Computer keyboards are so dirty they could cause symptoms of food poisoning and other illnesses, according to an article on InfoWeek. British researchers for Which? Computing says that your computer keyboard is filthier than toilets. The site had a microbiologist compare germs on 33 office keyboards to toilets and bathroom door handles and found the keyboards contained the most bacteria.
The keyboards were so dirty, they could cause symptoms of food poisoning and other illnesses, according to the article. One keyboard had 150 times the recommended limits on bacteria and was five times as dirty as one of the toilet seats. The magazine said that office workers who fail to wash their hands after using the bathroom and those who eat lunch at their desks are likely to blame for the dirty keyboards. Half the people surveyed said they clean their keyboards less than once a month. Ten percent said they never clean their keyboards, and 20% said they never clean their mouse.
Another survey by the University of Arizona‘s Dr. Charles Gerba contained similar findings. He found that women’s makeup, phones, pocketbooks, hand lotion bottles, keyboards, desk drawers, and mice had the most germs. Men’s wallets, handheld devices, and phones topped the male list. That study found that women’s desks contained, on average, seven times more germs than men’s desks. Gerba, whose study was backed by Clorox, recommended frequent hand washing and the use of disinfectant wipes. The British report recommends turning off computers, shaking out food crumbs, using a damp cloth to wipe surfaces, and following up by disinfecting with alcohol wipes.
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- Technology and Toilet Seats: The Skinny on Germ Transmission (medicaldaily.com)
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.