Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: Keyboard, Bacteria, Health | Themes: Desktop Computers
A study by a consumer group has discovered shockingly large amounts of dirt and harmful bacteria on the humble office keyboard, with one in the study containing five times more bacteria than a toilet seat... Or 150 times the safe limit of bacteria’s such as E.coli and staphylococcus aureus.
The germs found could cause various forms of illness, including food poisoning type symptoms. The main culprits for growing bacteria on a keyboard are people who eat lunch at their desks, and let the crumbs fall between the keys; and those who do not wash their hands properly.
The study, by consumer group Which? found that 10-percent of people said they never cleaned their keyboard, with a further 20-percent admitting to never cleaning their mouse, and almost half cleaned their keyboard less than once a month.
Which? Computing editor Sarah Kidner said: "Most people don’t give much thought to the grime that builds up on their PC but if you don’t clean your computer you might as well eat your lunch off the toilet."
"Why not give your PC a spring clean? It’s quite simple to do and could prevent your computer from becoming a health hazard."
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Perhaps TomsHardware should do an article on the proper way to clean a keyboard.
Ban keyboards, way too dangerous.
There is an answer to this, it's called CANNED AIR! and Windex wipes!
How many keyboards have I seen broken because someone "cleaned" it improperly.
1-Don't pour liquid on it.
2-Don't take out the keys, or be sure not to break/lose them while doing so.
3-Don't wipe them too vigorously, it could lead to future malfunction.
A coworker of mine puts his in his dishwasher. It works... sometimes! When the keyboard stops functionning properly, anyhow, it is much less of a health hazard afterwards ;-)
I've heard that dishwasher trick before(works fine on the top rack with heat turned off). Any chance this coworker of yours has ever answered the phone as follows "Hi, this is mollydog speaking"?
I have worked for MANY employers that cause this issue by NOT providing proper breakroom / eating areas to save on space. Forcing employees to either eat outside or eat at the desk. When did it become commonplace to NOT give the employees a simple place to eat?
If your company does this, report it to HR!!!
I wash mine with Hot water...
i just find that over time the keys get stiff...
so then complete disassembly is needed and each key is greased with silicon.
Anyone got tips on how to clean a notebook keyboard in this fashion? Complete disassembly is not going to happen with most out there, and canned air doesn't get everything off the keyboard.
The only reason I have ever cleaned mine is to remove the pound of dust that gathers on it (with a vacuum brush attachment). Sorry, I still think I'd rather pour a pepsi into my kb and drink out of it than eat anything that's been in the same room as my toilet, much less on it. Jeez, if all you germophobes try to never come across any germs how will your body have any kind of resistance to a germ when it does?
FSXFan, lay out a bedsheet, hold your keyboard upside down over it, and blast it out with a can of compressed air. Vomit. You will have a staggering quantity of crud collected. Blast it out over a trash can and wipe it down thoroughly once a week. You'll be happy.