Why Women's Workspaces Have More Germs & Where You Should Be Cleaning

Have you cleaned your office recently? I'm on one of my cleaning binges where I turn the whole house upside down and dust and scrub until I fall over from sleep deprivation. It made me think: which germs am I bringing INTO my home with all the bags I tote around?

It turns out that the purse and laptop bag that help keep me organized also contribute to germ infestation in my office. In fact, a woman's office reportedly has twice as much bacteria as a man's office, largely because of handbags.

Researchers believe that because women put their bags on bathroom floors, in shopping carts and in cars, the bags transport the germs from place to place. So next time you drop your handbag on your desk, think again.

Have you wiped down your bag? Here are three more spots that often get overlooked:

Mouse: There are so many great products on the market for cleaning your keyboard, but what about your mouse? Go for a non-toxic wipe and if you want to use a spray cleaner, first spray it on a paper towel or cloth and then wipe the mouse. You don't want liquid going directly into the ports and mechanical.

Desk surface: I'm terrible about eating at my desk. Turns out that your table top may have 400 times more germs than a toilet seat. Yeah, puke. Choose a cleaner made for your surface. For example, wood cleaner for wood or glass cleaner for glass. Just be sure it has antibiotic properties.

Door handle: You go in and out thousands of times in a year and probably would never think to wipe it down. Then, think of all the people who also touch your office door handle. While you're at it, wipe down all the door handles in the whole house.

(Images: Elizabeth Giorgi)