Germs at the office: How to protect yourself

The average office has hundreds of times more bacteria than a toilet seat. The "enter" button on your office fax machine is probably a rank stew of vile bacteria. And here's a controversial bit — women spread more germs in the workplace than men.

Those are some of the findings of America's leading expert on work and home hygiene, Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona.

Before women take offence, the higher germ concentration is proof that women have a healthier diet than men. Women, Gerba found, tend to store apples, bananas and other biodegradable, healthy food at their desk while men go for less nutritious and therefore less germ-ridden junk food, such as gum or potato chips.

Over the past two years, Gerba and his team have seen an improvement in overall office hygiene as desk wipes and hand cleaners become more popular.

However, in these summer months, with air-conditioning units and ventilation shafts a good breeding ground for bacteria, there are a number of points experts want you to be aware of. His first precaution? WASH.

Washing your hands for 20 seconds under soap and running water is far better than a quick squirt of hand sanitizer at your desk, says Dean Cliver, a professor of food safety at the University of California.

While many hand sanitizers boast of anti-microbial properties, a scrub with ordinary soap is far better, Cliver said. Water penetrates much deeper, helping to remove food debris and other particles that hand sanitizer just doesn't reach.

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