Yea but, that's just London.

OX4

1. Buy a keyboard cover or make one yourself.
2. ???
3. Profit!

marsm

I'm against the clean-freakiness that pervades our culture as well, BUT, I also clean the kitchen counter and kitchen table after I eat to remove rings and crumbs. But most people don't do the same on their keyboard.

So yeah, the worse than a TOILET SEAT sensationalism bothers me too, however, the point is still a valid one.

"and... how would i clean out a MBP? "
@glass: I'd recommend a can of compressed air. I also use an iSkin (which is basically a keyboard condom) to protect the MBP's innards from crumb attacks.

Gina Trapani

This just tells us that toilet seats are much cleaner than we think they are.

Emsaidso

All the posters who think that having a filthy computer workstation is OK strike me as sloppy people who don't like to clean. They then justify their redolence on the ever-adaptive nature of the human immune system.

Yes, our bodies learn to fight bacteria better after being exposed to them, but it's better to not get sick in the first place; you won't miss work or feel miserable. We are fighting a losing battle, especially in light of the fact that bacteria have been around since before the dinosaurs, but in any battle, it's best to cut losses whenever you can.

Microbiology aside, people should clean their keyboards anyway because it's easily the most important piece of computer equipment and deserves some respect.

elgilicious

and... how would i clean out a MBP?

glass

So? Unless you have an immune deficiency, More harmful bacteria = developing immunities to harmful bacteria. BRING IT ONNNN! ACHOO! crap. Lost the battle, not the war.

Ghede

Yes it does. Mythbusters proved that the toilet SEAT is one of the cleanest surfaces in the bathroom

peacelover222

@HeartBurnKid: too true blue!

this whole "bacteria" hype is starting to drive me quietly insane.

the (2nd?) dirtiest place you ever go is when you kiss someone on the mouth. and the bugs you pick up there are a factor of a thousand worse than what may be in your keyboard.

true there is all sorts of detritus underneath your keys but virtually nothing in there, even if you ATE it, would do you any significant harm.

that mouth however...

ffolliet

Yup. Doorknobs, steering wheels, stick shifts, keys, cellphones, remote controls, the pen you sign with at the grocery store, the photocopier start button, vending machines, ATMs, etc.

Deprong Mori

The big issue we are getting so "germ phobic" as a society with the anti-bacterial soaps that kill 99.9% of the germs that we become susceptible to flesh-eating bacteria and the like. Living and working in less than sterile conditions can be good for our immune systems. Having said that, I will now start cleaning out the 3 year old bread crumbs in my keyboard :)

jimmymac8088

Doesn't damn near everything have more bacteria than a toilet seat? Or is that just an urban myth?

HeartBurnKid

Another reason why eating at your desk is a really bad idea. Computer work areas are disgusting.

Deprong Mori

@Confuzius:
@dismantle the keyboard
Grrr

Confuzius

@Git Em SteveDave: I hardly see the point. You're going to pick up bacteria from everywhere else anyway, a little on the keyboard won't hurt.

But it would come in useful if you have to share a keyboard with someone else for some reason and that person's not known for good hygiene practices...

You won't need that for a personal keyboard, as long as you practice at least basic hygiene.

As an aside, the quote reply in comment feature seems to not be working for me again, though it worked fine previously =(

kureshii

Every once in a while I go the full monty.

Get a drawstring mesh bag, pop all of the buttons off your keyboard and toss them in the bag and put the bag on the top rack of your dishwasher. I also dismantle they keyboard and put the top and bottom halves on the top rack of the dishwasher.

Then the guts get a blast from a can of compressed air and alcohol swab if necessary.

That being said, this only happens once a year or so, if that.

Confuzius

@peacelover222: Even without watching I kinda guessed. There's no reason why the toilet seat should have more bacteria than any other normal place (unless you have problems controlling your bowel deposition and it keeps ending up on the seat).

I used to take apart the family desktop keyboard for cleaning. It's the older kind, not mechanical springs but silicone ones, and no multimedia keys so it's easy to take apart and clean.

I stopped doing that once I got my own laptop though. A few months ago I decided to give [the laptop] an annual cleanup. Took out all the keys, wiped them down with water and put them back. It was a much more pleasant experience.

Next time I might think about doing it with alcohol swabs ;) I never touch my keyboard after snacking until I've washed them, but there's no limit to cleanliness OCD when it comes to my geek toys.

kureshii

How about we make keyboards with a material that is almost naturally anti-bacterial, like wood? Plastic harbors and allows bacteria to breed. Anti-bacterial treated plastic keyboards are worse, b/c the one bacteria that survives now has a empty playground to fool around in, and will flourish on the materials that naturally fall off your skin while you type. I'd rather have the bacteria fighting each other than me.

Git Em SteveDave

Aside from the reasons to do so... Why unplug or power down at all? Just lock your computer - or logout if you are using a mac - and clean away.

CJF

I avoid taking my keyboard apart because its a pain in my butt. I vacuum my keyboard then i air spray it then vacuum again then dust then vacuum then i wipe it down. It might sound crazy but it kills me whenever i press a button and i see a huge dust bunny move under the key.

wwilsonxp

Big deal. Mythbusters showed that there are fecal bacteria EVERYWHERE. Best to keep that immune system of yours functional by giving it something to do now and then.

fredramsey

I call shenanigans.

"This just tells us that toilet seats are much cleaner than we think they are."

Exactly. Toilet seats are cold, dry and smooth. They're disinfected more frequently than most surfaces in the house, not to mention the fact that urine itself is sterile. Further, one's buttocks come into contact with very little during the day, and are protected from the outside world by two layers of fabric. It's silly that people think of toilet seats as any more dirty than anything else.

As for keyboards, I agree with those who say exposure to bacteria is a good thing. There's evidence to show that people who bite their nails have stronger immune systems.

Let's also remember that bacteria doesn't cause much illness. Colds and flus are viral. And how many times do you recall someone missing work for a bacterial stomach bug or something? People today spend hours tapping away at their keyboards every day. If keyboards are really this hazardous to our health, then wouldn't we expect to see an epidemic of bacteria-based illnesses sweeping offices?

In short, comparing keyboards to toilet seats is an unscientific, disingenuous scare tactic that's trundled out about once a year. It's nonsensical pandering to people's intuitive assumptions on an issue that is quite counter-intuitive.

Dysnomiac

As we continue to triumph over Mother Nature's natural pruning mechanisms, she peskily employs new ones!

Oh, hello, rising auto-immune disorders! (for the ignorant, your immune system declaring your own body parts -- cells, tissues, etc. -- as enemies of the state and liberating you accordingly)

Tehrab

I'd love to clean my Macbook keys, but I have not even the slightest clue how to. I'm scared to death of somehow breaking them.

KeBove

Anyone with OCD or a fear of germs should perhaps get one of these:-

[en.wikipedia.org]

FizzyPopMan

Has no one ever just put their keyboard in the dishwasher? You have to let it thoroughly dry for a few days, but it seems to do a damn good job.

ryetronics

This is what a clean keyboard looks like:

[images.apple.com]

ICEBreaker

Luckily I have a Mac keyboard which has no grooves, though it is rather groovy. Sorry for the bad pun.

I use a PC at work, and one day, I spent 2 hours (I did it on a Saturday). taking apart all the keys and cleaning it.

I have a revolting colleague who has a dandruff / skin problem, but she never clean her keyboard. It is unbelievably disgusting. It's got so much skin inside that some of the corners are filled to the brim.

ICEBreaker

My keyboard comes apart entirely... so maybe once every three months I take the whole thing apart, soak it overnight in warm soapy water and then bleach, then rinse down really really really well. the only things that I don't wash are the membrane and a few electronic bits.

It's the same process by which I'd sanitize plastic items in the lab (minus the autoclave) so I feel pretty good about it getting the keyboard clean.

CWW

At home I have an IBM Model M keyboard made in 1986 and if work allowed me I'd have one here as well. Imagine how many hands and stuff have touched that? I think I've cleaned it once or twice and it even has those removable key caps.

battra92

I don't have the link any more, but the infectiousness of the kitchens of two people were compared: a woman who was a clean-freak, and a guy who never cleaned, left old dishes in the sink for days, etc.

They expected to find that the guy's kitchen was a toxic dump, but in fact the clean-freak's kitchen had dangerous bacteria on every surface, while most of the guy's kitchen tested fine.

They eventually figured out that her endless wiping was causing her to continually re-colonize bacteria everywhere in the room.

That_Bastid

@ryetronics: "Has no one ever just put their keyboard in the dishwasher? "

Leo Laporte has. He's mentioned it on his podcasts and Radio show. He also pointed out that you just need to let the keyboard dry for a week or so.

Also, this has story has been discussed on Buzz Out Loud over the past few days. A microbiologist had this feedback:
[www.cnet.com]
(search the page for "dirty")

zkam

@KeBove:
It's possible, but not without risk.
These sites might help you decide:-

[blog.nonverbla.de]
[forums.macrumors.com]

FizzyPopMan

I agree with this cleanliness cult that is making so many folks sick. Let the damn bacteria be. We and our world, despite the chemical industry's best attempts, are teaming with microscopic life. They serve an essential function in our bodies and in the world outside our bodies. The clean freak is simply mistaken about the nature of the world.

philosopher_dog

@Dysnomiac: It's silly that people think of toilet seats as any more dirty than anything else.

The people that tend to think that toilet seats are dirty are the ones who try to hover over the seat and end up peeing all over it, thus causing the mess they are afraid of...

Those are also the ones who use 17 paper towels to open the door instead of - oh my gawd - actually touching it.

saffyre9

@jimmymac8088: I agree This is why people are are always sick cause they have no immune system...I'll only clean my keyboard if it gets sticky stuff on it or if its so dirty i cant push down keys :)

superbryant88

The same was concluded in a study for the average work desk. To be honest, it doesn't surprise me; why this bias against toilets? Toilet seats would be quite clean since they tend to get wiped a lot more often than desks. Same goes with drinking cistern water in a desperate situation - it's just like tap water apart from the fact that it later happens to flow into ... well, dirty stuff... ;)

antineutrino

@ICEBreaker: I was about to point out the same thing :) That is probably the best thing about the apple keyboard...besides..you know, not using windows with it ;)

navigator99

You don't need a vacuum, air compressor and all that stuff actually. I just use water (plain water if I'm lazy, but it works too) and a scrubber, with toothpicks for the corners, maybe cotton swabs if I feel like it.

kureshii

My keyboard doesn't get dirty because I run Linux.

KennyM

This gives me an idea for an invention: A keyboard made from toilet seatss

moe52

you cant really get stuff out of an apple keyboard... i tried glue on needle but that doesn't really work when a grain of dust went into it...

i tried vacuuming and it kinda worked. make sure you get the hose off and just lightly suck it over the keys.

iBSOD for iPhone

Doesn't anyone watch 60 Minutes?

Ortzinator

I've been thinking about this for a while. Just wiped mine down.

Afterwards I noticed a smell of bad feet. I bent down closer to my keyboard and realized it was coming from there. Even after wiping down. This thing is getting dismantled and going in the dishwasher. I haven't wiped it down since i got it over five years ago. And i eat at my desk almost every day. Gross.

link7

I've had my aluminum apple keyboard since September and it still looks great. (And I even eat at my desk!) I agree with the folks who think there's no need for a crusade against bacteria so I think I'll let it be. (Side note: I very rarely get sick, and I do many of the things that the germ freaks advise against!)

BethanyBoo

How do you clean laptop keys? :( Mine are like stuck on and I'm afraid of pulling them off.

ph15h needs a nu job

This is scary, and not. I could see if you are using a public keyboard, but your own keyboards are probably fine.

doodoohead

Comment on Why You Should Clean Your Keyboard--Right This Minute What nonsense. Is there any evidence that pathogenic bacteria are residing on that keyboard? Yes, HeartBurnKid. Bacteria are ubiquitous on planet earth. All life on earth is descended from bacteria. There are trillions of bacteria on and inside your body. Yes, trillions. You have more bacterial cells inside you than human cells. Anti-bacterial soaps and swabs are an example of using fear to sell something of limited utility. Sure, keep your keyboard clean if you must. Just don't ignore the innumerable swarm of (mostly harmless) bacteria that inhabits the earth's biosphere.

ZivFloyd

I did this with a toothbrush and a rag just last week, I only lost one key, but the school has the exact same model of keyboard, so I "borrowed" a key

Swizzler121

Your mom has more germs than a toilet seat.

I too am sick of this over-hyped anti-bacterial crap. However, crumbs and stuff are just nasty. :P

Myles

This same topic seems to make the rounds year after year.

[news.google.com]

Leiterfluid

@Swizzler121: "I did this with a toothbrush and a rag just last week" ...Hope you have good toothpaste.

ACF

There's no way my toilet seat has as many germs as a keyboard. You guys are disgusting!

violentsingalong

@ffolliet:
I hear ya. Whatever doesnt kill you, makes you stronger. People need to get over this obsession with cleanliness.

cbiggins

Just a reminder for those who are tempted to go overboard:

Isopropyl alcohol (like the kind in some of those disinfectant wipes) can remove the letters from your keyboard as well as the germs over time.

As a side note, although keeping your own keyboard reasonably clean is a good idea, an even better message to take away from this is to clean your hands after using other people's keyboards, especially if you have to work with keyboards in public areas.

ejoy

I was thinking about the topic of over cleaning just a few days ago. It amazes me how people seem to think that if it is a bacteria, then it will make you ill - which is not the case. Yes bacteria can make you ill, but it's not as likely if you have an immune system that has seen some action.

In a slightly related topic, what happens to that 0.1% of germs that all those disinfecting products don't kill?

Duane

I wonder if there are nice self-cleaning keyboards. In a number of cases, it may be easier to simply replace your keyboard than to take the time to clean it if it's badly infested AND old.

I didn't have too much of a "YUCK!" problem with my old Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000, but I've since gotten an Apple Keyboard (the flat, aluminum one) and hope it stays nice for awhile.

Torley

I was born with an immune system therefor This doesn't bother me at all.

sacred_hoops

Wow - judging from the response, maybe this post should have been "clean your keyboard because it's dirty...and might make you sick"

Whatever happened to cleaning something because ITS DIRTY? Are we really that slovenly that we need studies to try and convince us to clean, or are we going to go back to medieval times and scrape each other with strigils?

phoenix

@ph15h needs a nu job: I second this. My laptop keyboard needs to be cleaned out, but I have no clue whether it's safe to pop the keys out. And I'm not about to take the risk, frankly. Might I suggest a seperate post on how to clean a laptop?

I've been wanting to do this ever since I saw an ant retreat into my USB port. 0_o

Sharpless

Comment on Why You Should Clean Your Keyboard--Right This Minute I've already been doing this about once a month. I just get a paper towel and some Isopropyl rubbing alcohol and wipe off all my peripherals. Keyboard, mouse, sometimes monitor if its dirty, and the entire keyboard tray is where your wrists are.

BudEnemarexia

@Duane: I don't use anti-bacterial solution or soap when I clean. It just irks me to see yellowish stains on a keyboard or crumbs and coffee stains peeking out between keys. It irks me even more to see stain marks on a mouse. And don't even get me started on sweat marks...

I don't care about the bacteria part, when I clean I just aim to get stuff to the same bacterial "contamination" level as everything else in the house.

The 0.1%? It gets taken care of by your immune system, assuming you gave it the chance to build itself up...

@phoenix:
"Whatever happened to cleaning something because ITS DIRTY?"
Agreed! I like doing full wipedowns every once in awhile on my geek devices (good reason to not have too many), just because =)

@ph15h needs a nu job:
"How do you clean laptop keys?"
It depends on what kind of keyboard your laptop has. If it's a relatively new laptop, you can pop off the keys just by pulling on one side (gently!)

To put it back, just align the key to its correct position and press down firmly until you hear it lock in place with a click. Then double-check that it's fully in with a quick eye-over.

Current laptop keyboards are typically
a piece of plastic sitting on top of 2 crossed pieces of plastic, and held in place with tiny clips. The cross-plastic pieces keep it aligned as it depresses.

If it's an older keyboard, well you're on your own until I can figure that out =)

kureshii

Arrgghhhh I just turned by keyboard upside down and shook it. You should have seen all the garbage that fell out of it. Time to sweep the floor.

Astos Green lasers rulz

Astos

I clean my IBM Model M keyboard in the dishwasher every 2 months or so.

piotrusc

Glad i have a brand new keyboard.

skilled1

Sadly I think there's more food in between my laptop keys than in my fridge right now.

bonniegrrl

Continuing the bacteria-in-the-mouth theme, when she was in medical college, my sister delighted in telling me that the human mouth harboured more harmful bacteria than the human rectum. Sorry about the inevitable mental images!

Never did find out if this was really true.

WAK

We would die without them, so I don't particularly want to go murdering the little critters...
So there are good and harmful bacteria, but even the bad ones serve a purpose we ultimately benefit from.
And people putting their keyboards in the dishwasher? I think that's possibly borderline OCD with some of you...
*cuckoo, cuckoo* lol

Wifesmacker

surely people who work in IT who have to touch hundreds of users keyboards (like me) should have one hell of an immune system?

is this why im never ill?

gorilly

Gee, it sounds like the toilet seat is the cleanest surface in the house. I still don't think I'll be spreading out my lunch on it.

rHughes

I only clean my keyboard every few months when I need some board chow.

[www.inktank.com]

Ryan Fisher

Actually, my mouse gets cleaned about once a week. It's a Microsoft trackball with an optical sensor, and with six cats, especially three that like to get up close and personal to me especially while I'm on the computer, I have to blow the cat hair at least that frequently. And while I've got the ball out, I clean the bearings while I'm at it.

I have used others trackballs and find that they haven't cleaned their trackball in years, after I'm done with it, they think it's a brand new trackball.

Bryan Price

will using alcohol ruin the finish on my black macbook?

jadejag

@phoenix: "Whatever happened to cleaning something because ITS DIRTY? Are we really that slovenly that we need studies to try and convince us to clean, or are we going to go back to medieval times and scrape each other with strigils?"

Cleanliness is not binary, you are not either clean or a slob. Cleanliness is a gradient, the point is to find that middle point - where things are clean, but your immune system still gets a workout. Also, no one is saying that you shouldn't clean your keyboard, but that you shouldn't clean your keyboard just because it happens to have some bacteria on it.

Duane

Nothing compared to the probiotics that are put into our food. Like cbiggins says, what doesn't kill ya, makes ya stronger, fo reals, dawg.

McKack

@Duane: You're right, of course, but reading some of the previous comments, you would think that it is absolutely binary. "DONT CLEAN ANYTHING, SAVE THE BACTERIA!"

phoenix

[bp3.blogger.com]

tester

astroman67

[bp3.blogger.com]
Are they sure? Have they seen the state of my toilet seat?

astroman67

Came across this product: www.remi-d.com It's and anti-microbial, but the interesting thing is that it's a spray...so you can spray on your hands or directly on your keyboard and it's alcohol free. Claims all-natural.

bigamish

Damn germophobes. What does not kill me makes me stronger. And by the toilet seat logic, we should begin ripping them off their porcelain structures and carry one wherever we go to eat off of it. Insanity.

surfer__ninja

As others have so well pointed out: there's nothing here that's newsworthy. When you can tell me *what* germs you got from the test and how they're going to kill me, I'm not going to do a damn thing about it. I'd much rather spend the time reading a blog than spending time cleaning a keyboard that isn't going to hurt me in any way.

drsmith

Most people's cellphones probably have more bacteria than the keyboard and toilet seat combined...

I do however, clean my mouse a lot. I can feel it when it gets dirty, and that feeling is disgusting.

Dooga

This is old news.

[[[www.cnn.com]]]

It's your desk and everything on it!

The problem is easily fixed.

1) Don't eat at your desk.
2) Wash your hands.

mondotofu

Did anyone see S02E02 of Penn & Teller's Bullshit? They measured the bacteria on public toilet seats as well as several peoples' various body parts. It turns out that your derière is one of the cleanest places on your body and as a result toilet seats tend to be much cleaner than, say, door handles.

Nevertheless, I do clean my keyboard to get the accumulated gunk and dustbunnies off. But forget the compressed air, alcohol and q-tips. I have two basic keyboards; once a month or so I through the active one in the dishwasher and switch to my back-up. It takes 2-3 days to dry completely and works fine once it does.

Hypargus