When was the last time you cleaned your work desk? Not just coronavirus, many other viruses can live on your work station without you knowing. As important it is to clean the house, keeping the work desk holds equal importance. Even your electronic gadgets like phone, laptop and other stuff require to be cleaned time-to-time. This prevents dirt, dust and virus accumulation on them which could easily sneak in your hands and then get inside the body. These viruses can live on the desk as well as a computer, keyboard, pen holder, notebook, water bottle, and almost everything placed at the table. This means, your workstation is also at high risk. Start taking measures now to disinfect your desk and keep yourself safe.
Can Coronavirus Lurk In The Desk?
According to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, coronavirus can sneak into your home and then also to your desk. You may get it from the air as well as upon touching the infected surfaces. As per scientists, the virus can live on different surfaces.
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- Aerosols- 3 hours
- Copper- 4 hours
- Cardboard- 24 hours
- Stainless steel and plastic- 3 days
Since your workstation contains a mix of items belonging to the above categories, it becomes necessary to keep is sanitized. You may use an alcohol-based sanitizer for the purpose as it kills the virus effectively. The sanitizer should have at least 70% of ethanol for this purpose. Read further for product-wise cleaning tips.
Table
This is one of the most important parts. Cleaning the entire table or desk. To keep dirt, dust and germs at bay, clean the desk often.
- Empty the table first and then begin.
- Use a disinfectant spray and spray it all over the table.
- Take a clean cotton cloth and start wiping out the desk.
NOTE: Don’t forget to clean the edges.
Keyboard
Work from home is all about tapping the keyboard. Most keyboards are made of either plastic or stainless steel, both of which are capable of sheltering the virus. Thus you must clean it daily.
- Unplug the PC or switch off the laptop before starting.
- Pour some alcohol-based sanitizer or cleaning solution on a cotton cloth and start wiping the keyboard.
- Make sure to clean the gaps between keys.
Mobile Phone
For the uninitiated, virus is there on your mobile phones too since it is one of the most-used personal items.
- Use isopropyl alcohol wipe for mobile cleaning.
- If you don’t have that, just put some alcohol-based sanitizer on a cotton wipe and clean the phone from the front and back.
- Be careful and don’t use any other cleaning product.
Water Bottle
It is an essential item as you cannot get up for water every time. The water bottle you use is either made of plastic or copper, here’s how you should clean it.
- Keep the bottle in warm water for a couple of hours.
- Now, wash it using detergent soap.
- Since soap is a better disinfectant than sanitizer.
Pen Holder
Smaller stationery items like pen, pencil, eraser, etc. go unnoticed during cleaning. Make sure that you aren’t leaving anything and disinfecting everything that is there on your desk. Take out all the stuff in your pen stand and clean them one-by-one.
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