​Are you guilty? 

Did you have breakfast, lunch and dinner at your computer?

A recent study has shown an average of 3,300 microbes per square inch on keyboards. Yet another study shows that your keyboard has 60% more germs than a toilet seat does. Researchers also believe that the numbers rise if the computer is shared. Not surprisingly, this is due to the fact the keyboards are hardly cleaned.

Lurking behind the darkness of your keyboard

Research has shown that numerous types of bacteria and fungi can be found on the typical keyboard at the workplace.

Some of these microbes included staph and strep bacteria. Both are responsible for causing infections like pharyngitis (strep throat), bacterial pneumonia and cellulitis which can lead to toxic shock syndrome, a very rare but potentially deadly disease.

Wash your hands regularly

Washing your hands is an effective way to prevent the spread of germs from your keyboard to other people. Recommended hand-washing steps​ should be followed to help keep you and your family healthy.

Clean your keyboard, get sick less often

Cleaning your keyboard is definitely not easy. Use too much water and the device may cease to work altogether. Apply too little and you may not do a good job. Here are some simple tips that may help:
  • ​​​​Follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning and disinfecting your electronics
  • If there is no guidance, use alcohol-based wipes or sprays containing at least 70% alcohol. Dry the surface thoroughly
  • USB vacuum cleaners are handy if you need to get rid of dirt stuck between the keys
So take a quick look at your keyboard.