Your Desk May Be Making You Sick

Harbors Millions Of Bugs; Expert Tells How To Lower Risk Of Illness

(CBS)  Most desks are dirtier than bathrooms, with some 400 times more germs, experts say.

What's more, Arizona State University researchers have found, women's desks have nearly three-times more bugs than those of their male counterparts.

On The Early Show Monday, Prevention magazine Health Educator Cynthia Sass explained where germs hide in plain sight on desks, and how to make your desktop as germ-free as possible.

"We're talking about viruses, bacteria, mold and yeast," Sass told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez.

There are some 10 million bacteria under your hand when it's resting on your desk, experts estimate, and desktop bacteria can stay alive for up to three days.

How often should we clean our desks? Every day and at the end of every say, Sass advises.

The best cleaning option? Anti-bacterial wipes.

Why do women have more germs at their workspaces than men? "It's probably because they have more stuff that attracts germs or accumulates germs, such as knick-knacks, picture frames, hand lotion, etc.," Sass says.

"We recommend you don't put on hand lotion at work, because (its moisture attracts and) holds onto germs and can transfer them to other surfaces (as you touch them), including your desk."

The biggest trouble spot is one you might never suspect: your phone. We touch them so often, there are lots of places on them for germs to lodge. Phones, Sass says, are "a magnet" for germs.

With computers, the mouse and keyboard are the biggest culprits -- especially if you eat over your keyboard. If you have to eat at your desk, Sass suggests, bring a placemat and put your food on it. And take it home at the end of the day. Keyboards and mice that can be washed with disinfectants are also made, and they're not very expensive.

Other germ-producing behaviors at work include sneezing at your desk (Sass ays you should keep a box of tissues at your desk and sneeze it into one. If you sneeze into one of your hands, wash it!) and having too much clutter (when piles of things are around, they can accumulate a lot of germs -- things such as papers, picture frames, rolodexes, lamps, etc.).

For much more from Prevention on minimizing germs at the office and at home, click here.

© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Add a Comment

by briannorwood March 17, 2008 10:08 AM PDT

My desk is fine. But my boss makes me wanna puke!

Reply to this comment

by mswolfestock March 17, 2008 1:29 PM PDT

This article is nothing more than fear-mongering. I could spend my day sanitizing my desk, but it would all be wasted time because I work at a university, surrounded by thousands of students who carry their own strains of colds, flu, etc here from their homes and dorm rooms. And most of them don''t stay in bed when they are sick, either. I''d have to wrap myself head to toe in plastic wrap to avoid all of the germs. A little common sense is all that is necessary. If you are reasonably healthy to begin with, you do not have to live in constant fear of germs and other forms of crud.

Just don''t let anybody else use your phone, ever. Use common sense, and wipe off your desk once a week, and use "canned air" to blow out the dust and crumbs from your computer keyboard. If your computer keyboard and mouse are dirty, you are not washing your hands often enough. Use rubbing alcohol on your keyboard and mouse to remove the built-up dirt.

Reply to this comment

by bwessels March 17, 2008 2:39 PM PDT

Anti-bacterial wipes?? Yes, kill 99% of the bacteria, to make more growing room for the drug-resistant bacteria! What a good idea!

If you are sick, consider some of these measures to prevent re-infecting yourself. If you are well, ignore the low level of bacteria that naturally surround us everywhere, 24/7, and stop vaccinating the bacteria against our antibiotics.

Reply to this comment

by kennergirl March 17, 2008 3:59 PM PDT

I just thought it was the paperwork on my desk making me sick.

Reply to this comment

by displeased March 17, 2008 4:54 PM PDT

The best methods of defense is to wash your hands before you eat and keep your fingers out of your mouth and nose (i.e. don''t lick your fingers before counting money, etc). I don''t use anti-bacteria wipes. They remove both the good and bad bacteria.

I also work at a university and am constantly exposed to germs so my desk is my least concern.

Reply to this comment

by ajaxrose1 March 18, 2008 1:37 PM PDT

Those wipes get rid of all the good bacteria, too, so I don''t use them on my desk either. Our immune systems were designed to fight those types of day to day germs and I don''t think we should mess with that. Hand washing, YES. Fanatical germ irradication, NO. I want my immune system to keep right on working as good as it does.

Reply to this comment

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[briannorwood]

My desk is fine. But my boss makes me wanna puke!

[mswolfestock]

This article is nothing more than fear-mongering. I could spend my day sanitizing my desk, but it would all be wasted time because I work at a university, surrounded by thousands of students who carry their own strains of colds, flu, etc here from their homes and dorm rooms. And most of them don''t stay in bed when they are sick, either. I''d have to wrap myself head to toe in plastic wrap to avoid all of the germs. A little common sense is all that is necessary. If you are reasonably healthy to begin with, you do not have to live in constant fear of germs and other forms of crud.

Just don''t let anybody else use your phone, ever. Use common sense, and wipe off your desk once a week, and use "canned air" to blow out the dust and crumbs from your computer keyboard. If your computer keyboard and mouse are dirty, you are not washing your hands often enough. Use rubbing alcohol on your keyboard and mouse to remove the built-up dirt.

[bwessels]

Anti-bacterial wipes?? Yes, kill 99% of the bacteria, to make more growing room for the drug-resistant bacteria! What a good idea!

If you are sick, consider some of these measures to prevent re-infecting yourself. If you are well, ignore the low level of bacteria that naturally surround us everywhere, 24/7, and stop vaccinating the bacteria against our antibiotics.

[kennergirl]

I just thought it was the paperwork on my desk making me sick.

[displeased]

The best methods of defense is to wash your hands before you eat and keep your fingers out of your mouth and nose (i.e. don''t lick your fingers before counting money, etc). I don''t use anti-bacteria wipes. They remove both the good and bad bacteria.

I also work at a university and am constantly exposed to germs so my desk is my least concern.

[ajaxrose1]

Those wipes get rid of all the good bacteria, too, so I don''t use them on my desk either. Our immune systems were designed to fight those types of day to day germs and I don''t think we should mess with that. Hand washing, YES. Fanatical germ irradication, NO. I want my immune system to keep right on working as good as it does.