How to clean an office phone ( Office phones are full of germs )

The office phone

Do you know how to clean an office phone correctly? Although more businesses are moving towards softphones run through their computers, the office phone is still found in most businesses, on every desk.

Whether you're taking calls from clients, or calling out to try and secure more customers, it remains a crucial piece of equipment.

The office phone is powerful enough to connect even the most geographically distant workers, and yet, it strikes fear into the hearts of many millennial workers. Even with the advent of video calling applications such as zoom and microsoft teams, the office phone remains a firm fixture in most workplaces.

Clean an office phone
Video calling applications are increasing in popularity

Viruses and office phones

Viruses such as Covid-19 are largely transmitted in an airborne way through shouting, coughing and sneezing. It is therefore inevitable that office phones carry a massively high risk of transmitting infections.

As a result, it is essential as a responsible employer that you take additional measures to keep the workplace clean and free from germs, bacteria, and viruses. By making sure that your employees know how to properly clean all areas of their workspace including their office phones, you can help reduce the risk of infection. This in turn will reduce the number of sick days lost per year and give you a financial saving, partly from simply teaching your staff the correct way to clean an office phone.

clean an office phone
Know how to clean an office phone correctly

How to clean an office phone - step by step guide

How to clean the phone handset

It is important to remember to wipe down the handset with a disinfectant spray and a disposable cloth or a disposable disinfectant alcohol wipe, and this should be done on a daily basis at the end of each day, or even more regularly if the same phone has multiple users. 

Make sure you use a disinfectant cleaning agent that has been tested against both bacteria and viruses to be sure that it will kill off any potential COVID-19 virus particles or other viruses.

Once you have cleaned the handset, wipe it over with a dry cloth or paper towel to remove any disinfectant solution residue to avoid leaving any sticky residue, or even the risk of causing any reactions with your skin the next time you use your phone. 

How to clean an office phone handset

To remove any grime that may build up around the speaker and receiver earpiece, take a cotton swab or toothbrush reserved for cleaning and dip it in rubbing alcohol or a disinfectant cleaning solution. To thoroughly clean your office desk phone, you want to gently wipe or rub at the phone’s receiver and earpiece to remove any dirt that has collected in the grooves there. After doing this, ensure you fully dry the phone again with a paper towel.

How to clean the office phone base and keypad

To clean the base of your office phone, simply dampen a microfibre cloth or disposable paper towel with a suitable disinfectant solution and wipe it over the entire surface of an office phone. Pay particular attention to the cradle where the phone handset rests and the bottom of the unit that sits on your desk as this is an area that could be easily missed.

How to clean an office phone keypad

Wherever the keypad is, it’s very important to take time to properly clean it to ensure all germs, bacteria and viruses are removed. The small gaps between the keys are the perfect place for nasty bacteria and viruses to grow and spread, and the keypad is touched all over on every outbound call.  You can use a sterilised and role dedicated toothbrush or cotton buds for this role also.

Don't forget, an office phone on a dirty desk is not acceptable.

We hope this article has given you a better understanding of how to clean an office phone.

The easiest way to ensure your office phones and the rest of your workplace is cleaned thoroughly is to employ the services of a good commercial cleaning company. Click here to learn more about our office cleaning service, where we clean offices of all sizes.

To request a free, no obligation quote for your cleaning needs, click here to contact your local Green Fox Cleaning office.