Top 10 Dirtiest Place in the Office and How to Keep it Clean

3/16/2022 (Permalink)

Think about it, how many people touch and use the elevator in your building every day?

Certain areas of any workplace are dirtier than others. SERVPRO of East Davie/ Cooper City wants you to know the top 10.  

1. Elevator Buttons

How many people use the elevator in your building every day? Every one of them touches several buttons in the process, calling the elevator, choosing a floor, and opening or closing the door. Research shows the average elevator button has 40 times as many bacteria as a public toilet seat.  

Wiping the buttons after every ride is impractical, but they should be cleaned and disinfected at the end of every day. 

2. Desktops

The average desktop has 400 times as much bacteria as a toilet seat.  Every square inch can contain more than 20,000 viruses, bacteria, and fungi. 

Keeping your desktop sanitary starts with washing your hands throughout the day, especially after touching shared surfaces. Before you leave for the night, wipe down your desktop, including your keyboard and computer mouse, to kill any germs and start the next day with a clean slate.

3. Electronics

Both shared and personal electronics can harbor germs that spread illness. You touch your phone and computer keyboard more than any other surface in your office. Your phone is the second most germ-filled spot on your desk, after your coffee cup, simply because you touch it so many times a day and it collects saliva while you talk. And your keyboard? That contains about  700 germs per square inch.  

Shared equipment like photocopiers, fax machines, and printers also collect germs from multiple users throughout the day. Just think about how many times the “copy” button is pressed during a typical day. 

Wiping down your computer with electronics-friendly disinfecting wipes can reduce the germs in your workspace.

4. Kitchen/Break Room

All surfaces in the shared kitchen should be disinfected daily.  

Sponges should also be replaced often, ideally weekly. The moist environment allows harmful bacteria like E.coli and salmonella to grow, and when dirty sponges are used to clean other surfaces, that bacteria can spread. 

5. The Coffee Maker

The coffee maker is one item in the kitchen that deserves special attention since it’s likely to be the most touched surface in the entire office. The pot handle is most likely to collect germs, but the pot and maker should also be cleaned to eliminate bacteria.

Although many models are self-cleaning, a weekly cleaning with vinegar gets the coffee maker squeaky-clean and germ-free. 

6. Bathrooms

Just like at home, bathrooms at the office are germ hotspots. Multiple people touch toilet and sink faucet handles, the door, and other surfaces, and not everyone washes their hands properly after using the toilet. Daily cleaning and disinfecting are a must for restrooms.

So many people using the same bathrooms also increases the risk for clogs and backups. Remember a sewage backup causes serious contamination that should only be cleaned up by SERVPRO of East Davie/Cooper City professionals who has the correct equipment to clean. 

7. Door Handles

Like elevator buttons, door handles are touched by multiple people throughout the day. Encourage people to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer after touching door handles, and wipe them down with disinfecting wipes at least once a day.  

8. Water Cooler

The handle and spigot can harbor germs that are more harmful than any company gossip. Employees often fill their personal glasses or water bottles at the cooler without washing them in between uses, which spreads germs and touches the handle several times a day. 

Providing disposable cups for water can reduce some of the germs. Water coolers should be cleaned and disinfected with wipes daily to reduce spread. 

9. Vents and Ducts

HVAC vents and ducts collect all manner of dust, allergens, and debris as air flows through.

SERVPRO can professionally clean your HVAC systems. 

10. Curtains & Blinds

Window coverings like curtains and blinds can gather dust, as well as harbor bacteria and viruses that spread through the air. 

Having blinds and curtains professionally cleaned regularly can help keep this from happening.

Call SERVPRO of East Davie/Cooper City to help you maintain a clean and sanitary office. Call us at 954-741-4321 or 954-725-6400.