Surprising Facts about Workplace Germs and What to Do about Them

If you think Mike Rowe of Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs is the only one who's exposed to filth on a daily basis, think again. Germs abound in the average workplace, and often in places you wouldn't expect.

Find out what you can do to steer clear of parasites, microbes and bacteria lurking at your job.

First, a quiz: Where would you rather eat lunch?

• At your desk
• In a stall in the office lavatory

If you chose B, well, you're a little strange, aren't you? But, seriously, studies have shown that work desks have way more germs on them than office toilets do -- up to 400 times more germs!

It makes sense when you realize cleaning crews thoroughly scrub restrooms on a daily basis, but generally don't like to touch people's work spaces for fear of messing up papers or breaking personal items.

To keep your workspace clean, invest in disinfectant. Clean your phone, keyboard, mouse and desk daily before going home. Also, keep hand sanitizer handy.

A study by Dr. Charles Gerba at the University of Arizona found that when office workers were told to clean their desks with disinfecting wipes, bacterial levels were reduced by 99 percent.

Now, let's see if you think germs play favorites when it comes to the sexes: Where do more germs linger?

1. Women's desks
2. Men's desks
3. Germs are equal opportunity contaminators

If you answered C, we appreciate your fair-mindedness, but wah-wah -- wrong! So, obviously it's gotta be those "gross, dirty" men, right? Wrong again.

Believe it or not, it's the "fairer" sex whose desks crawl with the most germs. (Note that we used parentheses so as not to be accused of sexism.)

The reason women tend to have more bacteria on their workspaces is they generally have more lotions, tissues and snack items around than men do. All of these things are breeding grounds for microorganisms.

Women: Be careful with communal bowls of candy. It's nice to share, but do you really want all those hands in your goodies? And if you have a big bottle of hand lotion, be sure to include it in your daily sanitizing routine.

So, if a toilet seat has around 49 bacteria (according to Dr. Gerba's study), and the average workplace has 21,000, can you guess how many bacteria swarm the average elevator button?

• 50,000
• 250,000
• Millions

If you picked C, ding ding ding! Congratulations, you're getting the hang of these quizzes. Elevators probably don't get cleaned all that often.

Think about it, cleaning the buttons means having to keep going up and down to all the floors or listening to the clanging fire alarm if you push the red "Stop" button. And that's just annoying.

Take the stairs. It's better for you anyway!

Where would you rather put your lips?

1. The water coming out of a fountain
2. A cup filled at the water cooler

I know; we didn't give you that option. But if you have it, take it. Amazingly, water fountains are actually less germ-ridden than office water coolers, according to a study by the Food Network's Kitchen Detectives.

Apparently, it has something to do with trajectory and used cups and bottles, etc. In any case, there's more than just gossip being spread at the water cooler, so beware.

Those of you who took the elevator quiz are already aware of the potential for germs on buttons that are accessed by countless fingers. (And if you think we mean your cashmere sweater, you might have other issues.)

Copiers, coffee machines and microwaves are all havens for bacteria. Take a two-step approach to buttons: Clean them often and wash your hands thoroughly after touching them.

See previous slide and replace the word "button" with "handle." Well not exactly, especially in the part about the sweater, but you get the picture: Whether on doors, coffee pots, or toilets, handles harbor bacteria.

One of the biggest mysteries of the workplace: Why would someone steal another person's lunch? Who knows what could be in it? But, ballsy thieves aside, even the honest eaters in the office could be getting more than they bargain for when they put their lunch in the communal cooler.

The fumes from a raunchy refrigerator in a San Jose, Calif., office recently sickened more than 30 employees. Ewww. Clean out the fridge at least every two weeks.

What you can do: You now know that to avoid germs you should either eat lunch in the loo or disinfect your desk daily.

Also, clean your hands often, especially after touching any community objects. Use hand sanitizer or thoroughly wash with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds.

What your workplace should do: If they do not already have impeccable cleaning routines in place, it's time to suggest some easy-to-implement practices.

Plenty of hand sanitizer should be easily accessible by everyone; refrigerators should be cleaned out and disinfected bi-weekly; care should be taken to ensure all communal surfaces are regularly cleaned; and employees should be given tips for avoiding germs in the office place.

Okay, so you're surrounded by germs. They say exposure to some bacteria is good for the immune system. So, if your workplace is yucky and management doesn't care, you can hope that if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger.

Otherwise, invest in a gas mask and ask for hazard pay.