Caught a nasty mouse?

The average computer mouse is three times dirtier than a toilet seat, according to an alarming new study.

Researchers blame the results on workers who eat at their desks, turning work stations into breeding grounds for harmful bugs and germs.

Keyboards were the second most grubby item in the office, ahead of phones and chairs.

Initial Washroom Hygiene, which carried out the tests, said a computer mouse also carried twice as many bugs as a toilet flush handle.

Researchers swabbed 158 items seized from 40 desks at three office locations and compared the results with data on toilet hygiene, including 28 loo seats, obtained from other buildings.

Four-in-10 desks were home to at least one item with very high levels of bacteria and surface contamination which posed a risk to health.

Initial Technical manager Peter Barratt said: “It is now common for office workers to spend their lunch hour eating at their desk - often surfing the web or continuing to type at the same time”

Initial Washroom Hygiene, which carried out the tests, said a computer mouse also carried twice as many bugs as a toilet flush handle.

“This leaves crumbs and other food residue all over the work station, particularly on the mouse and keyboards, making them ideal places for bacteria and other microorganisms to survive and multiply.

‘In addition because they are electrical devices these items aren’t cleaned as regularly or as thoroughly as other parts of the office, or even as the desks themselves.’

The computer mouse isn’t the only everyday item found to be filthier than the average toilet seat - research has discovered more bacteria on kitchen work surfaces, steering wheels, restaurant high chairs, shopping trolleys and even lift buttons.