, to be exact. Your keyboard alone most likely harbors about 16 million microbes! Think about how often you…

  • Eat at your desk
  • Touch your desk after touching other potentially germ-infested items
  • Clean your desk (including your keyboard and mouse)

It’s a good idea to wipe your desk down every day with a disinfecting wipe.

The Phone

office phone germs

Photo: Martin Cathrae

Phones are even worse than desks. We’ve all heard how dirty our cellphones can get, but it turns out your office phone has the same problem.

Most office phones never (or very rarely) get cleaned, even though we touch them all the time. We handle them, press them up to our ears and hair, and even breathe on them. It’s even grosser if you’re not the only one that uses it.

Next time you wipe down your desk, don’t forget the phone.

The Water Cooler

Most people don’t imagine the water cooler getting dirty, but the truth is, most water cooler nozzles never get cleaned. Stationary water is a perfect breeding environment for germs, and they can live there for a long time.

Here’s the easiest way to clean the water cooler in your office.

The Copy Machine

If your office has a copy machine, it may be the single best place to share germs with everyone in your office.

Offices should keep hand sanitizer by the copy machine for employees to use when they’re done using it. If that’s not an option, try to wash your hands after you use the copy machine, or at least keep your own hand sanitizer at your desk.

PowerPoint Remotes and Other Shared Items

Conference rooms and everything in them tend to carry a lot of germs. Shared computers, PowerPoint remotes, and other communal items are likely to be harboring germs from throughout the office.

It’s a good idea to wipe these items down every day. If you can’t, then wash or sanitize your hands after using them.

wash your hands

Photo: Arlington County

How to Kill Office Germs Effectively

If you’re feeling grossed out — and maybe a little paranoid — I don’t blame you. Ease your mind by remembering that it’s impossible to avoid 100% of germs. All you can do is do your best to be sanitary and healthy at work.

Here are a few tips for avoiding germs in the office:

Wash your hands often, especially after using the restroom, after using communal items and spaces, before and after a meal, and every time you cough, sneeze, or blow your nose.

Carry hand sanitizer for those times you aren’t able to wash your hands.

Wipe down surfaces regularly with disinfecting wipes. You can also use a disinfecting spray, but don’t wipe it off. You need to let it dry for it to be effective.

Bring your own water bottle and mugs and wash them regularly.

Stay home from work if you’re sick. It’s almost impossible to avoid spreading germs, even if you try. Did you know that, on average, one person with a virus will infect 50% of all equipment and employees in their vicinity within 4 hours?

Avoid stair and escalator handrails if possible. You might be touching food, E.coli, urine, mucus, feces, or even blood, according to University of Arizona microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba.

Don’t bother with antibacterial soap. It’s not any more effective than regular soap. In fact, overuse of antibacterial products contributes to antibiotic resistance, which is a serious concern worldwide. Traditional soap will do the job just fine.

At Cascade Building Services, we use environmentally safe, eco-friendly cleaning products that are free from harmful odors and toxins. To learn more about how Cascade Building Services can help keep your office clean, safe, and healthy, contact us online or give us a call at (503) 850-0710.

how-to-clean-your-office

7 Ways to Make Your Office Shine

Can a cleaner office make you happier, healthier, and more productive? You better believe it!

The appearance of your office makes a lasting impression on both clients and visitors, but don’t overlook the fact that you’re the one who spends the most time there. You and your employees will be the ones who benefit most from a clean office environment.

This post will tell you how to whip your workplace into shape. But first, let’s look at why cleaner really is better.

Why Keep the Office Clean?

Most of us have a nagging feeling we should be keeping things cleaner, but don’t know why.

According to research from Princeton University and UCLA, we get that feeling for a reason. Clutter not only reduces our ability to focus, it also makes us feel frustrated, guilty, and stressed out.

Would you believe that 82% of the workforce feels they would work harder in a cleaner office? And that 60% of work-related illnesses result from dirty office equipment? It’s true!

Ready to make your office shine? Whether you work in a one-person office or a multi-floor building, these 7 tips will help you get your office clean and keep it that way.

1. Declutter & Organize

desk organizer

It’s hard to give any space a thorough cleaning without clear surfaces. Getting rid of clutter is step one.

When it comes to clutter, desks are usually the biggest culprits. Here are some tips for organizing your office’s most-used surfaces:

  • Start by throwing away anything you don’t need. Be ruthless!
  • Get desk or drawer organizers for things like papers, unread pieces of mail, sticky notes paperclips, and pens. Here are some creative ideas to get you started.
  • Designate a junk drawer for the miscellaneous items you aren’t ready to throw away just yet.
  • Consider a traditional filing cabinet if you have a lot of papers and enough floor space to fit one.
  • If you’re environmentally conscious and you’re up for a bigger project, go paperless. Start scanning documents for long term digital storage. A bonus is that depending on the scanner you use, your documents may become searchable too!

2. Rearrange the Furniture

office furniture arrangement

Photo: Loozrboy

A good furniture arrangement won’t actually make your office cleaner, but it can make your office feel cleaner.

Functionality is priority number one. Make sure there’s enough open floor space for you and everyone else to move around without getting in each other’s space or squeezing between furniture. A good layout looks looks balanced when viewed from the doorway.

Simply leaving enough space between desks and office equipment can make the room look bigger and more organized. If you really want to switch it up, try one of these creative tips or experiment with feng shui.

3. Get Some Indoor Plants

office potted plant

Flowers and potted plants can make a bigger difference than you might think. Not only do they look nice, plants purify the air, contributing to a healthier, more refreshing office space. Believe it or not, plants have even been shown to make people happier.

Tip: Researchers found that flowers in particular can increase productivity and creativity, so bring on the bouquets!

4. Let in Some Natural Light

windows natural light office

A little sunlight can really brighten an office. Throw back the curtains or open the blinds to make your space more inviting.

The benefits aren’t just aesthetic. A 2012 study showed that employees who were exposed to natural light during work hours slept better at night and came back to work less tired and more refreshed, which made them more productive workers.

5. Get rid of Gross Smells

garbage trash bag

Photo: theilr

Some of the biggest office turn-offs are things you can’t see. Even the best looking office will feel dirty if it smells bad. How can you eliminate unpleasant odors?

If the weather’s nice, crack a window. The fresh air will make you feel more energized and awake.

  • Buy a trash bin with a tight-fitting lid and empty it regularly.
  • Keep old food off your desk and clean all dirty dishes before you leave the office for the day.
  • Go through the office fridge periodically to make sure there are no forgotten lunches lurking in the dark corners.

Some unpleasant odors will stick around even after you’ve done everything you can to get rid of them. If that happens to you, our professionals can help you get rid of lingering bad smells. We don’t use toxic chemicals, which can leave a different kind of unpleasant and unwanted smell behind.

6. Disinfect Surfaces and Things You Touch

clean computer keyboard mouse and phone

Germs accumulate everywhere in offices. Think about how many hours you spend in the office each week. Then multiply that by the number of coworkers you have. That’s a lot of opportunity for germs to be spread around and to be transferred from person to person.

And it’s not just the bathroom that should be cleaned regularly. Grab some disinfectant and wipe down your desk, computer, keyboard, mouse, and phone. Phones get especially dirty if more than one person in your office uses the same one.

You’ll also probably want to do a thorough cleaning of the kitchen area regularly.

7. Make a Cleaning a Regular Activity

pen calendar to do checklist

Now that your office is sparkling clean, you probably want to keep it that way. Try creating a chore chart with the tasks you want to accomplish each week, including cleaning the bathroom, taking out the trash, and wiping down dirty surfaces.

Keeping an office clean can feel like a full time job — especially if you have a bathroom and kitchen to deal with. If cleaning is taking too much time away from your work, it might be time to hire a professional janitorial service.

Ready to get your office sparkling clean? Contact us for a free estimate! If you prefer, we can even clean your office at night when you’re not there.

darrenAbout the author Darren

Darren is the owner of Cascade Building Services. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree at Lewis and Clark University. He used to work in sales for General Mills. In his spare time, you can find him in the great outdoors camping and boating.