{"id":1225,"date":"2016-10-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-09T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/office-hygiene-tips\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T21:07:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T12:07:04","slug":"office-hygiene-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/office-hygiene-tips","title":{"rendered":"Bad office habits that could be making you sick at work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever wonder why your flu is getting worse each year? Well, one of the main culprits\u00a0could be the office \u2013 a battlefield between us and bacteria. We spend a lot in the office interacting with people and also\u00a0snacking on our desks, leading us to come into contact with plenty of bacteria regularly.<\/p>\n

Now imagine the amount of bacteria\u00a0that has been\u00a0accumulated from the minute you step into the office lift, to opening the door of your office to turning\u00a0on laptop and finally to the pantry for a nice cuppa coffee<\/a>. With tons of movements in and out of the office, and multiple\u00a0hands touching the doorknobs, surfaces and coffee machines, it is essential to pay extra attention to\u00a0keeping your workplace clean. Helpling, the global leading online platform for on-demand home services, has compiled a list of office hygiene hacks to make it easier for you to keep your office clean and get back to work.<\/p>\n

Disinfect your monitor screens, keyboards and mouse<\/h2>\n

\"keyboard\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How many of you actually\u00a0keep your computers and accessories clean? Cleaning your computer<\/a> is crucial as it\u00a0also prolongs the computer\u2019s lifespan. Studies have shown that your computer contains\u00a0ten times more bacteria than a toilet seat. One reason is because\u00a0a lot of office workers spend their lunch hour eating at their desk \u2013 often surfing the net\u00a0or working\u00a0at the same time. This leaves food residue everywhere, particularly on mice and keyboards, making them ideal\u00a0breeding grounds\u00a0for nasty bacteria to breed and live in.<\/p>\n

Here’s how you can\u00a0clean and disinfect your computer on a regular basis:<\/p>\n

Keyboard:<\/h3>\n

Ensure that your laptop or computer is still switched off. Then, remove loose debris and dust with a compressed air canister. An alternative is to\u00a0run some sticky tape between the keys. For better results, fold the sticky part in half to collect any dirt that are caught\u00a0between the keys. Finally, wipe the keyboard down with a wet wipe or an antibacterial wipe.<\/p>\n

Mouse:<\/h3>\n

Your mouse is like a bacteria magnet. Aside from food residues, imagine the amount of dead skin, fingerprints and germs\u00a0iving on your mouse. Wipe the mouse with\u00a0a damp\u00a0microfiber cloth, making sure that moisture doesn\u2019t get into any openings. Then, disinfect the mouse with a disinfectant wipe and let it dry before using.<\/p>\n

Screen cleaning:<\/h3>\n

Turn off the monitor and wipe down the screen with a damp microfiber cloth or wet wipes that are specifically made for monitor screens. Avoid antibacterial wipes as they contain alcohol that could remove the screen\u2019s protective coating.<\/p>\n

Clean out your coffee machine<\/h2>\n

\"coffee<\/a><\/p>\n

Nothing is better than a good cup of coffee to keep you awake\u00a0at work. But a\u00a0mouldy cup sounds anything but\u00a0appetising. A 2011 study found that 50% of coffee makers had nasty mould growing in the reservoirs, which contained\u00a0higher germ count to your bathroom door handles and toilet seats. Before you rush to clean out the bacteria, take note\u00a0that hot water alone isn\u2019t enough to get rid of the germs and mould.
\nAn effective cleaning agent is\u00a0\u00a0vinegar, which sanitizes and decalcifies the mineral buildup from tap water. Also, clean\u00a0the outside of the coffee machine with the damp cloth and a surface cleaner! Give it a gentle clean every fortnight for a fresh mold-free cup!<\/p>\n

Stop using your phone in the loo!
\n<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"using<\/a><\/p>\n

It is a fact with most Singaporeans that we\u00a0cannot stand to be separated from our mobile phones, even for a few minutes. Similar to keyboards, smartphones has also been found to have ten times more bacteria than a toilet seat. This is because\u00a075% of us use our mobile phones in the bathroom.<\/p>\n

It was found\u00a0that the dirtiest handphone contains\u00a0170 times more faecal coliforms than acceptable levels! So, the next time you visit the toilet,\u00a0leave your phone in your bag! To clean, switch your devices off and remove your phone covers before cleaning. Clean your phone regularly with a microfiber cloth. For a deeper clean, disinfect and remove excess dirt with a mixture of water alcohol or water and vinegar. Soak your silicone phone covers in warm, soapy water, this should help to remove any discolouration. When you\u2019re done with cleaning, leave the phone to dry completely before turning it on again.<\/p>\n

Crumb free Work desk<\/h2>\n

\"work<\/a><\/h2>\n

Created a mess after finishing your takeaway? Did you know that your desk has about 10 million germs? To clean out your lunch mess, cookie crumbs and even coffee spills use wet wipes such as antibacterial or baby wipes. Always keep a packet at your desk and swipe them over your desk when you think they deserve a wipe down. Nothing is worse than a sticky table.<\/p>\n

Your coffee mug is not as clean as you think<\/h2>\n

We all have that one office cup or water flask we leave on your desk that we use for our coffee\u00a0and tea. How often do we take them home for a good wash? I\u2019m sure most of us are guilty of washing them with just tap water. But did you know that 20% of office mugs contain fecal bacteria? That is why cleaning your office mug is more important than you think.<\/p>\n

You should\u00a0take the mug home daily to be washed in the dishwasher, and make sure it goes through the dry cycle, which uses the hottest temperatures to\u00a0zap every single germ.<\/p>\n

However if you prefer leaving your coffee mug in the office, this is\u00a0how you can clean it properly: Fill your cup or water flask with hot water from the water cooler at the office pantry. If you do not have one at the office, use a microwave instead. Next, add some dish washing liquid into it and just a little tap water and leave it for a couple of minutes before rinsing it off.<\/p>\n

Disinfect Doorknobs<\/h2>\n

\"doorknob\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Doorknobs are often overlooked when it comes to office cleaning and it\u2019s scary\u00a0to think that these items come into human contact several times a day, but rarely come into contact with a cloth, making them the perfect breeding spot for bacteria! The consequences? Cold viruses and worse. It is also a fact that these type of viruses can survive on this type of surfaces for around 24 hours or longer.<\/p>\n

Disinfect these surfaces with a dab of vinegar on a cloth.<\/p>\n

Neutralise the bad office odours<\/h2>\n

\"Girl<\/a><\/p>\n

Coffee spills, leftovers from lunch or trash odours can cause a stench in the office. To solve this problem, add a few drops of lavender or lemongrass scented essential oil to a spray bottle and fill it up with water. Shake it well and spritz away at the area that smells the most.<\/p>\n

Bonus tip: Lemon fresh your stinky trash bin<\/h2>\n

\"lemon<\/a><\/p>\n

Your dustbin<\/a> is often over-used and highly neglected! If the smell from your bin is bothering you, all you need is some lemon to solve this nasty\u00a0situation. The citric acid from the lemon acts as a natural disinfectant that removes dirt and odour. Simply slice a lemon in half and rub the inside of your trash bin for a fast and eco-friendly clean.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever wonder why your flu is getting worse each year? Well, one of the main culprits\u00a0could be the office \u2013 a battlefield between us and bacteria. We spend a lot in the office interacting with people and also\u00a0snacking on our desks, leading us to come into contact with plenty of bacteria regularly. Now imagine the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[130,131,132],"class_list":["post-1225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-hacks","tag-coffee-mug","tag-office-cleaning","tag-office-hygiene"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.helpling.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}