FACTS ABOUT GERMS

The average office desk is home to 20,000 germs per square inch. It harbours 400 times more germs than the toilet, which gets cleaned and disinfected regularly.

Most of this office equipment is off-limits to cleaners. The sensitivity of computers to cleaning solutions means that they generally get left alone.

The skin sheds ten million cells a day. Some of these get transported by our hands onto keyboards, mice, push buttons for telephones, faxes and photocopiers…all of which are shared.

If you use someone’s computer and then put your hand in your mouth without realizing it - you’re effectively eating dead skin.

The average person in an office touches about 300 surfaces every 30 minutes. In the world of viruses even kissing is safer than shaking hands.

It is estimated that telephone ear and mouthpieces carry up to 1,400 bacteria.

The office desk is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, which feast all day on leftover crumbs from desktop diners, and peak in number after lunch. The desktop effectively becomes a “bacteria cafeteria”.

Cold and flu viruses can survive for up to 3 days on surfaces such as telephones, desktops, photocopiers, printers and other high-touch surfaces.

Germs transmitted from a sneeze or cough can travel up to 3 feet. When they land on surfaces such as keyboards and telephones, they infect for up to 3 days.