Workplace Fitness: Detox Your Desktop

Think about it, how much time do you spend at your desk every day? Depending on what kind of job you have, you may actually be spending more waking hours time sitting there than being anywhere else in a typical day or week. And if you're like me, you not only eat snacks at your desk on a daily basis, but at least a couple times a week eat your lunch there too. And blow your nose, and drink coffee, and talk on the phone...the list goes on and on. So with all that germy living happening right there on your desk, how often do you clean it? And that doesn't mean brushing the crumbs aside, it means bust-out-the-Lysol-scrub-it-down clean. I'm guessing rarely, if not never. I admit that my desk looks pretty clean, but I have never actually disinfected it. And in light of studies like the one Clorox funded that says women have the dirtiest offices, maybe I should do that sometime -- soon.

Here are 5 ways to "detox your desktop," and some of them are pretty nifty:

• Get yourself a computer vac (and then, of course, use it!). For only about 15 bucks you can have a cool little cleaning gadget that comes with attachments and everything for keeping your keyboard and desktop clear of crumbs and debris.
• Use a wireless mouse with an antimicrobial coating. The mouse is actually made from a material that inhibits the growth and survival of bacteria.
• Clean your space at work like you do at home, meaning disinfectant wipes or something along those lines. Wiping down your desktop once a week can reduce germs by as much as 25%.
• Use UV light and nanotechnology to kill the germs in your work area. Available in an easy to use device that's about the size of a cellphone, shining the light on surfaces for just a few seconds disinfects the area and is recommended especially for keyboards and phones.
• Have fun clearing the dust and grime off your computer screen with the Screen Cleaner Pro. It comes with an environmentally safe cleaning fluid to use in combination with a washable microfiber head.

Whether you decide to invest in fancy gadgets or go at it the old-fashioned way, "clean my desk" should definitely make it onto your 'to do" list sometime very soon!