You rush to it every morning, chug coffee and munch on lunch at it and perhaps even rest your head on it.
It's safe to say you probably spend more time at your desk than any other place most weeks. But when was the last time you cleaned it?
Most of us could stand to work on our desk hygiene, says Charles Gerba, a professor at the University of Arizona who has been researching the subject for years and recently released the latest installment of a study called "Germs in the Workplace." Among the findings--there's 400 times more bacteria on a given desktop than the toilet in the average restroom.
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"Most people won't clean their desks until they start sticking to them," Gerba says. "The janitor won't touch it because it's personal space so it never gets clean. And we've turned it into a cafeteria by eating at our desks."
The findings
In the study, funded by The Clorox Company, researchers collected samples in the fall of 2006 from offices and cubicles in buildings located in Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oregon and New York.
The phone won the title for "germiest workplace surface," followed by the keyboard, computer mouse and desktop. Our bad track record with the phone is likely due to a lack of awareness that these spaces are havens for germs, Gerba says. We rarely think about how clean our BlackBerrys or cellphones are, but we're constantly touching them with dirty hands. Previous studies have shown that in hospitals, TV remotes tend to contain the most germs because no one thinks to clean them, Gerba points out.
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The study also found that computer mice and keyboards had three to four times more germs in women's offices than in men's, and that women's desk drawers, which commonly contained food, had seven times more germs than men's. Food that doesn't come in a wrapper, such as a piece of fruit, can leave behind particles that lead to mold and bacteria growth.
But, surprisingly, the single most germy items in any office were men's wallets. They were found to have four times more germs than women's purses, which researchers expected to top the list because women frequently place them on the floor.
While eye-opening, Gerba says the results shouldn't induce panic. Wiping your desk with a disinfectant on a daily basis will make a big difference. There are also lots of gadgets that can help you keep your mouse clean and reach all those nooks and crannies in your keyboard.
And the best defense?
"People hate doing it," Gerba says, "but washing your hands works."
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