Keyboard could be 5 times dirtier than your toilet seat

jeffy777

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Computer keyboards can harbour more harmful bacteria than a lavatory seat, it has been claimed.

Many users are at risk of becoming ill with stomach bugs, according to the consumer group Which?

It warned that 'qwerty tummy', named after the first six letters on a keyboard, could sweep through workplaces after tests on equipment in its own London offices showed alarming results.

One keyboard was so dirty that a microbiologist ordered it to be removed, quarantined and cleaned.

It had 150 times the acceptable limit for bacteria and was five times as filthy as a typical lavatory seat.

Anyone who eats a sandwich or piece of fruit having been tapping on such a keyboard can pick up bacteria that could lead to a stomach upset.

The scientist swabbed 33 keyboards for food poisoning bugs e.coli, coliforms, staphylococcus aureus and enterobacteria and compared the results to those found on a lavatory seat and lavatory door handle.

Four of the keyboards were considered a potential health hazard and one was "condemned".

Two had "warning levels" of staphylococcus aureus and two others had "worryingly elevated" levels of coliforms and enterobacteria, "putting users at high risk of becoming ill from contact".

The expert said the findings were typical of offices all over Britain.

Which? computing editor Sarah Kidner said: "The shocking results revealed that some of these keyboards were harbouring harmful bacteria that could potentially give their users a stomach upset.

"The germs found could cause food poisoning symptoms such as diarrhoea.

"The main cause of a bug-infested keyboard is eating lunch at desks, as the food deposits encourage the growth of millions of bacteria.

"Poor personal hygiene, such as dodging hand washing after going to the lavatory, may also be to blame.

"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 a lavatory seat."

Which? found that one in ten people never clean their keyboard, while 20 per cent never clean their mouse.

Around half cleaned their keyboard less than one a month.

The modern practice of "hotdesking", in which staff sit at different desks every week, means that workers do not know who has been using their keyboard before them.

Miss Kidner said workers and home PC users should give their keyboards a regular clean, adding: "It's quite simple to do and could prevent your computer becoming a health hazard."

Which? says users should unplug computers before wiping surfaces with a damp, soft, lint-free cloth.

Keyboards should be unplugged, turned upside down and shaken.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...ain.html?in_article_id=563110&in_page_id=1766
 
Hmm, very interesting. I just use my vacuum hose on my keyboard, up until now to pick up dust and crumbs.
 
My keyboard seems to like to collect hair, but I didn't realize that there could be so much bacteria on it.

I do wash my hands A LOT though.
 
Hmm, I never clean my keyboard. :unsure:

On a different note. The rhetoric in that article nearly made me laugh. Oh noes, I could have a "stomach upset." :lmao:
 
The rhetoric in that article nearly made me laugh. Oh noes, I could have a "stomach upset." :lmao:

Apparently, Brits normally do call it a "stomach upset". My wife was watching "It's Me or the Dog" the other day on Animal Planet (or whatever channel it's on), and a young couple aparantly got "stomach upsets" from their dog who kept licking the kitchen counter tops after eating his own "poo" :lol:
 
I just pulled off some keys to get a look into my keyboard...... :barf:

http://img261.imageshack.**/img261/259/img0176we3.jpg
.. That 4+ years of use right there. And I thought I was extra neat at my desk.
I've cleaned my computer and mouse many times, but never though of going under the keys on my keyboard. First thing tomorrow morning...... cleaning time.
 
Are you a lover of Purell, such as myself? :)

As a matter of fact I am :D It's either that or Germ-X, whichever will do.
 
Yeah, I can see that. People are pretty gross, especially with work computers that are shared with other gross people.

Buuuuuttt...then again, my roommate's penis isn't positioned awfully close to my keyboard on a regular basis...
 
But then again it's been shown that the Toilet SEAT is one of the cleanest places in a house.. so 5 times dirtier than the cleanest place isnt that bad.
 
I just cleaned me properly for the first time in 2.5 years. It was nasty.
 
Just yesterday I had to wash my keyboard under running water, because my little daughter managed to pour my almost full big mug of tea (with milk and honey, of course) all over the desk. No surprise that the keyboard took most of it... After the washing I shook off the excess water and then dried it with a blowdryer for ten minutes, I was actually surprised that right after the drying it worked like nothing had happened. After all this Logitech UltraX Premium isn't the toughest keyboard there is, actually it feels rather fragile.

My old MS Internet Keyboard was easy to clean, just remove the 10 screws from the bottom and the top frame came off with all the keys attached (without any of the electronics) -> you could pop it in the dishwasher or wash it by hand, then dry it off.
 
^ Hey that is a good feature and I will remember to look at that aspect next time I purchase one.
 
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OOH! Watch out dem germs gonna getcha! :shock2:

Seriously: I am calling bullshit on this one. It's just some health nutter who is afraid of things she/he can't see. Not a real threat.
 
Seriously: I am calling bullshit on this one. It's just some health nutter who is afraid of things she/he can't see. Not a real threat.

I've actually heard it before, a danish tv program did a test of various places: public benches, restrooms, door handles, computers in a university ect., the computers were the most dirty.
 
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