How clean do you think your office is? Do you know the hotspots for germ growth? Most of us are aware of the obvious places to avoid, like bathroom door handles, but the obvious locations aren’t necessarily the worst. To help customers living in Southern Oregon fight the war on germs in their workplaces, Vista Building Services has put together a list of the most unexpected hotspots where you will find germs.
Buttons
We encounter these everywhere. Computers, shredders, copiers, telephones, and elevators, all things we interact with regularly, require us to push buttons to operate them. People trade desks or swap seats to do a task. Copiers and shredders are all communal. What do you think the guy on the conference call with the nasty cough does to mute himself as he has a coughing fit? The mute button. At the top of the list is the copier button, with four times the amount of bacteria present in a dog bowl.
Liquid Dispenser Handles
We all need something to get us going in the morning. Many use a cup of coffee as their stimulant of choice and pouring themselves a cup is the first thing they do when they get to work. Now, imagine how many hands touched that handle after touching the elevator buttons on the way up to the office. Tests demonstrated that the coffee pot handle had almost as many germs as the kitchen sponge. Coffee pots aren’t the only liquid dispenser handles in a workplace. The water dispenser is another hotspot to avoid.
Takeout Menus
It’s a late night and everyone wants some food. For such occasions, your office keeps several takeout menus on hand. This ritual is repeated month after month, with those laminated menus making the rounds until someone puts them away for next time. Most don’t even think about what might be breeding on the menus, let alone sanitizing before and after touching them.
Vista Building Services recommends everyone practice good hygiene in public spaces. Wash hands regularly and keep sanitizer on hand for use before and after interacting with these and other germ hotspots.