Women’s desk may look cleaner, but experts say they’re not

Baltimore - This might be hard to believe: your desks harbors far more bacteria than your workplace restroom, and if you’re a woman, chances are your workspace has more germs than your male co-workers.

Women have three to four times the number of bacteria in, on and around their desks, phones, computers, keyboards, drawers and personal items as men do. This is according to a study by the University of Arizona that was commissioned by Clorox. They tested more than 100 offices around the country.

They say women’s desks typically looked cleaner, but the knickknacks are more abundant, and cosmetics and hand lotions make prime germ-transfer agents. Makeup cases also make for fine germ homes, along with phones, purses and desk drawers.
Food in desk drawers also harbors lots of microorganisms, and it is more abundant among female office workers. The study found 75 percent of women had munchies in their desks.

The news isn’t all negative for women. It also found the worst overall office germ offender is men’s wallets.