There’s no hiding away from the fact that technology plays a big part in everyday life, with many of us using computers and laptops for both business and personal reasons. But have you ever stopped to think about how much dirt and bacteria are on your keyboard or mouse?

It’s estimated that the average office worker’s hands come into contact with 10 million bacteria per day, with researchers finding keyboards alone contain 7,500 bacteria per swab. This is considerably higher than the average toilet seat, which has 5,400 bacteria per swab.

In fact, the average office keyboard is said to be the second dirtiest item in an office. It has also been suggested the computer mouse carries three times more germs than a toilet seat.

There are a number of reasons why the keyboard and mouse, which are sat in front of you, are so unhygienic, with shared computers said to be five times more unhygienic than those used by one person.

Some of the main reasons your computer keyboard and mouse are so dirty include:

• Eating at your desk. Food crumbs encourage the growth of nasty bacteria, whilst spilling food crumbs also encourages germs to spread.
• Rushed toilet breaks. Failing to wash your hands after going to the loo is a quick and easy way to spread germs over your keyboards (and throughout the office). Take an extra 2 minutes to thoroughly clean your hands after going to the toilet.
• Not cleaning them. A study has found 1 in 10 people never clean their keyboard, whilst 20% never clean their mouse. Of those who do clean their keyboards, half do it less than once a month. [source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-563110/How-keyboard-FIVE-TIMES-dirtier-toilet-seat–qwerty-tummy.html]
• Coughs and sneezes. Catch it, kill it, bin it. Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, make sure your catch it, kill it and bin it to prevent germs from spreading onto your keyboards. After coughing or sneezing, take the time to use hand sanitiser too.

Unhygienic working conditions, such as dirty keyboards are a key contributor to millions of working days being lost due to sickness each year, costing the economy £29 billion a year.  But your keyboard and mouse needn’t be the reason you’re ill – particularly when cleaning your keyboard and mouse is so easy.

Easily Clean Your Computer Keyboard

To thoroughly clean your keyboard you first need to unplug it from your computer, before flipping it upside down over a bin, shaking it and tapping the bottom to ensure any dirt and crumbs caught between the keys are removed.

Once you’ve done this use a toothbrush to clean between the keys. Make sure you brush your toothbrush along every row and column a number of times, and if possible push everything in the same direction.

With between the keys cleaned, use a cotton bud dipped in warm soapy water to clean each key individually, and if there are any stubborn marks or stains on the keys use a rubber to remove them. All that’s then left to do is to use an anti-bacterial wipe to disinfect your keyboard.

Clean Your Computer Mouse with Ease

When it comes to cleaning your mouse you need little more than a few dishcloths and anti-bacterial wipes.

To start, we recommend you use a slightly damp micro-fiber cloth to wipe over the mouse, including underneath – but take care not to get any water in the crevices on your mouse. Once you’ve wiped it over with the damp cloth, use a dry micro-fiber cloth to dry your mouse, before giving it a once over with an anti-bacterial wipe.

These simple cleaning steps on a regular basis will help reduce the number of bacteria and germs harbouring on your computer and around your work desk. So next time you go to send that email or write your blog, take five minutes beforehand to clean the keyboard and mouse and keep your workspace more hygienic.

Tags: Cleaning Tips, Computer