The Germiest Spots in Your Office

As the saying goes, sharing is caring – except when it comes to your germs, that is. And the office space in which millions of Americans work is a breeding ground for germs.

It’s estimated that companies lose about $250 billion per year in lost productivity due to illness. To combat the spread of workplace germs and bacteria, business owners and office managers have a responsibility to keep their facilities clean for the health and safety of their customers and employees.

When you work with A.G. Maas, Indiana’s most reputable and trusted suppliers of janitorial supplies for office buildings, schools and medical facilities, you can rest assured that you’ll always be stocked with the highest-quality cleaning supplies. Our professionals can perform a facilities audit where we work with you to determine how much traffic goes through your building, where your biggest problem areas are, and find the appropriate products to keep your space clean.

After reading our blog about the 9 germiest places in an entire office building, you’ll want to ensure you have all of the appropriate cleaning supplies on hand to wipe those germs away!

Where Are the Germiest Places in the Office?

1. Office toilets (and restrooms in general)

Just like at home, office toilets and restrooms are indeed a germy place, although, surprisingly, not nearly as germy as some of the other spots we’ll discuss below. Office toilets can contain harmful bacteria, in addition to cold and flu viruses. Office toilets and sinks should be cleaned once per day, at minimum, with professional cleaners. Make sure your hand soap dispensers are always full so employees can wash their hands after using the restroom.

2. Elevator buttons and doorknobs

Office elevator buttons and doorknobs are some of the germiest places in any office building. Just think about how many people touch them on a daily basis! These places should be disinfected daily to cut down on germs, so make sure your office maintenance staff performs this duty. It’s also a good idea to leave hand sanitizer in common areas near elevators and doors.

3. Desk phones, keyboards and mouses

Office computers and phones are the most touched items in a work setting, especially if it’s a shared work environment where other employees may be using the same phone and computer keyboard. An office phone can host about 25,000 germs per square inch. Cleaning staff don’t often clean these areas, making it up to the individual employee to do so. Provide employees with electronic-friendly disinfectant wipes so they can wipe down their station at least once per day.

4. Desks

Studies have found that an office desk has about 400 times more germs than a toilet seat! The areas of a desk where hands touch can contain around 10,000 bacteria. Office desks should be cleaned with a disinfectant at least once a day. You can also promote cleanliness by providing employees with access to disinfecting wipes.

5. Vending machines

Most office spaces provide vending machines for employees in break rooms and throughout the office. It’s possible that dozens or hundreds of fingers touch vending machines on a daily basis, creating an extremely germy area. If you manage a facility and are unsure whether or not vending machines are included in the daily cleaning process, it’s a good idea to ensure these areas are cleaned daily. Place hand sanitizer dispensers around vending machines and throughout break rooms.

6. Water fountains

Water fountains are an extremely germy spot in any office building due to the high amount of people that use them. Thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing water fountains and the buttons on a daily basis can improve worker productivity and reduce sick days.

7. Break rooms

Office break rooms are havens for germs to thrive because they are highly used rooms where people eat and touch a lot of things, including microwave door handles, refrigerator door handles, kitchen sinks, vending machine buttons, and the coffee pot. Make sure all areas of your office’s break room are professionally cleaned at least once per day. That includes the floors, countertops, and faucet handles. Place hand sanitizer dispensers throughout break rooms for employees to use.

8. Shared pens

Pens are easy to lose, whether employees leave them in the break room or a conference room. In many cases, other employees pick them up and use them, not knowing that pens can harbor 200 bacteria per square inch. A.G. Maas can ensure that your office supply rooms are always filled with new pens so employees don’t have to scrounge around looking for one or borrowing one that is covered in illness-causing germs.

9. Copiers

Just like elevator buttons and doorknobs, copiers are frequently used by almost everyone in an office setting. Germs can thrive on the buttons of office equipment, especially since these areas are not always frequently cleaned. It’s a good idea to place sanitizing wipes near all equipment.

Contact A.G. Maas for High-quality Cleaning Products

When you work with A.G. Maas, we provide you with the highest-quality cleaning products to keep your workplace germ-free. We can even make cleaning recommendations to problems you may have not even noticed yet. We vet all of our regional and national suppliers to ensure that our customers only receive the best cleaners available. We can provide you with all of the products that you need and even keep you in regular stock. Contact us today for more information about becoming a customer.