Among your New Year’s resolutions may be eating better, sleeping more and drinking less, but what about cleaning your office workspace? It just might keep you in better health in 2025.
Scientific studies have shown that workspaces, whether in an office or at home, are magnets for germs. New research from the University of Arizona shows how quickly those germs travel through an office environment when just one person comes to work sick.
The study found that more than half of commonly touched surfaces in an office – like doorknobs, copy machine buttons, the office refrigerator – can become infected with a virus when a single person in the office is ill. Some of the likeliest germ hotspots include the coffee pot handle in the break room, telephones, desktops and tabletops.
"We were actually quite surprised by how effectively everything spread," said Kelly Reynolds, University of Arizona associate professor of public health and co-principal investigator on the study. "I didn’t expect to find it as much as I did."
And that was in an office environment where people work primarily in isolated spaces, she noted.
"There weren't a lot of people roaming around," Reynolds said. "They basically go in their offices, sit in their chairs and are on their computers. They may go to the bathroom, and they have a common kitchen area they share and a photocopy machine, but that's about it."
Where germs most likely live
According to the study, here are some of the things in an office most likely to be covered with germs:
Computer keyboards
Computer mouse and mouse pad
Laptop computer
Desk phone
Desk
Photocopier keypad
Office chair
Doorknobs
Pens
In short, just about anything in an office that humans might touch could be loaded with germs. The solution is to clean these objects on a regular basis.
It’s a good idea to wipe down your desktop, monitor, keyboard, computer mouse and phone at least once a day. Instead -- Instead of using soap and water, health experts suggest a cleaner that also contains a disinfectant.