Click on the picI'm not technically a SAHM...sort of part-time now. But my heart is home full-time. Milehimama's carnival is not just open to SAHMs, so I'm OK.
Anywaaay, this weeks glamorous task: When was that last time you cleaned out your computer keyboard? Today I did just that, and of course there were enough crumbs to feed a small army. You would be amazed at what falls out if you turn it upside down and indeed what is lurking on those keys.
I'll quote this from the BBC News site:
Keyboards 'dirtier than a toilet'
Consumer group Which? said tests at its London offices found equipment carrying bugs that could cause food poisoning.
Out of 33 keyboards swabbed, four were regarded as a potential health hazard and one harboured five times more germs than one of the office's toilet seats.
Microbiologist Dr Peter Wilson said a keyboard was often "a reflection of what is in your nose and in your gut".
During the Which? tests in January this year, a microbiologist deemed one of the office's keyboards to be so dirty he ordered it to be removed, quarantined and cleaned.
It had 150 times the recommended limit for bacteria - five times as filthy as a lavatory seat tested at the same time, the research found.
So, knowing that you might just catch the ebola virus from blogging it's time to clean the keyboard. First, turn keyboard upside down and tap very gently onto a level surface. If you have some ultra-super-dooper expensive keyboard then ignore me, I wouldn't want you damaging some mega-valuable piece of kit. But, if like me, you have a keyboard that's worth about £10 then a gentle tap, or (as the article advises) a shake, over some paper is the best way. Out from the keyboard will drop crumbs, dust, muck and, if you have children, things that look like they should be on a tissue. Yuck, sorry.
Then clean the keyboard with some wipes - the article advises alcohol wipes, but I use antibacterial wipes - they aren't so wet that they'd damage any circuits (or whatever's going on underneath those keys) and they don't clog up the keyboard with fluff.
It's a glamorous job, but someone's got to do it.
4 comments:
How funny, I was just cleaning my keyboard last night thinking what IS this stuff? I used alcohol and q-tip. The mouse was the worst!
I've heard similar statistics about women's handbags.
That said, keyboards do get really, really gross.
Wipes are the best, aren't they.
Yuck! I'm not surprised about the test results on computer keyboards, especially in a work setting.
I do clean our keyboards at home...but not as often as I should...this post will be good motivation! :)
Ooh! Guilty as charged. I can practically see the germs on this laptop. Will have to tackle it over the next few days. At least I cleaned the keyboard for the desktop computer recently, so it could be worse.
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