The Dirty Truth about your Desk

This is why I keep a tub of lysol disinfecting wipes in my office!

Perhaps one of the biggest safety hazards in your workplace isn't on the shop floor, but in your office. The average desk harbors about 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.

Apparently, you have plenty of bacteria - as many as 10 million - keeping you company.

Researchers found that unless desks were wiped clean with a disinfectant during the day, bacteria levels climbed higher and higher, peaking after lunch.

"We don''t think twice about eating at our desks, even though the average desk has 100 times more bacteria than a kitchen table and 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet," reveals Gerba. "Without cleaning, a small area on your desk or phone can sustain millions of bacteria that could potentially cause illness."

For the study, Gerba and his team separated office workers into two groups. One group used disinfecting wipes to clean their desks, phones and computers; the other did not. Within two days, the wipes users were found to have a 99.9 percent reduction in bacteria levels.