Many of us have become vigilant about hygiene on our daily outings. But as we make the return to hybrid offices and co-working spaces, a new concern is cropping up. How clean is your desk set-up?
Many of us have become vigilant about hygiene on our daily outings. But as we make the return to hybrid workspaces, a new concern is cropping up - how clean is your workspace?
Desks, laptops, tablets, phones and work bags seem to attract as much filth as the average kitchen sink. But the sink has an advantage over our office gear - it gets scrubbed regularly. When did you last clean your keyboard or tablet case?
Even those of us with a relaxed attitude to cleaning at home want offices to take this seriously. Given the risks, everyone wants their workspaces to be as hygienic as possible, particularly when sharing desks and offices with other people.
But seriously, who has the time to give your workspace a thorough clean every day? That’s why we’ve compiled this list of lazy hacks for a clean desk set-up.
All those bits of paper, the stray paperclips and random pens, pencils and markers are germ traps. Eat a sandwich or a biscuit at your desk, and crumbs will end up in them. That doesn’t just attract rodents. Crumbs, dust and other daily debris can quickly develop bacteria that can lead to all sorts of health problems.
The simple solution is to keep all your stuff boxed or bagged up, and only pull out an item when you need it. Then when you’re finished, put it straight back into the box or bag. This will keep your desk tidier, making those crumbs, spills and sneezes easier to wipe away in an instant.
Targus sells a range of tech protection with antimicrobial properties infused into the material, which can prevent most nasties from developing, even if you do accidentally spill your café latte on it.
The laziest way to clean is not to do it at all. Just let your desk set-up do the work for you.
Products infused with antimicrobial technology are extremely resistant to all kinds of germs, whether caused by food, humans or pests. Longevity is key so check the details carefully. Many antimicrobial products have a thin veneer applied to the surface of the product, which wears away and is easily damaged or chipped off.
Targus’ DefenseGuard range has lab-tested antimicrobial technology infused in the materials so it never wears out.
When it comes to airborne hygiene, the gold standard is the HEPA filter - a low-effort, high-tech way to clean the air.
Used in hospitals and the International Space Station, it’s recommended by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to reduce the risk of Covid and other diseases that can be spread through the air.
If you’re going into the office again, ask your manager if the air-conditioning or ventilation system uses HEPA filters. Whether you’re working at home or an office, you can easily buy portable HEPA filter systems, too. These also reduce pollution and allergens, including pet dander, fumes from traffic and more.
Best of all for those of us who hate cleaning - HEPA filters reduce the amount of dust in your home, so your desk set-up will stay just that bit cleaner with no effort from you.
Cleaning wipes are a brilliantly easy way to disinfect your desk with minimal effort, but those ready-made disposable wipes are terrible for the environment.
There’s an easy environmentally friendly alternative.
Cut up some old t-shirts or cloths that have reached the end of their natural life. Stick them in a glass jar that has a water-tight seal. Then saturate the cloths with a bottle of rubbing alcohol (the alcohol concentration needs to be at least 70%).
When you get to your desk each day, grab a cloth, squeeze it so it isn’t dripping wet - you don’t want liquid to damage your tech - then give your desk a quick wipe. When you’re finished, don’t bin it. Put the used cloth in a second glass jar. When it’s full of dirty cloths, take them home, throw them in the washing machine on a hot wash, then repeat to make another set of cleaning cloths.
Making the homemade cleaning jar should take no more than a couple of minutes, and your daily quick-wipe will take about 30 seconds.
The benefit of using alcohol as your disinfectant is that you don’t have to wear gloves with it, and it will also disinfect your hands at the same time.
Still too much effort? The award-winning Targus UV-C LED Disinfection Light zaps bacteria and viruses all over your desk at the touch of a button.
Whether you’re using it at meetings with clients or as something to keep you entertained on your commute, tablets and their cases can get filthy quickly. Because they often live in our bags, we tend to forget about them when it’s time to clean. So give yourself a break and get a tablet case that keeps itself clean.
The Targus DefenseGuard tablet cases do just that, repelling germs, bacteria and viruses from the surface permanently.
____________________________________________
Discover the full range of antimicrobial products made by Targus, from keyboard covers to laptop stands, here https://uk.targus.com/pages/antimicrobial-protection.
