Often quoted as the dirtiest piece of equipment in the workplace, phones, according to some sources, contain over 25,000 bacteria per surface.

Phones also experience more contact hours than most of the pieces of office equipment, as they are constantly being used. To top all this off, the nature of phones means that they are often near your mouth, allowing germs easy access.

So, to ensure that illnesses don’t spread around your workplace, the phones must be kept as clean as possible.

The surface of the phone is the first thing that needs to be cleaned. This can be done quite easily with a clean cloth and a mild, all-purpose cleaning liquid.

An antibacterial wipe can be used to deal with the earpiece, mouth and keypad. Rubbing alcohol will also do an effective job.

One mistake that people often make when cleaning phones, is that they spray cleaning liquid directly onto the equipment. The risk here is that it could enter the inner workings of the phone and damage it. The most important thing to remember is that any part of the phone that comes into contact with your hands or mouth need to be clean incredibly thoroughly.

An easy way to ensure everything remains clean is simply to keep cleaning supplies within easy reach. Sometimes the problem is we simply can’t be bothered to go and get the necessary items to keep everything sanitised.

This apathy allows dangerous levels of dirt and microbes to build up. So keeping antibacterial wipes and cleaning fluid nearby will encourage you to keep everything clean.

Getting into a habit of keeping a high level of general hygiene around the whole office is the best way to ensure that germs don’t spread. Wash your hands regularly and make sure that if anyone is ill, that you thoroughly disinfect anything they have touched.