How clean is your keyboard?

Computer keyboards can host more harmful bacteria than an average toilet seat.

Kerina Fitzgerald from Duston in Northampton works in a call centre. She feels ill after catching an ear infection from shared use of a telephone head set. She understands the seriousness of cleaning your work station effectively to protect yourself at work.

"I've been working for my company for over five years and never caught an infection before. I would eat my lunch at my desk not knowing the risk I was opening myself to. Then after catching an ear infection we are now issued with individual head sets to prevent this from happening again."

"I now make sure I always wipe down my keyboard before I use it and am a lot more careful."

Jimoh sitting at computer desk

A computing magazine 'Which' turned the microscope on over 30 keyboards in a typical office and found some had harmful bacteria that could put their users at high risk of becoming ill. In one case, a microbiologist recommended the removal of a keyboard as it had 150 times the pass limit of bacteria, and was five times filthier than a toilet seat that was swabbed.

The germs found could cause food poisoning symptoms such as diarrhoea and other stomach upsets. The main cause of a bug-infested keyboard is eating lunch at desks and poor personal hygiene, such as dodging the hand washing basin after going to the toilet.

Despite the obvious health hazard of a dirty keyboard, how often people clean their computers varies widely. One in ten people say they never clean their keyboard with a further 20 per cent admitting to never cleaning their mouse.

What can you do to prevent your computer from becoming a health hazard?

• Before you start cleaning, shut down the computer and unplug it.
• Gently wipe surfaces with a soft, lint-free cloth. Lightly dampen (not wet) the cloth with a small amount of water or an approved computer cleaning fluid.
• Unplug your keyboard, turn it upside down and shake out any loose dust and food crumbs inside. Disinfect the surface with alcohol wipes.
• Use a vacuum cleaner with a rubber or brush nozzle on exterior surfaces and vents.
• Headphones can be used by multiple people and can spread germs or even head lice. Wipe them with a damp cloth.