Studies sponsored by a private company on office environs have found that the most contaminated desks are in the Big Apple.
Bigger cities with larger multi-storied office buildings and colder climates force workers to take their lunch at their desks making way for germs to spread. In cities with lower densities of population and warmer climate, workers leave offices to take lunch and as such they have fewer microbes. Tucson, San Francisco and Los Angeles have much cleaner offices.
Shared workplaces such as newsrooms with staffs on different shifts are much more contaminated.
How to maintain cleanliness
To keep your office clean, focus on three areas - desktops, telephones and computers. Wash your hands as frequently as possible. Go for disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizers.
Many people don't care to clean their desks till they become sticky. Men contaminate something and women something else. Men mostly contaminate through their BlackBerrys. Women spread contamination through perishable food. Apples, oranges and bananas leave mold behind. Another item that breeds bacteria is makeup kits of women.
Use wet disinfected paper towel
To extend the life of office equipment such as a keyboard use compressed air. But to kill germs use products that kill germs. To clean the desk with a dry paper towel is ineffective; it even makes things worse. It moves the germs all around instead of disinfecting. You are not supposed to spray cleaners on most of the office equipment. Just wet a paper towel with a gentle disinfectant and wipe the office equipment.
People who are obsessed with cleanliness always avoid touching bathroom knobs. But they say knobs and switches are pretty clean. The one that is the dirtiest spot in office buildings is the innocuous first floor button of the elevator. Better take the stairs.
