lift clitoris and keyboards are teeming with bacteria , and you do n’t even desire to have it away what might be loaf on the coffee mug you keep at work . TIMErounded up the five germiest places in the ordinary office , and you ’ll probably want to wash your hands after reading it .
Disposable coffee bean cups are perhaps the most surprising one mentioned . One 1997studyfound coliform bacteria ( a.k.a . faecal matter ) on20 percentof the loving cup and eyelid test . And those sponges in your office staff kitchen ? They ’re utterly filthy . After the same researchers used a communal quick study or ragtime to wipe down the coffee cups , 100 percent of them quiz prescribed for fecal bacteria . If lugging your cup to and from the office to wash it at home seems tedious , one of the researchers recommended place in a personal cup washer to keep at work . AsTIMEnotes , disposable coffee cups are also problematic because someone may pick up a couple lid that are stuck together , then repay the now - contaminated lids for other , unsuspecting coworkers to use .
Unsurprisingly , object that people regularly interact with — such as lift buttons , role doorway , and conference way telephone — also madeTIME ’s list . Anything that ’s frequently touch and rarely clean is a cause for fear because it could carry microbes that make people unhinged . If you ’re a frequent business traveler , for instance , you should dampen your hands and wipe down your phone after going through airport security . Those plastic bins you stick your shoes , electronics , and personal item indoors are bug - infestedcesspools .

Anotherstudyfrom 2014 swabbed 120 lift buttons at three hospital in Toronto , Ontario . While the written report was n’t channel in an office building , the results were still secern . Researchers let on that 61 percent of the buttons contained bacteria , compare to only 43 percent of toilets . This is likely due to the fact that toilets are often cleaned more frequently than lift buttons . The most vernacular case of bacterium discover wereCoagulase - negative staphylococci(CoNS ) , which can be arisk factorfor disease for people with an already compromise immune system or those who have latterly undergone certain surgeries or medical function .
last , you ’ll want to pass over your keyboard and sneak with a germicide wipe as often as possible . It might just bring through you from get to use up your sick days .
[ h / tTIME ]