Are you a little frightened every time you walk past the counter in the break room? Hastily-rinsed and unwashed coffee mugs perched in drying racks or back on shelves. Defiantly unwashed mugs were hidden and shoved to the back of the counter behind the snack basket. That one from Dale in accounting that literally looks a bit… angry?
It might be time to level up everyone’s coffee-drinking game at your office with new, branded mugs from the team at Logo Depot.
And it’s not just about aesthetics. Some folks might like the look of years of coffee or tea patina in their mugs. It’s almost a badge of honor. But, it could actually be dangerous. Your coworkers could be drinking down bacteria from their beloved older, cracked, and unwashed coffee mugs every day.
Bacteria and Dog Bowls
Don’t just believe us – we admittedly want to sell you some cool new coffee branded mugs – believe the experts. Charles Gerba, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona, said his research discovered right around 90 percent of office mugs harbor some sort of germs.
In fact, his work found that 20 percent of mugs at work contain (yuck) some really bad bacteria that should stay in the bathroom. You know the kind we’re talking about.
Gerba says the germs are being spread by sponges in the workplace kitchen and that bacteria from the sponge can live in mugs for up to three days. Those nice little cracks in the coffee patina can hide all manner of germs and grossness.
(For the record, Gerba suggests bringing home your mug each day and cleaning it thoroughly in your dishwasher if your workplace doesn’t have one. We agree.)
Need more reasons to start designing new mugs for the holidays or for a fresh start in 2022? Well, back in 2019, Cooking Light Magazine (https://www.cookinglight.com/general/how-to-clean-coffee-travel-mug-lid) warned office dwellers of another danger. Those travel mugs you love to use at work because they prevent a massive “oops” if (or when, let’s just be honest) you knock your coffee over and it drowns your keyboard? Well, they can hide more bacteria than a dog bowl.
If you’ve had (and washed) a travel mug its seal can begin to break down or warp and the potential for leaks increases. Not to mention that funky smell. That’s because old coffee and bacteria can hide in the grooves of the lid. More bacteria, in fact, than what’s in that dog bowl, says Cooking Light.
Oh, and did we mention, your travel mug lid can actually grow mold?
Ew.
Warning: You Might Face a Battle
But, those who love the “patina” and “flavor” of the unwashed coffee mug are adamant that their mugs stay unwashed. And they think it’s just fine.
JacOfAllTrades claimed on Reddit “There’s no real need to if you don’t use cream or sugar.”
Now, we admit we’re a bit on the clean-freak side of the discussion. And we also sell a huge variety of mugs, water bottles, coffee cups, metal bottles, travel mugs, and more – so we are motivated to tell you to buy new methods of coffee consumption if you can’t bring yourself to use some good ol’ soap and water.
But, believe it or not, this is a hot topic and a “thing.” Don’t believe us? Click on over to reddit.com and search for “coffee mugs” or “Navy coffee mugs.” (Apparently, it’s a Navy “thing” to never wash your mugs.)
Shiny, Healthy Branded Mugs for Your Team
We are definitely not telling you to run a stealth mission into the breakroom or on the desks of coworkers to eradicate their gross coffee cups. They can have sentimental value – that Mickey Mouse mug from a honeymoon or the lopsided one made by a grandchild, for example. But, when presented as a gift to your team (with an admonition to wash them – and their hands, what is up with the bathroom bacteria?) they might just become a beloved keepsake from a great place to work.
Shiny, Healthy Branded Mugs for Your Clients
Did you know that 45 percent of people use a promotional item daily, and 58 percent of them keep the best promotional items for one to four years? It’s true. And what better promotional piece than a mug they can use every day at the office, with your logo on it, reminding them of your quality service and that you are there for them. And did we mention it will be clean?
Okay, we got a bit sentimental there, but the Logo Depot team is truly a family and many of our longtime customers have become part of that family. So, you see why we love to go into an office and discover our magnets, pens, travel mugs, coffee mugs, and more proudly perched on your desk. We promise you’ll love that feeling, too.
Let’s get started
Why are we talking about Christmas already? Well, if you don’t read our blogs regularly (and you really should) we have to tell you that there are some shipping and sourcing issues going on globally this fall. Part pandemic, part labor, part supply chain – but overall it means we need to order earlier than ever so we can make your holiday dreams of a cabinet of clean mugs come true. You can read more about what is happening here: https://logodepotweb.com/blog
And you can start your search and begin planning by checking out all the catalogs we offer online: https://logodepotweb.com/promotional-products. Then when you’re ready, we’ll be here for you, clean coffee mugs in hand.