The most germ-infested item in your home office (by far)

As we all know, germs are microscopic – but imagine if you could see all of them. Bacteria divide every 20 minutes in ideal conditions, with the capability of spreading to multiple surfaces in your home.

Your home office is no exclusion. Now that many are working from home full-time, workers are spending countless hours in their “home office” – whether that be a dedicated office space in a room, the living room or your bedroom.

Although we aren’t leaving the house as much nowadays, germs can still get into your home. Activities ranging from touching the door to enter your apartment complex, grocery shopping and pumping gas can transmit germs.

When health is important how more than ever, it’s important to be aware of the most germ-infested spots in your home office – and how you can avoid getting sick. 

Door knobs, handles and light switches

These spots are some of the biggest culprits when it comes to accumulating bacteria. Even while working from home, these are all utilities that we use on a daily basis. Multiple family members may touch a light switch or knob regularly.

Desk

Desks tend to accumulate a ton of bacteria if they aren’t wiped down and sanitized regularly. According to Space.IQ, research from the University of Arizona showed that desks contain 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Germs, such as the common cold, can last up to 72 hours on these surfaces.

Clean your desk with sanitizing wipes a few times per week to eliminate the gross bacteria that can be built up from the week. 

Keyboard and mouse

Since these items are usually found on a desk, it makes sense why they may be culprits for accumulating a lot of bacteria. Back in the days of going into the office, keyboards and mouse pads were prone to other co-workers touching them and peering over your shoulder as you work. In the days of coronavirus, the thought of this may make us shudder or seem like a distant memory.

Even though we may be at home working, without risk of others touching our workspace, remember that you also carry germs, and cleaning the keyboard and mouse are an important step in avoiding harmful germs.

Cell phone and laptop

Even before COVID-19, cell phones should be sanitized regularly. Think about it – wherever we go, our phone comes with us. We travel, take public transportation and touch multiple germ-infested items on the daily. We often then would touch our phones without even thinking about the possibility of spreading germs. 

Phones can carry a lot of bacteria, and we hold them up to our face – and easy way to spread harmful bacteria into our bodies. The same goes for a laptop. We touch items and then begin working on our computers. However, germs can live on keyboards for quite some time. According to Healthline, the coronavirus can live on keyboards for a total of three days. Make sure to sanitize your phone and laptop a few times a week to avoid accumulation and transmission of viruses.

The takeaway? Even though you are working alone at home, always make an effort to sanitize your workstation. You never know what bacteria you picked up on your daily grocery run or elevator ride in your apartment complex.