Your Desk could be making you SICK!

Constantly battling tummy bugs or colds and flus? Your desk at the office or in your home could be the culprit. Researchers found 400 times more germs at office work stations than in bathrooms. Fortunately, it's easy to keep your desk from making you sick. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Toss unwrapped snacks.
Unopened packaged foods are fine but anything you unwrapped or that's been opened is a bacteria magnet.

Do this once a day.
Wipe your keyboard, mouse, phone and desk with disinfectant wipes. Because so many people touch these areas, they're hotspots for spreading germs like the cold virus.

Cut the clutter.
They may look neat but women's desks are actually germier than men's. Women tend to keep more things around, such as candy dishes and tissues that invite co-workers to touch, leaving bacteria behind. And women should not put their purse on their desk, as they will transport germs from wherever else they have set it down.

Find another spot for lunch.
Keyboards, files and other supplies are havens for crumbs and bacteria. If you can't have lunch in the lounge or kitchen, wipe down your desk (before and after you eat) and use paper towels as an extra barrier.

Soap up.
Viruses are mostly spread by hands. Washing with soap and water is the best way to fight germs. But don't just soap up for 20 seconds and rinse – do it a second time to zap lingering bacteria! And keep instant sanitizers handy for quick touch-ups