Your computer keyboard is as filthy as a toilet seat

[Philip]

And that's not an insult. I read this report on the Guardian UK website and it made me squirm. However, I'm not too surprised because this applies to piano keyboards as well. We spend so much time typing away, so much so that the grime on the keyboard builds up rapidly. Truth be told, there are some simple steps to avoid making your keyboards (whether computer or piano) a garbage dump for germs:

• Never eat when you're using your computer. If you must eat, go somewhere else, chow down, and wash your hands thoroughly before using the keyboard again.
• Clean your keyboard often. I do it about once every two days, using just a moderately-damp cloth with a little drop of liquid soap.
• If you must sneeze or cough, turn away from your keyboard. It's amazing how many people expel all that gooey stuff into their keyboards or their monitors!
• Every once in a while, I turn my keyboard upside down and give it a few sharp whacks. You'd be surprised how much crud falls out. And vacuum it if possible. Don't do this for your piano keyboard though!
• Since I'm using a desktop PC, the keyboard is cheap and easily replaceable should a major disaster occur.
• Don't forget to clean your mouse too!

Taken from a post in my blog. Please take the poll.

[sarahtowny]

I have to say I am very naughty and drink my coffee and nibble at my pc, both at home and at work. We don't have a staff room at work, so I have to eat at my desk. And yes there have been more than one occasions where, I have done a whoopsy with the coffee or whatever and it splatters all over.

However, now I know if I get peckish I can just lick my keyboard!! Mmmmh all those juicy germs.. haha sounds like a homer quote!

*goes off to give my keyboard a good whacking *

[Tigerblade]

I tend to clean my work keyboard (and mouse) a lot more often than my home laptop. At work there's a lot more people drifting around, some of whom occasionally need to use my computer for something. There's a can of Lysol that gets pretty frequent use.

At home I tend to clean it much less regularly.

In either case I wash my hands pretty frequently anyway, and tend not to eat at the computer anyway.

[MrOats]

Originally Posted by Sarah

I have to say I am very naughty and drink my coffee and nibble at my pc

Me too.

Now I wipe my keyboard and mouse with anti-bacterial wipes.

[PolarBearNPR]

At work - I clean it daily (little germy kids all around - I clean anything they touch daily) and never eat there ~ bleh. At home, well, it's just me using my computer, sticky fingers and all, but they're my crumbs and germs and well, if I didn't sup at the computer, I'd be malnourished and dehydrated