These 10 office habits can make you sick

these-10-office-habits-can-make-you-sick

How clean is your workplace? The cleaning portal Helpling shows which habits are fatal for your health.

Shake hands, eat at your desk and then quickly type an e-mail. This is how most of the office life looks like. Especially with the flu epidemic, the office is the perfect place to go unnoticed. The cleaning portal Helplingshows which 10 unknown germs lurk in the office, which place is the dirtiest and how you can stay healthy with just one hand!

1. The tap

According to an American study , the toilet is not the dirtiest place in the office, it’s the faucet! This is mainly because we touch it immediately after going to the toilet. The more often the employees wash their hands, the dirtier the cock gets – paradox! Our tip: After washing your hands, touch the crane with a paper towel, the same applies to the doorknob. Otherwise it was a long time washing your hands for the cat.

2. The coffee machine

After a stressful meeting, a hot cup of coffee does not only do the soul good, but also the body. Careful: According to a study, there is mold in every second coffee maker. Since the machines are more heavily contaminated with germs than doorknobs or toilet seats, rinsing with hot water is far from sufficient. It is more effective to clean them with vinegar cleaner every two weeks: it cleans, disinfects and decalcifies the machine.

3. The headphones

You lend your colleagues a short headset or headphones? Not a good idea: bacteria can be transferred perfectly in accumulated sweat and earwax. After only one hour of wearing, the number of bacteria in the ear can increase 7-fold. Avoid sharing and clean the handset weekly with a cotton bud soaked in alcohol.

4. The coffee cup

You are one of those who drink their coffee every day from their own favorite cup? This one personal cup, which therefore can not be contaminated with germs? Unfortunately yes! The University of Arizona was able to detect fecal germs in 20 percent of the examined coffee cups – despite rinsing with hot water. Never give up washing up with washing-up liquid daily or give it directly to the dishwasher.

5. The office refrigerator

“I’ll eat that,” think your colleagues and put open yogurts or salads back in the fridge. After two days, however, the thought has passed and nobody feels more responsible. So pathogens spread to fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables. Therefore, take hold of your own nose and make sure that at least your lunch disappears in time from the fridge.

6. The office toilet

Office toilets are not always the ideal place for ingenious brainstorming: According to a survey, 17 percent of all employees refrain from using toilets in the office because they are not sufficiently clean. In order to prevent the infection with germs as possible, only thorough hand washing helps here. Take enough time! Because only after 20 to 30 seconds of hand washing, the bacteria dissolve from the hands.

7. The desk

Constantly we put everything from food, telephones to handbags on the desk. As a result, with more than 10 million germs, it contains 400 times more bacteria than toilet goggles! For this reason you should wipe your table at least once a week with vinegar cleaner. Disinfecting wipes from the drugstore are also suitable and always at hand.

8. Printer and copier

Printers and copiers are used in the office of almost everyone and therefore touched daily by several hands. In addition, the devices are warm by the constant operation – perfect for the propagation of bacteria! In particular, via the user interface, the touchpad, we access a pool of germs. To kill the bacteria, wipe the surfaces twice a week with special PC towels from the drugstore.

9. The keyboard

Keyboards are the key magnets! After all, we touch every key almost every day for eight hours. Also leftovers, dander and sweat are deposited on the small area. However, wiping your keyboard is not damp, which damages the sensitive electronics. First knock on crumbs and dust flakes, then wipe with disinfectant wipes under light pressure.

10. The microwave

Do you also make your lunch warm in the microwave? But the look inside reveals: Last leftovers from the employees of a few weeks ago are still hanging in the corners. The buttons and handle also contain unsavory germs, which are quickly transferred from our hands to lunch. Therefore: Scrub the insides and handles vigorously with vinegar cleaner before putting your food in it.