From a hygienic perspective, it has always been wise to keep your workspace clean. However, since the Covid-19 pandemic began to wreak havoc across the globe, sanitizing your keyboard, mouse, desk, and work phone has become vital.
But how do you keep the electronics at your workplace virus-free without damaging the products? Whether you work remotely or had to return to an open-plan office, here’s what you should (and shouldn’t) do to keep your workstation’s surface and daily-used items sanitized.
Where Should You Start With Workspace Cleaning?
Before you start the workspace cleaning process, you should do the following:
- Shut down your computer.
- Switch off all other electronic devices.
- Unplug and disconnect all items from power outlets.
How to Clean Your Desk
Your desk’s surface is a welcoming home to dust, grease, and germs ─ most of which you aren’t even aware of. Keeping your workstation clean, especially during the pandemic, has taken on new meaning. But before you tackle the task of tidying a messy table, get a game plan to avoid being overwhelmed.
Use these dos and don'ts for reference.
Do:
- Throw all the trash and recyclable items in the appropriate bins.
- File the stacks of essential documents, shred the sensitive ones, and recycle the rest.
- Remove all loose items, such as family photographs, stationery, and desk plants.
- Move all the unplugged electronics on your desk out of the way.
- Wipe down your desk’s surface with a dry cloth to remove all build-up dust.
- Use alcohol-based disinfectant wipes to clean the dust-free desk surface with particular attention to the edges and frequently touched spots.
- Let the surface dry for about five minutes.
- Clean all the non-electronic items, like staplers, pens, and plastic file covers with alcohol-based disinfectant wipes, let the things dry and place them back on the dried desk.
Don’t:
- Clean your desk after switching off but not unplugging electronics ─ the items still carry a standby current that can become harmful or damaging when making contact with fluids.
How to Clean Your Desk Chair
Most office chairs should have a label or tag explaining to clean the different parts, whether material, steel, or plastic. However, because you use your desk chair every day, it’s essential to do a few basic clean-ups.
Do:
- Sanitize the chair’s armrests with an alcohol-based disinfectant wipe.
- Use a small handheld vacuum to remove any collected dirt on the chair’s seat.
Don’t:
- Let weeks past without wiping down the chair.
How to Clean Your Desk Phone
Suppose you’re in the customer care or sales industries. The chances are you’re constantly on the phone, causing the handset to collect germs and bacteria. You should sanitize your desk phone daily.
Do:
- Wipe down the handset with an alcohol-based disinfectant wipe.
- Unplug the phone to avoid accidentally calling anyone and wipe down the entire surface, especially the keypad buttons.
Don’t:
- Forget to clean your handset after someone else has used it.
How to Clean Your Computer
Whether you have a desktop computer or a laptop, your CPU is hard at work when you’re using your machine. Because the computer’s processor heats up when working, the fan extracts air through the intake grills and vents to keep the system cool.
This cooling process can lead to dust accumulation, which will be harmful to your computer over time.
Do:
- Expose the computer’s fan and use a small handheld vacuum to remove all the built-up dust.
- Use a slightly damp cloth to wipe down the hardware.
Don’t:
- Position the computer with the fan too close to a wall as this restricts airflow.
How to Clean Your Computer Monitor
Dust, dirt, and oily smudges can accumulate on your monitor if it’s not cleaned regularly. You have to be more careful when cleaning your computer screen to avoid causing damage to the light display and other components.
Do:
- Doublecheck that the monitor is disconnected from all power supplies to avoid damaging the equipment or injuring yourself.
- Wet a clean microfiber cloth, thoroughly wring it out and wipe the screen using side-to-side strokes.
Don’ts:
- Apply cleaning products directly to the display ─ liquids can permeate the thin outer layer of the screen, seep into the monitor, and cause damage, clouding, scratches, and discoloration.
- Use paper towels or rough cleaning cloths as they may scratch the display.
- Use chemical-based cleaning agents ─ it can strip away the display’s anti-glare coating.
How to Clean Your Keyboard
Many of us enjoy having lunch at our desks, especially when projects pile up, turning our keyboards into potential health hazards. Besides your desk’s surface, your keyboard is one of the dirtiest workspace items, and you have to sanitize it regularly.
Do:
- Disconnect your keyboard if it’s not a Bluetooth model.
- Hold it upside down above a bin, shake and tap it firmly to dislodge dust, crumbs, and other unwanted particles.
- Use a small handheld vacuum to remove any remaining items stuck between the keys.
- Wipe the keyboard with alcohol-based disinfectant wipes and make sure you clean between and around each key.
- Let the keyboard dry for about 10 minutes before reconnecting it to your computer to avoid damage.
Don’ts:
- Use a wet cloth to clean your keyboard.
- Eat and drink while typing on your keyboard.
How to Clean Your Mouse
Although an optical mouse accumulates less dirt than the mechanical ones, it still collects dust on the bottom, as well as sweat and other bacteria when you hold it in your hand. The mouse is most likely the dirtiest item on your desk. You have to sanitize it frequently to avoid the spreading and contracting of viruses and other unwanted elements.
Do:
- Disconnect your mouse if it’s a USB version or simply switch off the Bluetooth connection.
- Place it on a paper towel and run a toothpick along all the buttons and gaps to get rid of any built-up items.
- Use a small handheld vacuum to remove any remaining items stuck in the gaps.
- Wipe the mouse with an alcohol-based disinfectant wipe and ensure you thoroughly clean the buttons and spots on which your hand constantly rests.
Don’t:
- Forget to sanitize your mouse regularly.
How to Clean Your Headphones
When working in an open-plan office, you probably have the courtesy of using headphones to block out any excessive noise caused by co-workers constantly being on the phone or having brainstorming sessions. Or maybe you just enjoy listening to your favourite songs while typing away. Whatever the case may be, your headphones need cleaning.
Do:
- Wipe down the hard exterior surfaces of your headphones using an alcohol-based disinfectant wipe, then use sticky tack to lift off any loose dirt.
- Use a damp, lightly soaped microfiber cloth to clean the earpads.
- Let the headphones dry entirely before using.
Don’t:
- Damage the foam ear padding.
How Often Should You Clean Your Workspace?
Due to the pandemic and the rapid spreading of the virus, it’s crucial to keep your surroundings sanitized, especially when you’re working in an open-plan office. You should disinfect items like your desk phone, keyboard, and mouse daily if possible, or at least a few times per week. Things that you don’t frequently touch, such as your computer monitor or decorative objects on your desk, can be cleaned once every two to three weeks.
Make it part of your daily routine to wipe down your high-impact items and prevent bacteria, viruses, and other creepy crawlies from collecting all over your workstation.