5 Items That Are Dirtier Than a Toilet

Office cleanliness is crucial in attracting and maintaining great customers and employees. Restrooms aren’t the only germ-filled areas of your office. From electronic equipment to the permanent parts of the building, your company’s space is a hotbed for bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. Before you put yourself or your employees at risk, take a look at the common office items that may have more germs than a toilet seat.

1. Office Doorknobs

Your office’s doorknobs or door handles may look clean and shiny. But are they germ-free? Studies show that doorknobs in public places, such as offices, make passing microorganisms from person to person easy. Think about how many people in your office touch the doorknobs.

To get in and out of the building (or gain access to restrooms, communal areas, and other office spaces) everyone needs to touch the knob or handle. The more people who touch the knobs, the more germs are passed around.

What can you do to reduce the risks of breeding bacteria and viruses on doorknob and door handle surfaces? A professional cleaning company or regular janitor who knows how to properly disinfect hard surfaces can decrease the number of microorganisms living on these high-touch areas.

2. Computer Keyboards

How often do you think about the computer keyboards in your office? If you can’t remember the last time anyone cleaned one, you may have a serious microorganism buildup problem. According to a survey from the University of Arizona, most adults don’t realize office items such as computer keyboards typically harbor more germs than a toilet seat.

If your staff doesn’t have time to regularly clean your office’s keyboards, hire a professional cleaning team to step in. Regular cleaning and disinfection can reduce the risks of spreading illnesses, keeping your employees happy and healthy.

3. Phone Surfaces

Whether your employees use a communal phone, have their own desk phones, or bring their smartphones to work, these seemingly clean devices are constantly covered with microorganisms. Every time someone picks up and handles a phone, puts their ear to the receiver, or talks into the device, they’re picking up and leaving behind germs.

A study, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London, found that 92 percent of cell phones had bacteria on them. Of those phones, 16 percent had potentially dangerous E. coli contamination.

Cleaning phones regularly should become part of routine healthy office practices. While your employees should stay on top of cleaning their own personal smartphones, you can reduce the risks of illness in the office by hiring a professional to clean and disinfect shared phones.

4. Tablet Devices

Do you, or your employees, use tablets or iPads in the office? If so, these devices may contain a similar number of germs as smartphones or computer keyboards do – especially if employees share them. Institute a cleaning policy, asking each employee to wipe down the tablet after using it.

Along with regularly wiping off these devices, remind employees to clean their own tablet after sharing it with a coworker. If possible, avoid communal tablet use to avoid the spread of germs from employee to employee.

5. Break Room Supplies

The coffee cups, water cooler handle, microwave, mini fridge, table, and everything else in your office’s break room may contain bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms. Keep the area clean, remove debris, and discard old food products properly.

Before your break room becomes a bacterial breeding ground:

• Write down dates. How old is the food in the office refrigerator? Require employees to discard all old or spoiled items.
• Clean coffee cups. Communal wash-and-use coffee cups can harbor dangerous bacteria. Use hot soapy water or a dishwasher for these items.
• Wipe down surfaces. Wipe all hard surfaces (including the refrigerator handle, microwave buttons, and water cooler knob) with a sanitizer.

Along with these safety steps, hire a professional cleaner to keep the area germ-free.

Do you need expert help keeping your office clean? Contact DRC Contract Cleaning for more information.