Cleaning 'hot' dirty desks
February 1st 2009 Research into the cleanliness
of offices shows that each
square inch of a keyboard can
contain up to 3,295 different
kinds of germs, and
that bugs such as
listeria or
salmonella can
linger for up to 24
hours on keys,
computer mouses and phones.
Statistically, that makes a
workstation dirtier than the
average toilet.When the IT
equipment used is shared with
colleagues in call centres or
'hot desk' environments the
problem intensifies.
Despite this warning,
management rarely see
workstation cleanliness as a
top priority.However, a clean
workplace environment limits
the spread of infection –
reducing sickness and
absenteeism, and regular
cleaning also extends
equipment lifetime, helps to
project a professional image
and raises staff moral by
proving that their wellbeing is
a priority.
"We deep clean
workstations with a
focus on phones,
mice, keyboards and
desks," says Claire
Burke, a director of
Keep IT Clean, a specialist IT
equipment cleaning company.
"Employers have a duty of care
to their employees and many
businesses are waking up to
the fact that a workstation
deep clean safeguards workers
from infection".
"Our staff appreciate that
having computer equipment,
fax machines and
photocopiers properly cleaned
means less chance of picking
up a bug," says Wendy Peck
service support manager at
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