Think Your Restroom Is the Germiest Spot in the Office? Think Again.
When it comes to clean workplace strategies, the biggest threats are often the most overlooked.
In fact, a University of Arizona study found the average office desk harbors over 10 million bacteria. The dirtiest areas in the workplace aren’t where you’d expect—they’re the ones we touch constantly but rarely disinfect.
1. Lobbies and Entrances
Your lobby is the first impression your building makes—and one of the biggest germ hotspots.
Every visitor tracks in dirt, debris, and bacteria. From door handles and check-in desks to chairs, touchscreens, and water fountains, germs can build up fast—especially during flu season.
Ask yourself:
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Are corners and floors clear of dust, salt, and debris?
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Are chairs and upholstery stain-free?
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Are high-touch surfaces being properly disinfected with dwell time in mind?
If not, your front-facing areas could be sending the wrong message—and compromising health and safety.
– NCBI, 2015 Study on Office Microbiomes)
📅 Pro Tip:
Schedule deep cleans quarterly for shared spaces like lobbies and conference rooms to reset germ levels.
🧽 Pro Tip:
Use an EPA-registered disinfectant and always follow the product’s required dwell time for full germ kill.
Your coffee pot might be the most contaminated thing in the building.
(Spoiler: It’s touched dozens of times a day—often before handwashing.)
2. Break Rooms
Break rooms are a high-priority zone in most clean workplace strategies, especially during flu season.
Coffee pots, microwaves, drawer handles, fridge doors, and counters are touched constantly—usually without handwashing in between. Add in food spills and greasy fingerprints, and you’ve got a recipe for bacterial growth. During cold and flu season, these high-touch surfaces can also contribute to outbreaks like norovirus, one of the leading causes of workplace illness.
A clean break room doesn’t just prevent sickness—it boosts morale. In fact, over 50% of employees say a clean break room directly impacts their satisfaction at work.
Want to protect your team’s well-being?
Start by sanitizing these high-contact surfaces regularly—or bring in a commercial cleaner. It’s our go-to clean workplace strategy for reducing the spread of illness and boosting peace of mind.
3. Conference Rooms
Meetings often mean meals, materials, and mess—but conference rooms are rarely cleaned with the same attention as break rooms or bathrooms.
Between whiteboards, chairs, tabletops, and shared tools, there are dozens of surfaces where germs can live—and if food enters the equation, that risk multiplies.
Without a detailed cleaning protocol, your meeting spaces can become silent culprits in the spread of sickness.
At Vanguard Cleaning Systems of Minnesota and Wisconsin, we use custom Scope of Work documents to make sure your meeting rooms are thoroughly cleaned and consistently disinfected—every time.
🧼Pro Tip:
Add visible cleaning logs or signage to reassure staff and visitors that spaces are being cleaned frequently.
4. Clean Workplace Strategies for Employee Workstations
The dirtiest spot in your office? Look no further than the employee desk.
Studies show bacteria can survive on hard surfaces for up to 6.5 months. That means a coworker’s cold from weeks ago might still be lingering on their mouse, keyboard, or desk phone.
Even more alarming?
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Office phones: 25,000+ microbes per square inch
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Keyboards: 400x more bacteria than a toilet seat
In a post-COVID world, sanitizing workstations isn’t optional—it’s essential. Clean workplace strategies should always include desk disinfection, especially in high-touch areas like phones, keyboards, and drawer handles. As part of a strong cold and flu prevention plan, routine disinfecting of personal desks and shared equipment can help reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
Keep your team healthy and productive by scheduling disinfecting services tailored to personal work areas.
🧼 Pro Tip:
Encourage employees to sanitize their workstations weekly with employer provided disposable wipes or spray and microfiber cloths.
🤔 Thinking About a Cleaning Company Change?
If you're not 100% confident in your current provider, it might be time to look at other options.
Download our RFP Blueprint to learn how to choose a commercial cleaning partner that fits your priorities—without the guesswork.