The top 10 hygiene hazards you face everyday in the office… and some could even leave you having to take a sick day
From bacteria on your keyboard and mouse to mouldy food in the fridge, the office can be an unhygienic place
WHILE most of us make sure our homes are spotless and have no bacteria lurking around - the same can't be said for the office.
Despite spending around 40 hours a week at work, we hardly ever clean around our desks or tidy up the office kitchen.
And due to the germs lying around the workplace at this time of year, more sick days are taken in February than any other month of the year.
Now , the online cleaning service, has come up with a list of the most unhygienic health hazards in the office. So how clean is your workplace?
Your headphones
It's common to see colleagues sharing headsets, but bacteria on them can spread like wildfire due to hair fibres, sweat and earwax, potentially causing facial rashes and even lice.
After one hour of use, bacteria and germs on headphones can increase 700 times.
Therefore sharing headphones isn't advisable and they should also be wiped down weekly with an alcohol soaked cotton swab.
Your desk
With more than 10 million germs to be found on the average work desk, it accommodates 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.
To keep your work space clean and healthy, wipe down twice a week with an antibacterial wipe or vinegar-based solution.
RELATED ARTICLES
Pen chewing
Many people have the nervous habit of chewing on the top of their pen or pencil.
But as the pen will have been touching germ-riddled hands all day, it means they will be transferred into your mouth when your chew on it.
Around one in five office workers admit to chewing their pens, meaning you probably want to avoid borrowing one from your colleague.
Your keyboard
Keyboards are notorious for harbouring bacteria, especially as we press every single key continuously for up to eight hours each day.
Skin cells, food residue and sweat mature and spread in such a small space, with more than 3,295 bacteria per square inch.
Therefore it is advisable to shake and wipe down your keyboard weekly with a slightly damp cloth.
Your mouse
Given that your hand can be placed on a mouse for up to 8 hours each day, they are heavily exposed to bacteria generated from sweat, food particles and dust.
With 10 per cent of office workers admitting to never cleaning their mouse, a study found that they can contain up to 1,676 microbes per square inch.
Experts advise giving the mouse a wipe down weekly with an antibacterial wipe.
The printer and photocopier
With everyone battling it out to use the printer, the average printer and copier machine is touched up to 300 times a day - especially the interface and touchpad.
This makes it a key nesting ground for nasty bacteria.
However, this can be avoided by simply wiping over the surface and keypad with a PC wipe before each use.
Water cooler
It provides the prime opportunity to sneak away from your desk and catch up on office politics.
But the water cooler is a known magnet for gathering all kinds of nasty bacteria, with 2.7 million germs per square inch on the average water dispenser, according to the Public Health Organisation.
Every night the water spout should be screwed off and placed in a bowl of warm water with sliced lemon placed inside overnight for a fresh glass.
Office fridge
It is the place where dripping take-away containers, mouldy yoghurt pots and furry sandwiches seem to find a home.
This means that bacteria thrives in such an environment and the office fridge should be cleared out every two days, especially as the average fridge contains 7,850 bacteria colony-forming units per square centimetre.
The shelves should also be wiped down with a hard sponge and hot soapy water, and spread baking soda over stubborn stains.
Microwave
Depending on the size of your office, the microwave can be used up to 30 times each day, harbouring a combination of meat and vegetable particles, and creating a nest for bacteria.
Germs need warmth, food and moisture to multiply, and allowing the internal top to be splattered with food particles can cause a potential health risk.
At the end of each day, it should be soaked daily with a vinegar-based solution and scrubbed thoroughly with a hard sponge.
Soap dispenser
You’ve downed your morning coffee, gone for a toilet break and washed your hands with the soap dispenser.
However, you would be wise to be wary of just how dirty the dispensers can be.
A study by the University of Arizona found that a quarter of office dispensers are contaminated with faecal bacteria.
If you wash your hands thoroughly enough, the germs should be killed, but many people don't and leave themselves vulnerable to infection.